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Setting Breakpoints and Exception Hooks in Python

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Final Up to date on January 22, 2022

There are alternative ways of debugging code in Python, one among which is to introduce breakpoints into the code at factors the place one want to invoke a Python debugger. The statements that one would use to enter a debugging session at completely different name websites, rely on the model of the Python interpreter that one is working with, as we will be seeing on this tutorial. 

On this tutorial, you’ll uncover varied methods of setting breakpoints in several variations of Python. 

After finishing this tutorial, you’ll know:

  • Methods to invoke the pdb debugger in earlier variations of Python.
  • Methods to make use of the brand new, built-in
    breakpoint() perform launched in Python 3.7. 
  • Methods to write your personal
    breakpoint() perform to simplify the debugging course of in earlier variations of Python.
  • Methods to use a autopsy debugger

Let’s get began. 

Setting Breakpoints in Completely different Variations of Python
Picture by Josh Withers, some rights reserved.

Tutorial overview

This tutorial is split into three components; they’re:

  • Setting Breakpoints in Python Code
    • Invoking the pdb Debugger in Earlier Variations of Python
    • Utilizing the breakpoint() Perform in Python 3.7
  • Writing One’s Personal breakpoint() Perform for Earlier Variations of Python
  • Limitations of the breakpoint() perform

Setting breakpoints in Python code

Now we have beforehand seen that a method of debugging a Python script is to run it within the command line with the Python debugger. 

So as to take action, we would want to make use of of the
m pdb command that hundreds the pdb module earlier than executing the Python script. In the identical command line interface, we might then observe this by a selected debugger command of alternative, comparable to
n to maneuver to the following line, or
s if our intention is to step right into a perform. 

This technique might turn into shortly cumbersome because the size of the code will increase. One method to handle this drawback and acquire higher management over the place to interrupt your code, is to insert a breakpoint straight into the code. 

Invoking the pdb debugger in earlier variations of Python

Doing so previous to Python 3.7 would require you to
import pdb, and to name
pdb.set_trace() on the level in your code the place you want to enter an interactive debugging session. 

If we rethink, for example, the code for implementing the final consideration mechanism, we will break into the code as follows:

Executing the script now opens up the pdb debugger proper earlier than we compute the variable scores, and we will proceed to challenge any debugger instructions of alternative, comparable to
n to maneuver to the following line, or
c to proceed execution:

Though purposeful, this isn’t essentially the most elegant and intuitive method of inserting a breakpoint into your code. Python 3.7 implements a extra easy method of doing so, as we will see subsequent.

Utilizing the breakpoint() perform in Python 3.7 

Python 3.7 comes with a built-in
breakpoint() perform that enters the Python debugger on the name website (or the purpose within the code at which the
breakpoint() assertion is positioned). 

When referred to as, the default implementation of the
breakpoint() perform will name
sys.breakpointhook(), which in flip calls the
pdb.set_trace() perform. That is handy as a result of we won’t must
import pdb and name
pdb.set_trace() explicitly ourselves. 

Let’s rethink the code for implementing the final consideration mechanism, and now introduce a breakpoint through the
breakpoint() assertion:

One benefit of utilizing the
breakpoint() perform is that, in calling the default implementation of
sys.breakpointhook() the worth of a brand new atmosphere variable,
PYTHONBREAKPOINT, is consulted. This atmosphere variable can take varied values, based mostly on which completely different operations might be carried out. 

For instance, setting the worth of
PYTHONBREAKPOINT to 0 disables all breakpoints. Therefore, your code might comprise as many breakpoints as mandatory, however these might be simply stopped from halting the execution of the code with out having to take away them bodily. If (for instance) the identify of the script containing the code is primary.py, we might disable all breakpoints by calling it within the command line interface as follows:

In any other case, we will obtain the identical end result by setting the atmosphere variable within the code itself:

The worth of
PYTHONBREAKPOINT is consulted each time that
sys.breakpointhook() known as. Which means the worth of this atmosphere variable might be modified through the code execution and the
breakpoint() perform would reply accordingly.  

