Debugging: Hunting and Squashing Bugs from Coursera

Learning how to debug is the most valuable skill to develop as you learn to program. This four-week course from the University of Michigan will help you improve your programming ability by providing you with the skills you need to understand and debug code.

What’s more, you’ll learn the crucial techniques to help minimize mistakes and problems in your code.

Most modern development environments contain a debugger, which you can use to find bugs and understand what is happening in your code. However, many people still rely on print statements when they debug.

This course will help you gain confidence in using debuggers, so you can spend less time seeking out and fixing bugs and focus on building exciting new programming projects. The majority of coding errors occur when the programmer doesn’t understand the code or makes mistakes with the language, resulting in bugs. In this course, you’ll gain the knowledge and skills needed to spot and solve semantic and syntax errors more easily. You’ll also streamline your coding process by learning to write and run unit tests to examine and check your code.

This course is designed for those interested in developing their Python skills or communicating with other programmers in a professional setting.

What's inside

Syllabus

Week 1 | Working with Files and Unit Tests

Week 2 | Parsing CSV Data and Using a Debugger

Week 3 | CSV Reader/Writer and Debugging

Week 4 | Regex

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Promotes industry best practices by emphasizing the use of debuggers over print statements

Enhances coding efficiency by teaching unit testing techniques

Builds a strong foundation in debugging Python code

Provides practical skills in identifying and resolving syntax and semantic errors

Introduces CSV parsing and manipulation techniques, expanding data processing capabilities

Incorporates regular expressions (Regex) for advanced pattern matching and data extraction

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Debugging: Hunting and Squashing Bugs with these activities:

Read 'Debugging with GDB'

Show steps

Gain a deeper understanding of debugging techniques by exploring a comprehensive guide on the subject.

Show steps

Read the book 'Debugging with GDB' by Richard Stallman and Roland McGrath
Take notes on key concepts and techniques
Apply the techniques you learn to your own Python projects

Read docs

Show steps

Review the debugging tools and Python environment to become familiar with the resources available to you as you debug in this course.

Show steps

Review the provided course materials on debugging in Python
Set up your preferred Python development environment
Install any necessary debugging extensions or libraries
Read the documentation of the debugger you intend to use

Discuss debugging strategies with peers

Show steps

Increase your understanding of debugging by exchanging ideas and experiences with peers.

Browse courses on Collaboration

Show steps

Join or form a study group with other students in the course
Discuss debugging strategies and techniques
Work together on debugging exercises
Provide feedback and support to each other

Four other activities

Expand to see all activities and additional details

Show all seven activities

Debug a Python code snippet

Show steps

Gain experience with the debugger and improve your ability to identify and fix errors in your python code.

Show steps

Find a Python code snippet with intentional errors
Use the debugger to find and fix the errors
Repeat with different code snippets

Attend a Python debugging workshop

Show steps

Gain hands-on experience and learn from experts in the field.

Browse courses on Python

Show steps

Find a Python debugging workshop in your area or online
Register for the workshop
Attend the workshop and participate actively
Apply what you learn to your own Python projects

Write a debugging guide for Python

Show steps

Reinforce your understanding of debugging by creating a guide that demonstrates the steps involved in debugging a Python program.

Show steps

Choose a specific Python project or program to debug
Write a step-by-step guide on how you debugged the program
Include screenshots or code snippets to illustrate the debugging process
Share your guide with others for feedback

Build a debugging tool for Python

Show steps

Develop a deeper understanding of debugging by creating your own tool that automates some aspects of the debugging process.

Browse courses on Python

Show steps

Choose a specific debugging task that you want to automate
Design and implement a tool that performs this task
Test and refine your tool
Share your tool with others and gather feedback

Career center

Learners who complete Debugging: Hunting and Squashing Bugs will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Software Engineer

Software Engineers are in high demand and while this course specifically mentions the Python programming language, having a background in debugging will strengthen your candidacy in a Software Engineer role. Mastering the art of debugging will improve the quality of the code you produce as well as the code produced by those on your engineering team.

