title: How to var_dump from CodeIgniter controller
body: <p>I am attempting to do a var_dump from a controller to my log file and I’m left with an empty line.</p>
  
  <p>Here’s the code within my controller:</p>
  
  <pre><code>$checked = 'test error';
  log_message('error', var_dump($checked));
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>In my log file, I get:</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>ERROR - 2014-06-23 12:30:34-></p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>I am able to get the result of:</p>
  
  <pre><code>$checked = 'test error';
  log_message('error', $checked);
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>So, it must be an issue with var_dump()?</p>
  
  <p>Any ideas? Thanks for the help.</p>