The
PYTHONBREAKPOINT atmosphere variable will also be set to different values, comparable to to the identify of a callable. Say, as an example, that we’d like to make use of a special Python debugger apart from pdb, comparable to ipdb (run
pip set up ipdb first, if the debugger has not but been put in). On this case, we might name the primary.py script within the command line interface, and hook the debugger with out making any modifications to the code itself:

In doing so, the
breakpoint() perform enters the ipdb debugger on the subsequent name website:

The perform may take enter arguments as,
breakpoint(*args, **kws), that are then handed on to
sys.breakpointhook(). It is because any callable (comparable to a 3rd get together debugger module) may settle for elective arguments, which might be handed by way of the
breakpoint() perform. 

Writing your personal breakpoint() perform in earlier variations of Python

Let’s return to the truth that variations of Python sooner than v3.7 don’t include the
breakpoint() perform readily inbuilt. We will write our personal. 

Equally to how the
breakpoint() perform is carried out from Python 3.7 onwards, we will implement a perform that checks the worth of an atmosphere variable and:

  • Skips all breakpoints within the code if the worth of the atmosphere variable is ready to 0.
  • Enters into the default Python pdb debugger if the atmosphere variable is an empty string.
  • Enters into one other debugger as specified by the worth of the atmosphere variable. 

We will embody this perform into the code and run it (utilizing a Python 2.7 interpreter, on this case). If we set the worth of the atmosphere variable to an empty string, we discover that the pdb debugger stops on the level within the code at which we’ve positioned our
breakpoint() perform. We will then challenge debugger instructions into the command line from there onwards:

Equally, if we set the atmosphere variable to:

The
breakpoint() perform that we’ve carried out now enters the ipdb debugger and stops on the name website:

Setting the atmosphere variable to 0, merely skips all breakpoints and the computed consideration output is returned within the command line, as anticipated:

This facilitates the method of breaking into the code for Python variations sooner than v3.7, as a result of it now turns into a matter of setting the worth of an atmosphere variable, slightly than having to manually introduce (or take away) the
import pdb; pdb.set_trace() assertion at completely different name websites within the code. 

Limitations of the breakpoint() perform

The breakpoint() perform lets you carry within the debugger all through this system. You must discover the precise place that you just want the debugger to place the breakpoint into it. For those who take into account the next code:

it will carry you the debugger when the perform func() raised exceptions. It will possibly triggered by the perform itself, or deep inside another features that it calls. However the debugger will begin on the line print("exception!") above. Which is probably not very helpful.

The best way that we will carry up the debugger on the level of exception known as the autopsy debugger. It really works by asking Python to register the debugger pdb.pm() because the exception handler when uncaught exception is raised. When it’s referred to as, it would search for the final exception raised and begin the debugger at that time. To make use of the autopsy debugger, we simply want so as to add the next code earlier than this system is run:

That is helpful as a result of nothing else have to be modified in this system. For instance, assume we wish to consider the typical of $1/x$ utilizing the next program. It’s fairly simple to miss some nook instances however we will catch the problem when an exception is raised:

once we run the above program, this system could terminate or it could increase a division by zero exception, will depend on whether or not the random quantity generator ever produces zero within the loop. In that case, we may even see the next:

which we discovered the exception is raised at which line and we will verify the worth of the variables as we will normally do in pdb.

In actual fact, it’s extra handy to print the traceback and the exception when the autopsy debugger is launched:

and the debugger session will likely be began as follows:

Additional Studying

This part gives extra sources on the subject in case you are seeking to go deeper.

Web sites

Abstract

On this tutorial, you found varied methods of setting breakpoints in several variations of Python. 

Particularly, you discovered:

  • Methods to invoke the pdb debugger in earlier variations of Python. 
  • Methods to make use of the brand new, built-in
    breakpoint() perform launched in Python 3.7. 
  • Methods to write your personal
    breakpoint() perform to simplify the debugging course of in earlier variations of Python.

Do you might have any questions?

Ask your questions within the feedback beneath and I’ll do my greatest to reply.



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