- PPF Points
- 186
Debugging seemed to be the most annoying aspect of learning to code. I would write a lot of code, execute it, and then all of a sudden something would break. Initially, I would gaze at the screen, unsure of what had gone wrong. I discovered over time that debugging is more than just correcting mistakes. Like any other skill, it gets better with practice.
Using console.log() was the first and most useful method I discovered. The number of times I was able to identify the issue by printing out variables or checkpoints is incalculable. For instance, when I clicked the "Add Task" button while creating a JavaScript to-do app, nothing happened. I discovered that the event listener wasn't correctly attached by adding console.log("Button clicked"). It worked after I fixed that!
Reading error messages was another crucial habit I developed. I used to ignore them or think they were confusing in the beginning. The precise file and line where the error occurred, as well as a hint as to what's wrong, can frequently be found if you take the time to read what the console or terminal is telling you.
I also started using the breakpoints in the browser dev tools. These allow me to stop the code while it's running and look at what's in each variable at that exact moment. This was really helpful when I had complex reasoning that was hard to understand just by reading it.
"Ruby duck debugging" is one method that has saved me hours. Sometimes I would even speak my code aloud to a real rubber duck sitting on my desk. Saying each line made me use logic, and by hearing myself explain the error, I was frequently able to identify it.
Finally, Git's version control proved to be very beneficial. I once attempted to fix a minor problem and broke the entire layout. I simply went back to the most recent functional version and tried a different strategy because I was using Git. I avoided having to start over several times thanks to it.
Although debugging can sometimes feel like detective work, I found that it became more fascinating than annoying once I adopted that perspective. I now view mistakes as hints rather than obstacles.
Using console.log() was the first and most useful method I discovered. The number of times I was able to identify the issue by printing out variables or checkpoints is incalculable. For instance, when I clicked the "Add Task" button while creating a JavaScript to-do app, nothing happened. I discovered that the event listener wasn't correctly attached by adding console.log("Button clicked"). It worked after I fixed that!
Reading error messages was another crucial habit I developed. I used to ignore them or think they were confusing in the beginning. The precise file and line where the error occurred, as well as a hint as to what's wrong, can frequently be found if you take the time to read what the console or terminal is telling you.
I also started using the breakpoints in the browser dev tools. These allow me to stop the code while it's running and look at what's in each variable at that exact moment. This was really helpful when I had complex reasoning that was hard to understand just by reading it.
"Ruby duck debugging" is one method that has saved me hours. Sometimes I would even speak my code aloud to a real rubber duck sitting on my desk. Saying each line made me use logic, and by hearing myself explain the error, I was frequently able to identify it.
Finally, Git's version control proved to be very beneficial. I once attempted to fix a minor problem and broke the entire layout. I simply went back to the most recent functional version and tried a different strategy because I was using Git. I avoided having to start over several times thanks to it.
Although debugging can sometimes feel like detective work, I found that it became more fascinating than annoying once I adopted that perspective. I now view mistakes as hints rather than obstacles.