When printf debugging is not enough... - Bartek Bielawski - PSConfEU 2024

The speaker delves into the world of debugging, drawing parallels between investigative work in IT and the medical field. They emphasize the need for developers to move beyond basic print debugging methods. The speaker shares personal anecdotes about their career path and highlights the importance of using tools for debugging instead of solely relying on print statements.

The lecture covers topics like sponsors, the speaker's background, and the use of Twitter and GitHub for professional connections. The discussion transitions to print debugging, where the speaker explains the limitations of this method and introduces more advanced debugging techniques in PowerShell.

The speaker demonstrates interactive debugging and emphasizes the power of setting breakpoints strategically in code. They explore debugging remotely, particularly in scenarios like scheduled tasks running PowerShell scripts. The lecture includes a detailed walkthrough of debugging a PowerShell script remotely, showcasing how to enter the PS host process and debug specific run spaces.

Furthermore, the speaker discusses debugging in Desired State Configuration (DSC) and how to enable debug mode for local configuration management in PowerShell. They illustrate troubleshooting DSC resource scripts by debugging run spaces in a practical demonstration.

Throughout the lecture, the speaker interacts with the audience, encourages participation through questions, and provides hands-on demonstrations of debugging techniques in PowerShell. Despite facing technical difficulties during the demos, the speaker maintains a light-hearted tone and engages the audience effectively.

Chapters:
00:00:00 When printf debugging is not enough... - Bartek Bielawski - PSConfEU 2024
00:00:10 Introduction
00:01:16 Print Debugging
00:17:31 Setting Breakpoints
00:19:50 Debugging Commands
00:26:18 Debugging Remotely
00:30:50 Troubleshooting and Debugging Issues
00:33:55 Debugging Techniques
00:40:27 Choosing Debugging Commands Wisely
00:41:41 Enabling and Disabling DSC Debugging
00:44:10 Troubleshooting DSC Debugging
00:46:07 Debugging Run Spaces

[mattcargile]

Can do error action debug too in order to break instead of the set on stack trace.