debugging-output-and-previewing-html-using-ray

Ray Skill

Overview

Ray is Spatie's desktop debugging application for developers. Send data directly to Ray by making HTTP requests to its local server.

This can be useful for debugging applications, or to preview design, logos, or other visual content.

This is what the ray() PHP function does under the hood.

Connection Details

Setting	Default	Environment Variable
Host	localhost	RAY_HOST
Port	23517	RAY_PORT
URL	http://localhost:23517/	-

Request Format

Method: POST Content-Type: application/json User-Agent: Ray 1.0

Basic Request Structure

{
  "uuid": "unique-identifier-for-this-ray-instance",
  "payloads": [
    {
      "type": "log",
      "content": { },
      "origin": {
        "file": "/path/to/file.php",
        "line_number": 42,
        "hostname": "my-machine"
      }
    }
  ],
  "meta": {
    "ray_package_version": "1.0.0"
  }
}

Fields

Field	Type	Description
uuid	string	Unique identifier for this Ray instance. Reuse the same UUID to update an existing entry.
payloads	array	Array of payload objects to send
meta	object	Optional metadata (ray_package_version, project_name, php_version)

Origin Object

Every payload includes origin information:

{
  "file": "/Users/dev/project/app/Controller.php",
  "line_number": 42,
  "hostname": "dev-machine"
}

Payload Types

Log (Send Values)

{
  "type": "log",
  "content": {
    "values": ["Hello World", 42, {"key": "value"}]
  },
  "origin": { "file": "test.php", "line_number": 1, "hostname": "localhost" }
}

Custom (HTML/Text Content)

{
  "type": "custom",
  "content": {
    "content": "<h1>HTML Content</h1><p>With formatting</p>",
    "label": "My Label"
  },
  "origin": { "file": "test.php", "line_number": 1, "hostname": "localhost" }
}

Table

{
  "type": "table",
  "content": {
    "values": {"name": "John", "email": "[email protected]", "age": 30},
    "label": "User Data"
  },
  "origin": { "file": "test.php", "line_number": 1, "hostname": "localhost" }
}

Color

Set the color of the preceding log entry:

{
  "type": "color",
  "content": {
    "color": "green"
  },
  "origin": { "file": "test.php", "line_number": 1, "hostname": "localhost" }
}

Available colors: green, orange, red, purple, blue, gray

Screen Color

Set the background color of the screen:

{
  "type": "screen_color",
  "content": {
    "color": "green"
  },
  "origin": { "file": "test.php", "line_number": 1, "hostname": "localhost" }
}

Label

Add a label to the entry:

{
  "type": "label",
  "content": {
    "label": "Important"
  },
  "origin": { "file": "test.php", "line_number": 1, "hostname": "localhost" }
}

Size

Set the size of the entry:

{
  "type": "size",
  "content": {
    "size": "lg"
  },
  "origin": { "file": "test.php", "line_number": 1, "hostname": "localhost" }
}

Available sizes: sm, lg

Notify (Desktop Notification)

{
  "type": "notify",
  "content": {
    "value": "Task completed!"
  },
  "origin": { "file": "test.php", "line_number": 1, "hostname": "localhost" }
}

New Screen

{
  "type": "new_screen",
  "content": {
    "name": "Debug Session"
  },
  "origin": { "file": "test.php", "line_number": 1, "hostname": "localhost" }
}

Measure (Timing)

{
  "type": "measure",
  "content": {
    "name": "my-timer",
    "is_new_timer": true,
    "total_time": 0,
    "time_since_last_call": 0,
    "max_memory_usage_during_total_time": 0,
    "max_memory_usage_since_last_call": 0
  },
  "origin": { "file": "test.php", "line_number": 1, "hostname": "localhost" }
}

For subsequent measurements, set is_new_timer: false and provide actual timing values.

