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Debugging pycharm

Debugging Python Code with PyCharm

Objective:
Students will learn how to effectively use PyCharm’s debugging tools to identify and resolve issues in Python code.

Introduction to Debugging

  • Objective: Learn what debugging is and why it’s important.
  • Key Points:
  • Definition of debugging: The process of identifying, isolating, and fixing errors (bugs) in code.
  • Importance of debugging: Ensures code runs correctly, improves code quality, and saves time in the long run.

Setting Up PyCharm for Debugging

  • Objective: Learn the setup process to prepare PyCharm for debugging.
  • Activities:
  • Open PyCharm and create or open an existing Python project.
  • The layout of PyCharm:
    • The editor
    • Project explorer
    • The console
  • Learn how to configure the Python interpreter.
  • Learn python virtual environments.
Note

A Python virtual environment is a self-contained directory that encapsulates a specific Python interpreter along with its installed packages. This setup allows developers to create isolated environments for different projects, ensuring that dependencies for one project don’t interfere with another. Virtual environments are especially useful when working on multiple projects that require different versions of the same packages or libraries. By using a virtual environment, you can maintain a clean and organized project structure, avoid package conflicts, and ensure consistency across development, testing, and production environments.

Understanding Breakpoints

  • Objective: Learn how to use breakpoints to pause code execution at specific lines.
  • Activities:
  • Learn how to set a breakpoint by clicking in the left gutter next to the line number.
  • Explain the purpose of breakpoints: to pause the program’s execution so that the state of the program can be examined.
  • Run the code with breakpoints and observe how the program stops at the breakpoint.
  • Objective: Learn how to control code execution using PyCharm’s debugging tools.
  • Activities:
  • Step Over: Execute the current line of code and move to the next line.
  • Step Into: Dive into the function being called on the current line.
  • Step Out: Exit the current function and return to the caller.
  • Resume Program: Continue running the program until the next breakpoint or until the program ends.

Inspecting Variables and the Debugger Window

  • Objective: Learn how to inspect the values of variables and understand the information in the debugger window.
  • Activities:
  • View variable values in the debugger window while the program is paused.
  • Learn how to modify variable values during debugging.
  • Explain the significance of the “Watches” section to monitor specific variables.

Handling Exceptions and Viewing the Call Stack

  • Objective: Learn how to handle exceptions and understand the call stack in PyCharm.
  • Activities:
  • Trigger an exception in the code and observe how PyCharm handles it.
  • Explain how to read the exception message and traceback to identify the source of the error.
  • Introduce the call stack: a view that shows the sequence of function calls leading up to the current point in the program.

Additional Debugging Tips: - Take a methodical approach to debugging: isolate the problem, understand it, and then fix it. - Debugging is a skill that improves with practice.