Debugging with WP_DEBUG in Wordpress - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is WP_DEBUG in WordPress?

WP_DEBUG is a PHP constant in WordPress that enables the display of errors and warnings to help developers find and fix issues in their code.

beginner

How do you enable WP_DEBUG in WordPress?

You enable WP_DEBUG by adding or setting define('WP_DEBUG', true); in the wp-config.php file.

beginner

What happens when WP_DEBUG is set to true?

When WP_DEBUG is true, WordPress shows PHP errors, warnings, and notices on the site, helping developers spot problems early.

intermediate

What is the purpose of WP_DEBUG_LOG?

WP_DEBUG_LOG saves all errors and warnings to a file named debug.log inside the wp-content folder, so you can review them later.

beginner

Why should WP_DEBUG be turned off on live websites?

Because showing errors publicly can reveal sensitive information and confuse visitors, WP_DEBUG should be off on live sites to keep them secure and user-friendly.

Where do you add the line to enable WP_DEBUG?

A In the theme's style.css file

B In the .htaccess file

C In the functions.php file

D In the wp-config.php file

WP_DEBUG is enabled by adding define('WP_DEBUG', true); in the wp-config.php file.

What does setting WP_DEBUG to true do?

A Changes the site theme

B Shows PHP errors and warnings on the site

C Disables all plugins

D Deletes the database

Setting WP_DEBUG to true makes WordPress display PHP errors and warnings to help with debugging.

What file stores error logs when WP_DEBUG_LOG is enabled?

A wp-content/debug.log

B wp-content/error.txt

C wp-config.php

D index.php

When WP_DEBUG_LOG is true, errors are saved in the debug.log file inside the wp-content folder.

Why should WP_DEBUG be off on live sites?

A To enable caching

B To speed up the site theme loading

C To avoid showing sensitive error details to visitors

D To allow plugin updates

Showing errors on live sites can expose sensitive info and confuse users, so WP_DEBUG should be off.

Which of these is NOT a WP_DEBUG related constant?

A WP_DEBUG_THEME

B WP_DEBUG_LOG

C WP_DEBUG

D WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY

WP_DEBUG_THEME is not a valid WordPress debugging constant.

Explain how to enable debugging in WordPress using WP_DEBUG and what you should be careful about.

Think about the file to edit and why showing errors publicly can be risky.

Describe the role of WP_DEBUG_LOG and how it helps developers.

Consider how logging errors to a file is useful compared to showing them on screen.