Shining a Light on Debugging

Lessons from a Lightbulb

Alex Riviere

Senior Vue Developer at Nexcor Food Safety Management

@fimion@notacult.social

The Lightbulb

Photo by Jack Carter on Unsplash

Step 1:

The Light Bulb is Out

• Identify your bug, and be able to reproduce it consistently.
• Use a stack trace to pinpoint where the error is coming from

Step 2:

Swap Out the Light Bulb

• Find a working example
• Write a Test
• Create a controlled environment

Step 2.5:

Test the Original Light Bulb in a Different Lamp

• Find a way to check the original data
• Use a debugger to check assumptions
• Print/log your data to test your assumptions

Step 3:

Test the Lamp in a Different Power Source

• Make sure the data source is returning the correct data
• Write an integration test

Step 4:

Check the Plug

• Check that you are using the right resource
• Check the documentation

Step 4.5:

Test a Different Lamp in the Original Socket

• Create a minimal reproduction of the issue
• Isolating an issue can help pinpoint where the problem is.

Step 5:

Check the Breaker Box

• Check your package versions
• Make sure you are using the correct documentation for your version
• Check release notes to see if the issue has already been fixed in a newer version

Step 6:

Call in an Expert or Use Specialized Tools

• Ask someone more senior for help
• Call in a consultant
• Contribute upstream to an open source project

Step 7:

Troubleshoot

the Opaque Wall Wiring

• Dig into an open source project and learn how to contribute to it
• Contact the maintainer of a closed source library with a bug report

Step 8:

Check for Larger Issues,

Like a Power Outage

• Check for a system outage
• Look and see if the service has a status page

Step 8.5:

Call the Power Company

• See if you have an SLA, and request updates on when the service will be available
• If it's a smaller service, file a support ticket to make sure they are aware of the situation

Step 9:

Flip the Table

• Run into the woods
• Become a farmer

Step 10:

Thank you

Alex Riviere

@fimion@notacult.social

https://alex.party