Blogs

Top 6 Tips for Debugging Java Code Faster

By Joseph Clymer posted 10-27-2020 01:26

  

Debugging a code is one of the leading problems amongst developers. In fact, debugging a Java code is quite problematic. In simple terms, debugging is the process of identifying and fixing errors or bugs present in a code, project or even an application. Since debugging a code enhances its quality, it would be advisable for any Java developer to have this skill.

In this article, you’ll learn about the best tips to debug any Java code. We’ll highlight some widespread run-time errors and utilize the GUI (graphical user interface)-based Eclipse IDE (integrated development environment). So, let’s go through these essential Java debugging tips.

Use Breakpoints

An essential functionality that plays a crucial role in debugging is the breakpoint. It lets you stop application execution so you can assess the program and find out why it’s not running accordingly. All debuggers provide multiple types of breakpoints, such as exception breakpoints, conditional breakpoints, tracepoints and watchpoints.

Thus, learning when and how to use various kinds of breakpoints will undoubtedly simplify your debugging process. In fact, some modern tools let you place breakpoints on your Java code and gather the debugging data without stopping the program execution.

Inspect and Watch

When it comes to debugging a Java code, there’re two menu options that you can use to see the expression value. First, select the statement, right-click it and then inspect. With this, you’ll see the value of that particular statement at the time of debugging. Secondly, you can watch on it and its value and condition will appear on the watch window.

Step Filtering

While carrying out a Step Into in the debugging process, it’s common for program control to move from one class to the other. Ultimately, you may be moved to JDK classes and external libraries, such as String or System.

So, to avoid moving to external libraries or JDK classes, consider using step filtering. Basically, it makes it easy to filter out the external libraries from the Step Into. In simple terms, the feature helps you to skip some essential packages during the debugging process.

Show Logical Structure

Typically, this feature is present in the variables view, and programmers use it to evaluate the content within Java classes in a program. Upon enabling this feature, the variables list displays a helpful debugging array. Well, it becomes significantly helpful when your code lacks the toString() methods for various objects.

Drop to Frame

During the debug process, Eclipse IDE lets you select any frame level and set the JVM (Java Virtual Machine) to restart from the chosen level. Ideally, it gives you the ability to re-compile a section of your code.

Use of Environmental Variables

As most Java programmers know, it’s essential to set up environmental variables before programming. You have to go to the system variables to configure an environmental variable. If you have got any problems configuring the environmental variables, consider using Java Programming Help.

The last tip is to use Java debugging as the final option instead of using it as the first option. The reason for this is that the process consumes a lot of time, especially when you experience high network latency between the remote and localhost. Therefore, it would be wise of you to look keenly look at your program to identify the bugs.

0 comments
1 view

Permalink