> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://boxlang.ortusbooks.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://boxlang.ortusbooks.com/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/dump.md). # Dump Outputs the contents of a variable (simple or complex) of any type for debugging purposes to a specific output location. The available `output` locations are: - **buffer**: The output is written to the buffer, which is the default location. If running on a web server, the output is written to the browser. - **console**: The output is printed to the System console. - **Absolute File Path** The output is written to a file with the specified absolute file path. The output `format` can be either HTML or plain text. The default format is HTML if the output location is the buffer or a web server or a file, otherwise it is plain text for the console. ## Method Signature ``` Dump(var=[any], label=[string], depth=[numeric], maxRows=[numeric], top=[numeric], expand=[boolean], abort=[boolean], output=[string], format=[string], showUDFs=[boolean]) ``` ### Arguments | Argument | Type | Required | Description | Default | | ---------- | --------- | -------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------- | | `var` | `any` | `false` | The variable to dump, can be any type | | | `label` | `string` | `false` | A custom label to display above the dump (Only in HTML output) | | | `depth` | `numeric` | `false` | The recursion depth to display when dumping nested collections. 1-based: -1 (default) is unlimited, 0 shows nothing, 1 shows the top level with no recursion, 2 recurses once, etc. (Only in HTML output) | | | `maxRows` | `numeric` | `false` | The maximum number of keys/rows/items to display per level of a collection, array, or query. 1-based: -1 (default) is unlimited, 0 shows nothing, 1 shows a single row, etc. (Only in HTML output) | | | `top` | `numeric` | `false` | Deprecated: use maxRows instead. When maxRows is not also passed, top's value is used as maxRows. Kept for backwards compatibility with existing BoxLang code. (Only in HTML output) | | | `expand` | `boolean` | `false` | Whether to expand the dump. Be default, we try to expand as much as possible. (Only in HTML output) | `true` | | `abort` | `boolean` | `false` | Whether to do a hard abort the request after dumping. Default is false | `false` | | `output` | `string` | `false` | The output format which can be "buffer", "console", or "{absolute file path}". The default is "buffer". | | | `format` | `string` | `false` | The format of the output to a **filename**. Can be "html" or "text". The default is according to the output location. | | | `showUDFs` | `boolean` | `false` | Show UDFs or not. Default is true. (Only in HTML output) | `true` | ## Examples ### Dump Server Scope [Run Example](https://try.boxlang.io/?code=eJwrL8osSXUpzS3QUChOLSpLLVLQtOYCAFhRBy8%3D) ```java writeDump( server ); ``` ### Additional Examples [Run Example](https://try.boxlang.io/?code=eJwlzLEOgjAUheGdpzhhgsTIAxg2HdxZdLvCoTRpbxu4qLy9Tdz%2BfMPfdXikHaMopj1miB6wxavDwpVn3GQrkLCRxYkxqVENaS4Zc%2BAXk5jAjszqs3rjtWwavGXtHW3wkc%2BkvOucmvaEIC%2BGvh7E%2FbNGe6l%2B5%2B8tJw%3D%3D) ```java // You can dump any thing here. Easy to see the content of complex data type writeDump( var=getTimeZoneInfo(), label="Tag label" ); ``` ### Limit recursion depth Prevents dumping deeply nested structures by limiting how many levels are recursed into. `depth` is 1-based: `-1` (the default) is unlimited, `0` shows nothing, `1` shows the top level with no recursion, `2` recurses once, etc. ```java writeDump( var=complexObject, depth=3 ); ``` ### Limit the number of rows/items shown Limits how many keys, array elements, or query rows are shown per level, independently of recursion depth. Same 1-based semantics as `depth`. ```java writeDump( var=bigArray, maxRows=10 ); ``` ### Deprecated: top `top` is deprecated in favor of `maxRows` and `depth` above. For backwards compatibility it is still accepted and, when `maxRows` is not also passed, its value is used as `maxRows`. A deprecation warning is logged when it's used. ```java writeDump( var=bigArray, top=10 ); ``` ## Related * [ApplicationRestart](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/applicationrestart.md) * [ApplicationStartTime](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/applicationstarttime.md) * [ApplicationStop](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/applicationstop.md) * [BoxAnnounce](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/boxannounce.md) * [BoxAnnounceAsync](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/boxannounceasync.md) * [BoxAST](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/boxast.md) * [BoxModuleReload](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/boxmodulereload.md) * [BoxRegisterInterceptionPoints](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/boxregisterinterceptionpoints.md) * [BoxRegisterInterceptor](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/boxregisterinterceptor.md) * [BoxRegisterRequestInterceptor](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/boxregisterrequestinterceptor.md) * [BoxUnregisterInterceptor](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/boxunregisterinterceptor.md) * [BoxUnregisterRequestInterceptor](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/boxunregisterrequestinterceptor.md) * [CallStackGet](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/callstackget.md) * [CreateGUID](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/createguid.md) * [CreateObject](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/createobject.md) * [CreateUUID](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/createuuid.md) * [DE](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/de.md) * [DebugBoxContexts](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/debugboxcontexts.md) * [Duplicate](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/duplicate.md) * [echo](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/echo.md) * [EncodeForHTML](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/encodeforhtml.md) * [GetApplicationMetadata](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/getapplicationmetadata.md) * [GetBaseTagData](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/getbasetagdata.md) * [GetBaseTagList](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/getbasetaglist.md) * [GetBaseTemplatePath](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/getbasetemplatepath.md) * [GetBoxContext](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/getboxcontext.md) * [GetBoxRuntime](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/getboxruntime.md) * [GetBoxVersionInfo](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/getboxversioninfo.md) * [GetClassMetadata](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/getclassmetadata.md) * [GetComponentList](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/getcomponentlist.md) * [GetContextRoot](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/getcontextroot.md) * [GetCurrentTemplatePath](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/getcurrenttemplatepath.md) * [GetFileFromPath](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/getfilefrompath.md) * [GetFunctionCalledName](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/getfunctioncalledname.md) * [GetFunctionList](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/getfunctionlist.md) * [GetModuleInfo](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/getmoduleinfo.md) * [GetModuleList](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/getmodulelist.md) * [GetRequestClassLoader](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/getrequestclassloader.md) * [GetSemver](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/getsemver.md) * [GetSystemSetting](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/getsystemsetting.md) * [GetTempDirectory](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/gettempdirectory.md) * [GetTickCount](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/gettickcount.md) * [htmlEditFormat](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/htmleditformat.md) * [IIF](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/iif.md) * [Invoke](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/invoke.md) * [IsInstanceOf](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/isinstanceof.md) * [JavaCast](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/javacast.md) * [ObjectDeserialize](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/objectdeserialize.md) * [ObjectSerialize](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/objectserialize.md) * [PagePoolClear](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/pagepoolclear.md) * [Print](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/print.md) * [Println](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/println.md) * [RunThreadInContext](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/runthreadincontext.md) * [SessionInvalidate](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/sessioninvalidate.md) * [SessionRotate](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/sessionrotate.md) * [SessionStartTime](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/sessionstarttime.md) * [Sleep](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/sleep.md) * [SystemCacheClear](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/systemcacheclear.md) * [SystemExecute](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/systemexecute.md) * [SystemOutput](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/systemoutput.md) * [Throw](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/throw.md) * [Trace](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/trace.md) * [URLDecode](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/urldecode.md) * [URLEncodedFormat](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/urlencodedformat.md) * [writeDump](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/writedump.md) * [WriteLog](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/writelog.md) * [WriteOutput](/boxlang-language/reference/built-in-functions/system/writeoutput.md) --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. 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