Ways to fix your code when you don’t know why it doesn’t work.

One of the most difficult aspects of coding is when something doesn’t work. You are clueless as to why.
You spend hours meticulously crafting your code, convinced it’s a masterpiece ready to conquer the digital world. But then… nothing. It doesn’t work. Error messages? Cryptic symbols? Just a blank page staring back at you. We’ve all been there.

You will spend a lot of time debugging and solving problems as a coder.
Errors will occasionally occur. A test may occasionally fail. There are moments when nothing happens at all. And you won’t understand why.
One of the most difficult aspects of coding is when something doesn’t work. You are clueless as to why.

But it does get quicker to resolve these issues once you figure out:

• How to find the problem
• How to find the answers

It’s not an exact science, but this guide is generally how problems are approached in coding. What gets you stuck on a problem for days  now can be resolved quickly and in minutes once you understand the problem. 

1. Read the Error Messages Carefully: Error messages are your first line of defence against bugs. They often provide crucial information about what’s going wrong. Take the time to read and understand the error messages. Look for:

• File and line number: Where did the error occur?
• Type of error: Syntax, runtime, logic?
• Error description: What exactly went wrong?

Sometimes, just understanding the error message can point you directly to the problem.

2. Check for Typos: It sounds simple, but typos are a common cause of bugs. A misplaced character, misspelt variable, or forgotten semicolon can break your code. Go through your code line by line and check for any potential typos.

3. Check the doc: Always check the docs! If you are using a language, library, or framework, there are some great documentation sources that can answer most questions, tell you where you are going wrong, or even show you a better way.

4. Print Statements are Your Friends: Inserting print statements can help you understand what your code is doing. Print the values of variables at different points in your program to see if they are what you expect. This can help you pinpoint where things start to go wrong.

5. Use a Debugger: Most modern integrated development environments (IDEs) come with built-in debuggers. Debuggers allow you to step through your code one line at a time, inspect variables, and understand the flow of your program. Setting breakpoints can help you pause the execution and examine the state of your application at specific points.

6. Divide and Conquer: Break your code into smaller, manageable pieces. If you’re not sure where the problem is, try isolating different parts of your code. Comment out sections and run the program to see if the error persists. This can help you narrow down the problematic area.

7. Check for Off-by-One Errors: Off-by-one errors are common, especially in loops and array indexing. Make sure your loops start and end at the correct indices, and double-check your array accesses to ensure they are within bounds.

8. Take a break : Sometimes, the bug isn’t your code – it’s your brain.

 It’s often a challenge, trying to come up with solutions to complex problems. If you hit a roadblock in your code, or whatever you are building, taking a break is often the quickest way to come up with a solution.

When you give yourself space and time, and take the pressure off, new ideas and solutions can pop up when you least expect them. And if nothing else, some time away from the screen or a good night’s sleep will let you look at your code with fresh eyes. The bugs will still be waiting for you