- var_dump: documentation ( source)
<?php
$a = new stdClass;
$a->a = new stdClass;
$a->a->a = new stdClass;
$a->a->a->a = new stdClass;
// $a = [ 'a' => [ 'a' => [ 'a' => 'a' ] ] ];
$b = $a->a->a;
var_dump($b);
var_dump($b = 'c');
var_dump($a);