Chapter 6. Debugging

Hacks 51-59

Not all programs work the first time. Even if you use test-driven development and know exactly what you need to write and how to write it, you will eventually encounter code that you don't understand and which doesn't quite work right. One frequent (and frequently bad) problem-solving technique is voodoo programming, where you change a line or character here and there, hoping to stumble upon the correct incantation.

You can do better! Mastering a few Perl tricks and understanding a few tips can help you wrestle unwieldy code into submission. Amaze your coworkers. Save precious time. Find and fix failures faster! Here's how.