How to Debug Python Classes and Objects

In this Python Classes and Objects article we want to learn How to Debug Python Classes and Objects, Python is popular programming language, and it is mostly used for Object Oriented Programming code. many developers write classes and objects to encapsulate functionality and organize their code. while classes and objects are powerful abstractions, debugging them can be a challenge. In this blog post, we’ll explore some techniques for debugging Python classes and objects.

How to Debug Python Classes and Objects

So now let’s talk about the process and steps pf debugging Python classes.

Print Debugging

Print debugging is a common and straightforward way to debug Python code. you can use print statements to display the values of variables and attributes. when you are working with classes and objects, you can add print statements inside the class methods to display the values of attributes and variables at runtime like this.

class Person:
    def __init__(self, name, age):
        self.name = name
        self.age = age

    def say_hello(self):
        print(f"Hello my name is {self.name} and I am {self.age} years old")

person = Person("Geekscoders", 5)
person.say_hello()

class Person:

def __init__(self, name, age):

self.name = name

self.age = age

def say_hello(self):

print(f"Hello my name is {self.name} and I am {self.age} years old")

person = Person("Geekscoders", 5)

person.say_hello()

In the above example, we have Person class that has an attribute for name and age. we have create a new instance of the Person class and call say_hello() method to print a message that includes the name and age of the person.

Run the code and this will be the result

Debugging with the pdb Module

Python provides pdb module for interactive debugging. you can use pdb to step through the code line by line and examine the values of variables and attributes. for using pdb, you need to import the module and call set_trace() method at the point where you want to start debugging. this is an example for that.

import pdb

class Calculator:
    def add(self, a, b):
        result = a + b
        pdb.set_trace()
        return result

calculator = Calculator()
calculator.add(2, 3)

import pdb

class Calculator:

def add(self, a, b):

result = a + b

pdb.set_trace()

return result

calculator = Calculator()

calculator.add(2, 3)

In the above example, we have Calculator class that has an add() method. after that we created new instance of the Calculator class and call add() method with two arguments. we use pdb.set_trace() method to start the interactive debugging session at the point where the add() method is called.

when we run the code, pdb console will be launched, and you can step through the code using the following commands:

n – Execute the next line
s – Step into a function call
c – Continue execution until the next breakpoint

Using Debuggers in Integrated Development Environments (IDEs)

Most popular Python IDEs provide builtin support for debugging. this can make it easier to debug classes and objects because you can use graphical user interface to step through the code and examine variables and attributes. this is an example of using PyCharm IDE:

Set a breakpoint by clicking on the line number in the code editor

Run the code in debug mode by clicking on the debug icon or using the debug menu option
When the code reaches the breakpoint, you can examine variables and attributes in the debug panel or using the mouse over tooltip

How to Debug Python Classes and Objects

How to Debug Python Classes and Objects

Print Debugging

Debugging with the pdb Module

Using Debuggers in Integrated Development Environments (IDEs)

Learn More

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