See output of a sql query while plugin installation in wordpress

Solution:

It’s not possible to see the echo output, as the activation hook runs and refreshes the page. Two options:

  1. Die:
    function my_plugin_install(){
        $sql = "CREATE TABLE (query skipped)..."; 
        wp_die( $sql );
    }
    
  2. Log to file
    function my_plugin_install(){
        $sql = "CREATE TABLE (query skipped)..."; 
        $error_dir = '/Applications/MAMP/logs/php_error.log';
        error_log( $sql, 3, $error_dir );
    }