dBug is a lightweight debugging plugin for Joomla that provides a modern, bottom-docked debug panel inspired by Joomla Debug and browser developer tools.
It replaces scattered var_dump() / print_r() output with a clean, structured, and non-intrusive debug UI.
- 🧰 Bottom dock debug panel (DevTools-style)
- 🧱 Safe buffered rendering (no broken layouts or DOM corruption)
- 📦 Structured variable dumps (arrays, objects, XML, scalars)
- 🧭 Tabbed interface (Dump / Info / Request)
- 📏 Resizable & collapsible panel
- 🌓 Dark-mode friendly
- ⌨️ Keyboard support (Esc to close)
- 🔢 Automatic dump counter
- 🧠 Persistent state (open/closed, height, active tab)
- ⚙️ Joomla WebAssetManager integration
- ♻️ Backward compatible
dbug()API
dBug is intentionally split into three layers:
| Layer | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Plugin | Lifecycle, permissions, asset loading, final injection |
| Renderer | Formats variables into HTML (no direct output) |
Shim (dbug()) |
Public API & backward compatibility |
All debug output is buffered and injected once at the end of the page to ensure valid HTML and zero layout breakage.
- Download the latest release from GitHub
- Install via Extensions → Manage → Install
- Enable System – dBug
- (Optional) Enable Joomla Debug Mode if restricted by plugin settings
dbug($variable);