5 ms·
An actual debugger. I started as a PHP/WP dev and spent many hours running results through echo or var_dump. IMO the debugger is the absolute first thing you ne
by pathartl 6y ago
An actual debugger. I started as a PHP/WP dev and spent many hours running results through echo or var_dump. IMO the debugger is the absolute first thing you need to learn about the platform you're writing for. Without it, you're taking shots in the dark and you truly don't know how your code is executing.
It seriously pains me to see people not using one. I have a friend who is taking an online PHP backend class. There was one lecture on debugging, and all it consisted of was "here's what using var_dump looks like". I showed my friend how to actually set breakpoints in their JS code, set watches, etc and they felt cheated by their class. They should.
- Artlav 6y agoI'm really confused by this. Don't debuggers come embedded into any IDE worth using? How could someone start programming this century without access to one?
- pathartl 6y agoIn the PHP world I'd argue most developers don't use an IDE, let alone a debugger. Setting a debugger up with Xdebug or ZendDebugger is also not easy for those less experienced with setting up the actual PHP environment.
- thewebcount 6y agoSo much this. And command-line debuggers are usually awful. Just being able to set a breakpoint in the actual text file you're editing without using a different tool, and stop when a condition happens can speed up your workflow so much.
- maerF0x0 6y ago+1 VisualStudio w/ C#/.NET was very eye opening to the power of live debugging code, ability to evaluate expressions and introspect vars EDIT: I originally said VSCode, but i meant the OG Visual Studio
- pathartl 6y agoI've not tried code for .NET yet. I generally like the normal-IDE-ness of Studio