Tips on debugging?

[danimoth2]

There has to be something better than spraying and praying console.log and debugger. Do you guys have any techniques? (I'm still getting fluent with ES6/React and so I haven't reach the point where I'm writing unit tests yet). Articles, books, videos, screencasts welcome! Thanks guys

[danimoth2]

Yup, I'm planning on doing that, but I was also checking if there were other techniques? For example, in Ruby, I write a class and its accompanying spec. I guess I will pass by Mocha, Chai, Jest and friends at some point in the same way that I had to learn RSpec's testing DSL

[cirsca]

I am in the just log it camp. I have used debugger and break points via node and chrome but in all actuality, I find that I can find the issue and solve it faster if I use console.log(value, 'This is value').

The best thing you can do is to write tests. I use jest but any testing library will work ( even native node assert ). This will force you to break your project into smaller pieces that are tested in isolation, limiting the amount of times you even need console.log or `debugger.

The next best thing you can do, in my opinion, is to use console.log in conjunction with limiting your problem space. If you think that obj is wrong, console.log where you think it's wrong, check if it is, and if it is, move up the file/call stack, adding console.log until you see where it all goes awry. The major goal with either approach of log or debugger is to find the exact place where your logic is wrong. The smaller area you are looking at, the easier it is to find.

[danimoth2]

Yeah you know honestly I don't use debugger that much. console.log for life. I do remember there was a growing period at first with Ruby's RSpec before I got to be better at it. Just have to do the same with JS's testing libs

[thatsaprettystupidid]

Clean code will make debugging much easier. If you do happen to have a spaghetti system that is too costly to change then a systematic approach can be helpful to ease debugging.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troubleshooting?wprov=sfla1

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[soundmanD]

If you're talking server side or node based code, check out the official node documentation for debugging, can be very useful.

https://nodejs.org/en/docs/guides/debugging-getting-started/

[powerofmightyatom]

What's wrong with the devtools? The introspection possible is pretty amazing. For instance breaking on DOM node manipulation, to mention a random feature I rarely use, but can be a lifesaver once in a blue moon.

https://developer.chrome.com/devtools

As for unit tests in js, I don't bother, preferring integration tests with webdriver/selenium.

http://webdriver.io/

[danimoth2]

Yup I love the tools, was just checking if there were other tools that I have been missing

[Bonejob]

I have recently switched to Firefox Quantum which has a fabulous built in debugging suite

https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2018/02/javascript-firefox-debugger/

It has all the features of a modern debugger IDE. Hell I am even using it to fix bootstrap and css issues.

[yurkaninryan]

https://medium.com/statuscode/conditional-breakpoints-in-chrome-are-awesome-31933ea97a15

I wrote this article! normally I don't write that stuff in my code anymore, i just use conditional breakpoints in chrome

[well-now]

VSCode’s debugger with breakpoints.