You can also use the PEAR package available at http://pear.php.net/package/Var_Dump
which parses the variable content in a very pleasant manner, a lot more easier to "follow" than the built-in var_dump() function.
Of course there are many others, but I prefer this one, because it's simply to use.
Just add at the begining of your file:
<?php
require('Var_Dump.php'); // make sure the pear package path is set in php.ini
Var_Dump::displayInit(array('display_mode' => 'HTML4_Text'), array('mode' => 'normal','offset' => 4));
?>
then, instead of simply using var_dump($foo), use:
<?php
Var_Dump::display($foo);
?>
Read the documentation if you're looking for different output layouts.
Cheers!
Vladimir Ghetau