Simple Payloads (No Content)

These payloads only need a type and empty content:

{
  "type": "separator",
  "content": {},
  "origin": { "file": "test.php", "line_number": 1, "hostname": "localhost" }
}

Type	Purpose
separator	Add visual divider
clear_all	Clear all entries
hide	Hide this entry
remove	Remove this entry
confetti	Show confetti animation
show_app	Bring Ray to foreground
hide_app	Hide Ray window

Combining Multiple Payloads

Send multiple payloads in one request. Use the same uuid to apply modifiers (color, label, size) to a log entry:

{
  "uuid": "abc-123",
  "payloads": [
    {
      "type": "log",
      "content": { "values": ["Important message"] },
      "origin": { "file": "test.php", "line_number": 1, "hostname": "localhost" }
    },
    {
      "type": "color",
      "content": { "color": "red" },
      "origin": { "file": "test.php", "line_number": 1, "hostname": "localhost" }
    },
    {
      "type": "label",
      "content": { "label": "ERROR" },
      "origin": { "file": "test.php", "line_number": 1, "hostname": "localhost" }
    },
    {
      "type": "size",
      "content": { "size": "lg" },
      "origin": { "file": "test.php", "line_number": 1, "hostname": "localhost" }
    }
  ],
  "meta": {}
}

Example: Complete Request

Send a green, labeled log message:

curl -X POST http://localhost:23517/ \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "User-Agent: Ray 1.0" \
  -d '{
    "uuid": "my-unique-id-123",
    "payloads": [
      {
        "type": "log",
        "content": {
          "values": ["User logged in", {"user_id": 42, "name": "John"}]
        },
        "origin": {
          "file": "/app/AuthController.php",
          "line_number": 55,
          "hostname": "dev-server"
        }
      },
      {
        "type": "color",
        "content": { "color": "green" },
        "origin": { "file": "/app/AuthController.php", "line_number": 55, "hostname": "dev-server" }
      },
      {
        "type": "label",
        "content": { "label": "Auth" },
        "origin": { "file": "/app/AuthController.php", "line_number": 55, "hostname": "dev-server" }
      }
    ],
    "meta": {
      "project_name": "my-app"
    }
  }'

Availability Check

Before sending data, you can check if Ray is running:

GET http://localhost:23517/_availability_check

Ray responds with HTTP 404 when available (the endpoint doesn't exist, but the server is running).

Getting Ray Information

Get Windows

Retrieve information about all open Ray windows:

GET http://localhost:23517/windows

Returns an array of window objects with their IDs and names:

[
  {"id": 1, "name": "Window 1"},
  {"id": 2, "name": "Debug Session"}
]

Get Theme Colors

Retrieve the current theme colors being used by Ray:

GET http://localhost:23517/theme

Returns the theme information including color palette:

{
  "name": "Dark",
  "colors": {
    "primary": "#000000",
    "secondary": "#1a1a1a",
    "accent": "#3b82f6"
  }
}

Use Case: When sending custom HTML content to Ray, use these theme colors to ensure your content matches Ray's current theme and looks visually integrated.

Example: Send HTML with matching colors:

# First, get the theme

THEME=$(curl -s http://localhost:23517/theme)
PRIMARY_COLOR=$(echo $THEME | jq -r '.colors.primary')

# Then send HTML using those colors

curl -X POST http://localhost:23517/ \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "uuid": "theme-matched-html",
    "payloads": [{
      "type": "custom",
      "content": {
        "content": "<div style=\"background: '"$PRIMARY_COLOR"'; padding: 20px;\"><h1>Themed Content</h1></div>",
        "label": "Themed HTML"
      },
      "origin": {"file": "script.sh", "line_number": 1, "hostname": "localhost"}
    }]
  }'

Payload Type Reference

Type	Content Fields	Purpose
log	values (array)	Send values to Ray
custom	content, label	HTML or text content
table	values, label	Display as table
color	color	Set entry color
screen_color	color	Set screen background
label	label	Add label to entry
size	size	Set entry size (sm/lg)
notify	value	Desktop notification
new_screen	name	Create new screen
measure	name, is_new_timer, timing fields	Performance timing
separator	(empty)	Visual divider
clear_all	(empty)	Clear all entries
hide	(empty)	Hide entry
remove	(empty)	Remove entry
confetti	(empty)	Confetti animation
show_app	(empty)	Show Ray window
hide_app	(empty)	Hide Ray window