See salaries and explore the career path for Software Engineer

Data Analyst

Data Analysts rely on code to gather, clean, and analyze data for businesses. Companies rely on Data Analysts to communicate actionable insights to improve or expedite business decisions. Taking this course will allow you to improve the quality and efficiency of your code by minimizing errors and implementing robust debugging procedures to make sure that your data is clean and accurate.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Analyst

Data Scientist

Data Scientists are in high demand as businesses look for ways to gather and implement meaningful insights from their data. This course will be highly valuable for aspiring Data Scientists as it will help you detect and resolve bugs within your code more efficiently. Having strong debugging skills will allow you to get to business implementation faster: optimizing models and generating actionable insights for the business.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Scientist

Web Developer

Web Developers are responsible for the maintenance of the websites and web applications. Bugs and errors on a website could cause a negative user experience as well as lost revenue. Learning best practices for debugging will give you a leg up in your career as a Web Developer and will make you a sought-after engineer. The more efficient you get at debugging, the more impactful projects you can take on.

See salaries and explore the career path for Web Developer

Software Tester

Software Testers are responsible for testing software to ensure the quality of the product. This course will be a significant benefit to your career as a Software Tester. Identifying bugs is a necessary part of engineering and you will be able to improve your ability to identify and correct bugs by taking this course.

See salaries and explore the career path for Software Tester

Quality Assurance Analyst

Quality Assurance Analysts work to implement and improve quality assurance processes. Being able to identify and correct bugs is as essential component of this role and taking this course will allow you to gain valuable experience in debugging processes. As you improve your debugging abilities, you will increase the quality of your organization's products and services as well as your own professional reputation.

See salaries and explore the career path for Quality Assurance Analyst

Product Manager

Product Managers ensure that products meet customer demands and are delivered on time and on budget. While not directly responsible for coding, a Product Manager must be able to communicate effectively with engineers. This course will improve your ability to debug code, which will improve your ability to effectively communicate with engineering teams.

See salaries and explore the career path for Product Manager

Technical Writer

Technical Writers are responsible for writing user guides, instructional manuals, and other documentation to help users understand and use a product or service. Being able to understand and accurately convey complex instructions, including logs and error messages, is a valuable skill for any Technical Writer. This course will help you increase your proficiency in debugging which will, in turn, improve your technical writing skills.

See salaries and explore the career path for Technical Writer

Computer Programmer

Computer Programmers are responsible for writing and testing code, as well as documenting the code and its functionality. This course will give you the debugging skills necessary to produce better code, write more accurate documentation, and improve your overall efficiency.

See salaries and explore the career path for Computer Programmer

Systems Analyst

Systems Analysts are responsible for analyzing and designing computer systems, as well as implementing and testing those systems. This course may be beneficial to individuals interested in or working as Systems Analysts as it will provide more advanced debugging skills for designing, implementing, and testing complex systems.

See salaries and explore the career path for Systems Analyst

Database Administrator

Database Administrators are responsible for managing and maintaining databases, including, but not limited to, installing, configuring, and monitoring databases. While this course specifically focuses on Python, the debugging skills learned in this course may be helpful to a Database Administrator.

See salaries and explore the career path for Database Administrator

Information Security Analyst

Information Security Analysts are responsible for protecting computer networks and systems from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, or destruction. While not directly related to Python programming, the debugging skills learned in this course may be applicable.

See salaries and explore the career path for Information Security Analyst

Computer Systems Engineer

Computer Systems Engineers are responsible for planning, installing, and maintaining computer systems, as well as troubleshooting and resolving system problems. While not directly related to Python programming, the debugging skills learned in this course may be applicable.

See salaries and explore the career path for Computer Systems Engineer

Data Engineer

Data Engineers are responsible for designing, building, and maintaining data pipelines, as well as developing and implementing data processing solutions. While not directly related to Python programming, the debugging skills learned in this course may be applicable.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Engineer

Network Engineer

Network Engineers are responsible for planning, installing, and maintaining computer networks, as well as troubleshooting and resolving network problems. While not directly related to Python programming, the debugging skills learned in this course may be applicable.

See salaries and explore the career path for Network Engineer