Elegant Debugging
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The complete debugging platform for ExpressionEngine. It replaces the default Profiler and Template Debugger and provides a clean, unobtrusive interface to inspect performance, errors, logs, database queries, emails, and more—right within EE 7.x sites.
Delivers a robust, extensible debug interface featuring profiling, error logging, email capture, performance monitoring, and configurable visibility. It enhances both developer experience and performance debugging in production-like environments.
Summary
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Replace default profiler/debug tools with a full-featured debug toolbar |
| Custom Extensions | Yes – support for custom debug panels |
| Email Control | Can disable actual sending and log email contents |
| Error Handling | Custom PHP error handler with logging |
| Log Viewing | Built-in Log Panel to browse EE logs |
| Performance Alerts | Alerts on slow SQL/template |
| Role-Based Debug Access | Enable debug output for roles other than Super Admins |
| Performance Visualization | Graphs and visual performance indicators |
| Requirements | EE ≥ 7.0 (best with 7.4+), PHP ≥ 8.0, Extensions enabled |
| Special Hook for Older EE | Required for EE ≤ 7.3.15 |
Typical Use Cases
Comprehensive Performance Debugging
- Ideal for tracking down slow queries, template parsing delays, excessive memory use, or inefficient logic in your front- or back-end.
Development and Testing
- Useful during development or staging to inspect email behavior, catch PHP warnings or notices, and elucidate hidden performance costs.
Role-Based Debugging Visibility
- Allows debugging control outside of just Super Admins—handy when non-admin roles need insight during testing.
Custom Panel Integration
- Developers can extend the toolbar for project-specific diagnostics, such as cache metrics, custom API tracing, or third-party service monitoring.
Features
Complete Debugging Interface
- Offers panels and tools for profiling templates, monitoring queries, viewing loaded files, parsing performance, and more.
Extensible Architecture
- Developers can create custom extensions to add new debugging tools or panels.
Email Interception / Logging
- Ability to disable actual email delivery and instead log emails to files—great for debugging sending logic or previewing outgoing email content.
Custom PHP Error Handling
- Intercepts PHP errors, logs them, and displays them per your configuration, ensuring visibility into issues across all EE requests.
View & Read Log Files
- An integrated Log Panel allows you to browse and view EE log files directly within the toolbar workflow.
Performance Alerts
- Configure thresholds to flag when SQL queries or template parsing exceed certain durations—useful for targeting and improving slow renders.
Debug Mode for Guests / Custom Roles
- Unlike default EE behavior which typically limits debugging to Super Admins, Debug Toolbar can show debugging data to specific Member Roles (or guests) as configured.
Visual Performance Graphs
- Provides graphical insights into performance bottlenecks across Front End requests.
Requirements
- ExpressionEngine >= 7.4
- PHP >= 8.0
- Extensions Enabled
Installation for ExpressionEngine <= 7.3.15
You'll have to manually add the below hook call to ExpressionEngine:
system/ee/legacy/core/Output.php:276 within the _display() method.
if (ee()->extensions->active_hook('before_response_send_output') === true) {
$output = ee()->extensions->call('before_response_send_output', $output);
if (ee()->extensions->end_script === true) {
return;
}
}