Start Using a Debugger With Your Python Code

The Real Python Podcast

Are you still sprinkling print statements throughout your code while writing it? Print statements are often clunky and offer only a limited view of the state of your code. Have you thought there must be a better way? This week on the show, we have Nina Zakharenko to discuss her conference talk titled “Goodbye Print, Hello Debugger.”

We talk about how to get started debugging your code by adding a single keyword. Nina discusses the differences between debugging on the command line vs using the tools included with an Integrated Development Environment(IDE). She also shares tricks and best practices. If you haven’t seen Nina’s conference talk, it’s a great starting point.

We also talk about working through the last 18 months and how to recharge your creative batteries. We briefly discuss two other presentations Nina gave about CircuitPython and getting started with electronics and Python.

Course Spotlight: Python Debugging With pdb

In this hands-on course, you’ll learn the basics of using pdb, Python’s interactive source code debugger. pdb is a great tool for tracking down hard-to-find bugs, and it allows you to fix faulty code more quickly.

Topics:

• 00:00:00 – Introduction
• 00:01:46 – Follow up on PyCascades 2021 and 2022
• 00:02:45 – Election to the PSF Board
• 00:05:06 – Current levels of burnout
• 00:09:09 – Possible ways to recharge
• 00:12:18 – Goodbye Print, Hello Debugger
• 00:14:46 – What are the types of things you can examine the state of?
• 00:18:01 – Where to start?
• 00:22:37 – Sponsor: Sentry
• 00:23:39 – Why is debugging not shown as often in Python?
• 00:26:49 – Debugging in VSCode
• 00:29:37 – Adding breakpoints in Flask or Django Templates
• 00:31:32 – What is pdb and how does it compare to ipdb?
• 00:39:40 – What are common debugging mistakes?
• 00:43:50 – Video Course Spotlight
• 00:44:48 – Why include a disclaimer about the talk?
• 00:46:13 – Where did you learn about debugging?
• 00:49:23 – Nina’s conference talks about CircuitPython
• 00:58:33 – What are you excited about in the world of Python?
• 00:59:51 – What do you want to learn next?
• 01:04:02 – Social info
• 01:04:27 – Thanks and goodbye

Show Links:

• Nina Zakharenko - Personal Website
• PyCascades 2021
• Python Software Foundation - Become a Member
• Nina Zakharenko - Goodbye Print, Hello Debugger! - PyCon 2020
• pdb — The Python Debugger: Python 3 Docs
• IPython: Interactive Computing
• Pre-commit: A framework for managing and maintaining multi-language pre-commit hooks
• Python Morsels: Write better Python code in 30 minutes each week
• Find & Fix Code Bugs in Python: Debug With IDLE: Real Python Article
• Python Basics: Finding and Fixing Code Bugs: Real Python Video Course
• Light Up Your Life With Python and LEDs - PyCon 2019 - YouTube
• More Fun With Hardware and CircuitPython - IoT, Wearables, and more! - PyCon 2021 - YouTube
• CircuitPython: The easiest way to program microcontrollers
• Circuit Playground Express by Adafruit
• Device Simulator Express: A VS code extension
• IoT for Beginners - A Curriculum
• The Big Book of Small Python Projects - Al Sweigart
• Kreg® Pocket-Hole Jig 320
• Conquer your cuts with the Adaptive Cutting System
• Nina’s Twitter

Level up your Python skills with our expert-led courses:

• Python Debugging With pdb
• The pandas DataFrame: Working With Data Efficiently
• Documenting Python Projects With Sphinx and Read The Docs - Archived

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