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Javascript's secret weapon[1] -- especially for beginning programmers -- is its dev tools. If you learn JS' debugging toolkit early on, it will accelerate your

Javascript's secret weapon[1] -- especially for beginning programmers -- is its dev tools. If you learn JS' debugging toolkit early on, it will accelerate your learning in general. I recommend Code School's "Discover DevTools" course [2] for beginning devs, but I'm not aware of a high-quality introduction for experienced devs. Shameless plug: I teach at a school for JS devs named Hack Reactor. If rewriting Underscore as a learning tool sounds like fun, you should apply. http://hackreactor.com http://hackreactor.com [1] until now. [2] Chapters 3-4. http://discover-devtools.codeschool.com/chapters/3 http://discover-devtools.codeschool.com/chapters/3

minikomi 14y ago
Indeed. Learning that debugger; will stop the interpreter at any point you like, with console scoped at that point, has sped up my JS'ing greatly
- grinnick 14y ago
  Wait you can what!?? Holy moly, I've been writing JS for like 3 years now and I never knew this.
  - minikomi 14y ago
    Yep - as long as dev tools are open. Works everywhere, even in eg. underscore templates, backbone init functions..
    - thisone 14y ago
      chrome extension content scripts...
  - d0gsbody 14y ago
    You should watch Discover DevTools then.
- chunkbot 14y ago
  Holy shit! I've been programming in JavaScript for years and never heard about the debugger statement. This looks great for really understanding the details of JavaScript's object model.
- afandian 14y ago
  Doesn't a breakpoint do exactly the same thing?
  - minikomi 14y ago
    Yep! I find it easier to use the debugger statement though when changing code a lot. Also, some places like compiled templates are difficult to set the breakpoint so it's useful there too.
- jasonkostempski 14y ago
  Also that little stop sign shaped pause button in Chrome will 'Pause on all exceptions' (blue) or 'Pause on all uncaught exceptions' (purple, I usually leave it on this).
- joelhooks 14y ago
  Just watch out, we get these committed semi-frequently. Whoops!
zhodge 14y ago
I've been reading up on all of the hacker schools (Dev Bootcamp, App Academy, etc.) and I was really excited to find out about Hack Reactor: I have very minimal programming experience, but have found JavaScript a pleasure to work with. I look forward to applying to Hack Reactor when it's financially feasible! :)
aw3c2 14y ago
What exactly do you mean with "dev tools"? Any specific browser?
- shaischechter 14y ago
  The Developer Tools feature built into modern browsers (Chrome/Safari/FF/IE8+/probably others). Extremely useful when debugging JS. I know the Chrome one also allows remote debugging of your web site/app on Android. Chrome instructions - https://developers.google.com/chrome-developer-tools/docs/overview#access https://developers.google.com/chrome-developer-tools/docs/ov... ... others are easy enough to find Just whatever you do, remove the debugger (and console.log) statements before committing/deploying!!! I've seen this too many times and it's not nice when you end up throwing exceptions in older browsers that have no idea what these statements mean.

minikomi 14y ago

Indeed. Learning that debugger; will stop the interpreter at any point you like, with console scoped at that point, has sped up my JS'ing greatly

grinnick 14y ago
Wait you can what!?? Holy moly, I've been writing JS for like 3 years now and I never knew this.
- minikomi 14y ago
  Yep - as long as dev tools are open. Works everywhere, even in eg. underscore templates, backbone init functions..
  - thisone 14y ago
    chrome extension content scripts...
- d0gsbody 14y ago
  You should watch Discover DevTools then.
chunkbot 14y ago
Holy shit! I've been programming in JavaScript for years and never heard about the debugger statement. This looks great for really understanding the details of JavaScript's object model.
afandian 14y ago
Doesn't a breakpoint do exactly the same thing?
- minikomi 14y ago
  Yep! I find it easier to use the debugger statement though when changing code a lot. Also, some places like compiled templates are difficult to set the breakpoint so it's useful there too.
jasonkostempski 14y ago
Also that little stop sign shaped pause button in Chrome will 'Pause on all exceptions' (blue) or 'Pause on all uncaught exceptions' (purple, I usually leave it on this).
joelhooks 14y ago
Just watch out, we get these committed semi-frequently. Whoops!

zhodge 14y ago

I've been reading up on all of the hacker schools (Dev Bootcamp, App Academy, etc.) and I was really excited to find out about Hack Reactor: I have very minimal programming experience, but have found JavaScript a pleasure to work with. I look forward to applying to Hack Reactor when it's financially feasible! :)

aw3c2 14y ago

What exactly do you mean with "dev tools"? Any specific browser?

shaischechter 14y ago
The Developer Tools feature built into modern browsers (Chrome/Safari/FF/IE8+/probably others). Extremely useful when debugging JS. I know the Chrome one also allows remote debugging of your web site/app on Android. Chrome instructions - https://developers.google.com/chrome-developer-tools/docs/overview#access https://developers.google.com/chrome-developer-tools/docs/ov... ... others are easy enough to find Just whatever you do, remove the debugger (and console.log) statements before committing/deploying!!! I've seen this too many times and it's not nice when you end up throwing exceptions in older browsers that have no idea what these statements mean.