Step Through Your Code

Take a look at this code:

public interface ResourceHandler {
    public Resource createResource(String resourceName,
        String resourceLibraryName);
}

/* ... */

String resourceId = "resourceLibrary:resourceName";

/* ... */

String[] resourceInfo = resourceId.split(":");

/* ... */

resourceName = resourceInfo[0];
resourceLibrary = resourceInfo[1];

/* ... */

resource = resourceHandler.createResource(resourceLibrary, resourceName);

Although the code runs correctly, it would be problematic for future maintenance because there are two subtle errors in it. So, what is wrong with this code?

First, the resourceName and resourceLibrary are swapped:

resourceName = resourceInfo[0];
resourceLibrary = resourceInfo[1];

Since the first part of the resource I.D. is the resource’s library, and the second part is the resource’s name, the code should be changed to:

resourceLibrary = resourceInfo[0];
resourceName = resourceInfo[1];

Second, resourceName and resourceLibrary are passed in the incorrect order to ResourceHandler.createResource(String resourceName, String resourceLibraryName):

resource = resourceHandler.createResource(resourceLibrary, resourceName);

Instead, resourceName should be passed as the first argument, and resourceLibrary should be passed as the second argument:

resource = resourceHandler.createResource(resourceName, resourceLibrary);

Because the program runs perfectly, these defects would be difficult to discover. Testing would not reveal these issues. Additionally, only the most careful review of this code would detect the errors. In complex production code, a developer would find it even more challenging to identify these issues. So how can developers detect and prevent errors like these early in the programming process? Developers must step through their code in the debugger. As Steve McConnell says in his fantastic book, Code Complete (p. 231):

Step through the code in the debugger Once the routine compiles, put it into the debugger and step through each line of code. Make sure each line executes as you expect it to. You can find many errors by following this simple practice.

McConnell is completely correct. By interactively debugging every line, I’ve found many errors in my own code (including the bugs that inspired this post). Stepping through your code in a debugger is an excellent way to reduce obscure bugs in your software.

_{^{Code Complete is copyright Steve McConnell, and the text from it is published here under fair use for educational purposes.}}