How can I capture the result of var_dump to a string?

I'd like to capture the output of [`var_dump`][1] to a string. The PHP documentation says; > As with anything that outputs its result directly to the browser, the [output-control functions][2] can be used to capture the output of this function, and save it in a string (for example). What would be an example of how that might work? `print_r()` isn't a valid possibility, because it's not going to give me the information that I need. [1]: https://www.php.net/manual/en/function.var-dump.php [2]: https://www.php.net/manual/en/ref.outcontrol.php