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RubyConf 2019 - Bridging the Knowledge Gap: Debugging by Mina Slater We're usually never get an official lesson in debugging. No one tells us at bootcamp or in online tutorials what to do when our code doesn’t work. It’s one of those learn-it-on-the-job sort of things and comes with experience. As early-career developers, we get a lot of syntax thrown at us when we’re first learning, but in actuality, the majority of our time is spent trying to fix broken code. But why should we slog through it alone? Let’s explore some Ruby/Rails debugging techniques and tools together! #confreaks #rubyconf2019
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In her talk "Bridging the Knowledge Gap: Debugging" at RubyConf 2019, Mina Slater addresses the complexities and challenges that early-career developers face in debugging their code. She emphasizes that despite the significant time spent fixing bugs, formal training in debugging techniques is often lacking in coding boot camps and tutorials, leading many developers to struggle in their first roles. Slater shares her personal journey from a theater career to becoming a software engineer, highlighting feelings of inadequacy and confusion when faced with debugging early in her career. Mina outlines her experiences and provides practical debugging strategies grouped into three main lessons: - **Look Under the Hood**: She explains the importance of using print commands like 'puts' and 'p' within Ruby to trace the flow of data and understand application behavior. She also introduces the use of Pry, a powerful debugging tool that allows for interactive exploration of code during runtime, enabling developers to inspect variables and navigate through the application easily. - **Tap the Phone Lines**: Slater describes the significance of using browser dev tools, especially the network tab, to monitor HTTP requests and responses. She illustrates how this can help identify errors and ensure the application processes are functioning correctly, thus addressing issues effectively. - **Find a Bug, Write a Test**: She highlights the necessity of writing tests to handle edge cases, ensuring robust code that prevents regression errors. An example from her work showcases how writing tests helped her and her colleague identify and resolve a bug resulting from a database query returning nil values. Mina concludes her talk by encouraging developers to embrace mistakes as learning opportunities and underscores the importance of a supportive work environment. She believes that fostering discussions about gaps in knowledge and learning from more experienced colleagues is crucial for overcoming challenges in debugging. Slater's overarching message is one of resilience and continuous improvement in the field of software development.
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