Visual Studio Code for Python Programmers

CHAPTER 5Debugging

When the terminal outputs an error while running a program, you can refer to the Problems panel in the editor to resolve the issue you're experiencing. However, not all bugs result in errors. It may be the case that your program executes successfully, but the output is not what you expected. When such a scenario occurs, the next step is to identify and remove errors in the program. This process is referred to as debugging.

You could attempt to locate and resolve the issue through trial and error by commenting lines of code (thus disabling the code blocks from running), adding more print statements to output when code blocks have executed, or modifying lines within the program. While each approach may help you get to a point where you can identify the bug and a potential fix, this process is inefficient. Fortunately, that's where using a debugger comes in handy.

Visual Studio Code has a built-in debugger in which its features are further extended with the Python extension. While the debugger is useful to help you identify and fix the bug, it is still your responsibility to identify where the bug may be located in your code. Once you identify where the bug potentially exists, use the debugger to help you keep track of the state of your program as it executes.

Before you begin the exercises in this chapter, open the debugger folder in Visual Studio Code and create and activate a virtual environment. The exercises in this chapter instruct you to open each file ...