[RESOLVED] What debuggers do you use?

[MortenComp]

What debuggers and useful plug-ins for Visual Studio can you recommend? (For Windows)

[VictorN]

What is wrong with the standard VS debugger?

[Marc G]

Visual Studio includes one of the best debuggers that I've tried.
I would never try to replace the built-in debugger.

Regarding plugins, I've use VisualAssist in the past, and now I'm using Resharper for C++.

[2kaud]

useful plug-ins for Visual Studio

Test Platform
Spell Checker
Go To Definition
Power Tools
Black Space
Quick Fixes
Editor Guidelines
Visual Assist

If you go to Tools/Extensions/OnLine you can see what is available.

[Marc G]

BuildVision is another nice plugin to give a nicer overview of a build process.

[MortenComp]

What is wrong with the standard VS debugger?

I have no complaints about the standard debugger. I'm just looking for convenient enhancements to work more efficiently.

[Azazell]

There are a huge number of plug-ins for Visual Studio. It all depends on what technology stack you use. What data you work with.
I tried the plugin for GitHub, very convenient. Sometimes I use Regex Tester (for working with regular expressions), Deleaker (debugger for VisualStudio)

[MortenComp]

Test Platform
Spell Checker
Go To Definition
Power Tools
Black Space
Quick Fixes
Editor Guidelines
Visual Assist

If you go to Tools/Extensions/OnLine you can see what is available.

Thank you, I have reviewed some items from this list. Editor Guidelines looks great, I try to use!

[Azazell]

Visual studio and spell checker are the two best debugger i have come across. Would like to know more

Is there something better? I doubt

[wolle]

Is there something better? I doubt

There may be one - you!

The best debugger is the programmer herself by simply not introducing bugs.

I realize of course the importance of good debuggers, but they are no replacement for proper software engineering.

[Arjay]

There may be one - you!

The best debugger is the programmer herself by simply not introducing bugs.

I realize of course the importance of good debuggers, but they are no replacement for proper software engineering.

But, why not let the IDE/Debugger help with the process? Imo, Visual Studio is one of the best (if not the best), but a developer needs to invest some time in learning all the features that is offerred out-of-the-box. Even learning half its features will set you on a path to become an expert debugger.

[wolle]

But, why not let the IDE/Debugger help with the process? Imo, Visual Studio is one of the best (if not the best), but a developer needs to invest some time in learning all the features that is offerred out-of-the-box. Even learning half its features will set you on a path to become an expert debugger.

I don't deny the need for good debugging tools. It's just it's so much better if there are no bugs in the first place.

Therefore I think the best debugging tool is writing bug-free software. The road to that is well educated programmers using proper software engineering methods.

Lets face it, debugging spells failure. You didn't write working code, you produced a bug you now have to find with a tool taking lots of time.

[Arjay]

I don't deny the need for good debugging tools. It's just it's so much better if there are no bugs in the first place.

Therefore I think the best debugging tool is writing bug-free software. The road to that is well educated programmers using proper software engineering methods.

Lets face it, debugging spells failure. You didn't write working code, you produced a bug you now have to find with a tool taking lots of time.

Sorry, that attitude is an academic fantasy. In a complex system with real world constraints like time and budget, no one writes bug free code. Perhaps this is why many university students haven't a clue about debugging when they graduate.

[VictorN]

There may be one - you!

The best debugger is the programmer herself by simply not introducing bugs.

I realize of course the importance of good debuggers, but they are no replacement for proper software engineering.

Hmm,
IMHO, there's no software without bugs. Period.
Well, of course I mean some "more complicated" than just Hello World! software.

[wolle]

Sorry, that attitude is an academic fantasy. In a complex system with real world constraints like time and budget, no one writes bug free code. Perhaps this is why many university students haven't a clue about debugging when they graduate.

Of course, when you do have a bug having a good debugger is paramount, but I still think focus too often is on finding bugs rather than on preventing them.

Vocational training isn't the main objective of universities. Focus is more on basic stuff that will last a lifetime and less on today's fads. But even so, graduates today have much better practical programming skills than in the past and that includes debugging. At least that's my impression.

Academic fantasy or not, also many companies are very concerned with high code quality and I've never heard debuggers being mentioned as a key strategic tool to achieve it. On the contrary, when programmers spend more time debugging than coding it's a problem because it affects earnings negatively. Therefore these companies go to great lengths not to allow what you call "real world constraints" to have a negative impact on code quality.

With that I rest my case.