Skip to main content

Debugging Deep Dive: From Error to Solution

This post expands on the basics of debugging, providing a systematic approach to finding and fixing errors in your code. We'll cover using AI as a debugging partner, reading documentation effectively, and using common debugging tools.

A Systematic Approach to Debugging​

When you encounter a bug, it's tempting to randomly change code until it works. A better way is to have a system.

  1. Reproduce the Bug: Consistently make the bug appear.
  2. Understand the Error: Read the error message carefully.
  3. Form a Hypothesis: Guess what might be causing the issue.
  4. Test Your Hypothesis: Use print statements, a debugger, or ask an AI to verify your guess.
  5. Fix and Verify: Apply the fix and ensure the bug is gone and no new bugs were introduced.

Using AI as Your Debugging Partner​

AI can be a powerful debugging assistant. Instead of just saying "it's broken," provide context.

Good Prompt:

"I'm getting a TypeError: cannot read properties of null in my JavaScript code. Here is the function where it happens: [code snippet]. I think the user object is sometimes null. Can you help me add a check for this?"

Reading Documentation​

Sometimes the answer is in the official documentation. Learning to read it is a superpower.

  • MDN Web Docs: For web development (JavaScript, HTML, CSS).
  • Stack Overflow: Search for similar error messages.

Debugging Tools​

  • Browser Console: Essential for frontend JavaScript. Use console.log() to inspect variables.
  • IDE Debuggers: Tools like the one in VS Code let you pause code execution, inspect variables, and step through your code line-by-line.

AI for Test Generation​

You can ask an AI to write tests that might reveal a bug.

Prompt:

"Write a set of tests for this JavaScript function to cover edge cases, especially what happens when input is an empty array or contains non-numeric values. [code snippet]"

Your Turn: Debug These Issues​

Try to debug the following code snippets using the techniques above.

(This section would contain 3-5 complex, broken code examples for the reader to solve.)