Goodbye Print, Hello Debugger!

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Hi everyone,

I was watching some of the PyCon2020 videos recently and this video stuck out as being particularly useful for learners who are nearly done with (or have already finished) the Python course or the Computer Science/Data Science paths. It would also be extremely useful for anyone who is trying out the new Python Web Apps with Flask skill path.

As you begin writing more and more complex code, you will inevitably run into errors that you need to find and remove from your code. print() statements are the first way we learn to track down these bugs, but learning to use Python debuggers can help you do so faster and more efficiently. Debuggers can also help you explore parts of your code interactively to help you understand how you can fix or improve the inner workings, so you can avoid the “change code → Ctrl + S → try new code → Ctrl + Z → change code again” cycle that you have probably begun to accept as a part of life.

So, if you are ready to upgrade your debugging skills to wizard status, check out the video below to get started!

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Thanks for the share @el_cocodrilo. I was just getting into studying better unit testing and error logging practices in all my projects.

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There used to be a nice Python based testing and errors section on Codecademy (though not as in-depth as this video from what I recall) but sadly they seem to have removed it for one reason or another.

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That’s really a shame. I remember in my teenage years I just hated error messages and debugging (and put me off from following it as a career then), but I think the teachers I had then never primed us for healthy mindsets for them…

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From experienced programmers and coders, what method is use more, (Print) or (Debug)?

what should a new person to coding invest time into to get a running start and come back to practice the “older” tradition of (printing).

OR is it best to practice both just so skills can be equal incase one or the other is not optional?