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Understanding the CodeIgniter Profiler Configuration

The code snippet you provided appears to be the header and comments from CodeIgniter’s config/profiler.php file (typically located in application/config/profiler.php). This file is used to configure the Profiler, a built-in CodeIgniter tool for debugging and profiling your application’s performance. It allows you to display (or hide) various sections of data at the end of a page load, such as execution times, database queries, and loaded classes.

The snippet you shared is just the header—standard for all CodeIgniter config files—with a link to the official user guide (though note that CodeIgniter 3’s docs might be more relevant if you’re using that version, as CI 4 has some differences). Below, I’ll explain how to use and configure the Profiler in CodeIgniter step by step, including a complete example of the full config file.

Step 1: Prerequisites

Step 2: How to Enable the Profiler

  1. Locate the Config File:
    • In your project, go to application/config/profiler.php.
    • If the file doesn’t exist, create it based on the default template.
  2. Enable Globally:
    • Open application/config/profiler.php and set $config['enable_profiler'] = TRUE;.
    • This will enable the Profiler for all requests (you can conditionally enable/disable it later in controllers).

  3. Full Example of the Config File: Based on the standard CI structure, here’s what the complete config/profiler.php typically looks like (you can copy-paste this into your file if it’s missing). The snippet you provided is just the top part; the config array follows.

    <?php
defined('BASEPATH') OR exit('No direct script access allowed');

/*
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Profiler Sections
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------
| This file lets you determine whether or not various sections of Profiler
| data are displayed when the Profiler is enabled.
| Please see the user guide for info:
|
|    http://codeigniter.com/user_guide/general/profiling.html
|
*/

$config['enable_profiler'] = TRUE;  // Set to TRUE to enable, FALSE to disable globally

// Configurable sections (set to TRUE to show, FALSE to hide)
$config['config']         = TRUE;   // Displays all config variables
$config['queries']        = TRUE;   // Displays all executed database queries and their execution time
$config['get']            = TRUE;   // Displays all GET data passed to controllers
$config['post']           = TRUE;   // Displays all POST data passed to controllers
$config['uri_string']     = TRUE;   // Displays the requested URI string
$config['controller_info'] = TRUE;  // Displays controller and method information
$config['models']         = TRUE;   // Displays details about loaded models
$config['libraries']      = TRUE;   // Displays details about loaded libraries
$config['helpers']        = TRUE;   // Displays details about loaded helpers
$config['memory_usage']   = TRUE;   // Shows memory usage
$config['elapsed_time']   = TRUE;   // Shows total execution time
$config['benchmarks']     = TRUE;   // Shows benchmark data
$config['http_headers']   = TRUE;   // Displays HTTP headers
$config['session_data']   = TRUE;   // Displays session data

/* End of file profiler.php */
/* Location: ./application/config/profiler.php */
    • Key Settings:
      • $config['enable_profiler']: The master switch.
      • Each section (e.g., config['queries']) controls visibility. Set to TRUE/FALSE based on what you want to debug.
  4. Conditional Enabling (Optional):
    • You don’t have to enable it globally. In a controller, you can use: 
      $this->output->enable_profiler(TRUE);  // Enable for this specific method/request
$this->output->enable_profiler(FALSE); // Disable
    • This overrides the global config for that page.

Step 3: How to Use the Profiler in Practice

  1. Accessing the Output:
    • Load any page in your app (e.g., a controller method).
    • Scroll to the bottom—the Profiler will appear as a collapsible box with sections like “Elapsed Time,” “Database Queries,” etc.
    • Click “Close” or “Open” to toggle visibility.
  2. What Each Section Shows:
    • Benchmarks: CPU times for different parts of your code (useful for optimization).
    • Queries: All SQL queries run, including execution times and errors (great for debugging DB issues).
    • POST/GET: Form data submitted, helpful for form validation.
    • Memory Usage: How much RAM your script used (monitor for leaks).
    • Example: If a page is slow, enable benchmarks and queries to identify bottlenecks.
  3. Custom Benchmarking:
    • Add custom markers in your code to time specific blocks: 
      $this->benchmark->mark('query_start');  // Start timer
// Your code here (e.g., a foreach loop or DB query)
$this->benchmark->mark('query_end');    // End timer
    • This will appear in the “Benchmarks” section automatically.
  4. Example Usage in a Controller: Suppose you have a controller method that’s slow—you can enable Profiler there to debug: 
    class Example extends CI_Controller {
    public function index() {
        $this->load->database();
        $this->output->enable_profiler(TRUE);  // Enable for this page only

        // Your logic here, e.g., fetching data
        $data['results'] = $this->db->get('users')->result();
        $this->load->view('example_view', $data);
    }
}
    • After loading this page, check the bottom for Profiler data.

Step 4: Tips and Troubleshooting

If this doesn’t match what you meant (e.g., if you have a different config or error), provide more context like your full code or CI version, and I’ll refine the answer!

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