Technical Reference

This section provides in-depth technical information for advanced users.

Glossary of Terms

WP_DEBUG Constants Explained

WP_DEBUG

Master switch for debugging. When true, WordPress outputs errors, notices, and warnings.

WP_DEBUG_LOG

Logs errors to debug.log file. Essential for persistent error tracking. There is no sense in case WP_DEBUG is off.

WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY

Controls whether errors display on screen. Should be false in production environments. There is no sense in case WP_DEBUG is off.

SCRIPT_DEBUG

Forces WordPress to use development versions of core JS/CSS files. Useful for debugging JavaScript issues. There is no sense in case WP_DEBUG is off.

Cron Jobs in WordPress

WP-Cron runs scheduled tasks like alerts and cleanups. Triggered by site visits or real cron jobs. Can be manually executed via wp-cron.php.

Log Rotation Concepts

Process of archiving and removing old log entries. Helps maintain manageable log file sizes. Automated in the Pro version.

AJAX Polling

Technique used for live updates. In Auto mode, the plugin polls the log file every 10 seconds to check for any updates.

Stack Traces

Hierarchy of function calls leading to an error. Shows the path from initial request to failure point. Essential for pinpointing root causes.

Log Entry Types

• Notice: Non-critical issues (e.g., deprecated functions)
• Warning: Serious but non-fatal problems
• Fatal Error: Crashes script execution
• Database Error: Issues with database queries
• Parse Error: Syntax issues in PHP code

Custom Constants

• DBG_LV_USER_DEFINED_LOG_FILE_LIMIT: Override default 10MB limit.
  Exmaple: define('DBG_LV_USER_DEFINED_LOG_FILE_LIMIT', 20971520); // 20MB in bytes
  Open wp-config.php and add the line before the /* That's all, stop editing! */ comment.

For feature comparison, see the Free vs Pro Features guide.