Debug.WriteLine is an essential tool for every C# developer. It is a useful method provided by the .NET framework and is used to display output for debugging purposes during the development process. Debug.WriteLine allows you to write detailed logs, complex statements, or even temporary test conditions, enabling better understanding of how our software behaves under different scenarios.
Problem and Solution Exploration
Problem: While developing an application in C#, we may want to understand the flow of control and variances in variables at runtime. However, without a tool to observe these, it may be challenging.
Solution: Debug.WriteLine comes as a savior for the developers. IT writes information about the debug to the trace listeners in the Listeners collection.
public void ExecuteProcess()
{
Debug.WriteLine(“Execution Starts from Here.”);
…
Debug.WriteLine(“Execution Ends Here.”);
}
Step by Step Explanation of Debug.WriteLine in C#
Let’s see how you can use Debug.WriteLine to track your code execution. We will take a simple program that performs the addition of two numbers as an example.
public int AddNumbers(int a, int b)
{
Debug.WriteLine(“AddNumbers Called with ” + a + ” ,” + b);
int result = a + b;
Debug.WriteLine(“AddNumbers Result: ” + result);
return result;
}
- The Debug.WriteLine message displays two logs, one at the start of the execution and another one before the execution completes.
- The first Debug.WriteLine logs the function call along with the passed parameters. It will help you recognize what parameters passed when calling the function.
- The second Debug.WriteLine call is to check the output of our function. With this log, we can easily determine the function’s output without even returning and checking it manually.
Related Libraries and Functions
In similar scenarios where you need to track the application’s execution, you can make use of other libraries and functions available in .NET like Trace.WriteLine and Console.WriteLine.
Trace.WriteLine: This is also used for generating diagnostic trace or to trace the execution of your program. It works very similarly like Debug.WriteLine.
public int AddNumbers(int a, int b)
{
Trace.WriteLine(“AddNumbers Called with ” + a + ” ,” + b);
int result = a + b;
Trace.WriteLine(“AddNumbers Result: ” + result);
return result;
}
Console.WriteLine: This command is used to write the output to the console.
public int AddNumbers(int a, int b)
{
Console.WriteLine(“AddNumbers Called with ” + a + ” ,” + b);
int result = a + b;
Console.WriteLine(“AddNumbers Result: ” + result);
return result;
}
Debug.WriteLine offers a simple way to generate informational or diagnostic output in your debugging sessions. It’s an essential tool for managing complexities within application development in an orderly and systematic manner. This, coupled with other similar functions, empowers developers with the right set of tools to handle their C# development needs.
