What Is Debugging In Ruby With Pry/Byebug with Code Example

Debugging in Ruby with Pry/Byebug

Stepping through code is made possible by debugging with Pry/Byebug. It functions as a powerful debugging tool that lets you see your application’s whole state at any time. Similar to irb, Pry/Byebug interrupts the application’s execution and drops you into an interactive Ruby session. Before continuing with code execution, you can examine and change variables that are specific to the current scope during this session.

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Here’s how to utilize Pry/Byebug, along with an example of code:

Installation and Setup

Install the necessary gem: The pry-byebug gem must first be installed via the command line: $ gem install pry-byebug

Require the library: At the beginning of your Ruby code, add the line require 'pry-byebug'.

Set a breakpoint: Insert the line binding.pry wherever you want the program to pause (a breakpoint).

Code Example and Commands

Take a look at the hello.rb sample below:

require 'pry-byebug' 

def hello_world
  puts "Hello"
  binding.pry # Execution will pause here
  puts "World"
end

hello_world # Calls the function

Output

Hello
World

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The application will halt at the line that contains binding.pry when you run this file. Once paused, you may explore variables and control execution with particular instructions.

Debugging is easier when you use interactive tools like Pry/Byebug instead of spending hours finding bugs by leaving logging messages all over the place. The array of local_variables, which lists all variables local to the current method scope together with instance, class, and global variables presently in scope, is visible during these debugging sessions.

Similar to utilizing the built-in Interactive Ruby Shell (irb), Pry/Byebug expands on the fundamental idea of debugging through interactive sessions. Pry/Byebug offers a terminal inside your running application, similar to using irb within a script via binding.irb.

The breakpoint library is another comparable tool that lets you analyse and modify the state of the application by stopping execution using the breakpoint function and dropping into an interactive irb session. Additionally, you may use assert { condition } to establish conditional breakpoints, which will only call the breakpoint if the supplied block evaluates to false.

Debugging tools allow you to view exactly what condition everything is in, change settings if necessary, and then resume the plot by halting the execution, which is similar to pausing a movie to look at every object and character’s reaction during a crucial part.

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