Essential tools for Python development

[Alex VanderWoude]

Ben Finney wrote:
> Esmail <ebonak at hotmail.com> writes:
> 
>> What techniques/tools do you recommend for debugging?
> 
> I use the Python interactive shell, and code each module so that the
> behaviour is easily introspected and tested from outside the module. If
> I'm not able to easily introspect the code at an interactive prompt,
> that's a clear sign that the code interface is poorly designed. So I fix
> that first.
> 
> By all accounts, the ‘pdb’ module makes for a good low-level debugging
> tool. I've never needed it though.
> 

I really like using Winpdb (http://winpdb.org/) which provides a GUI for 
pdb.  It allows you to single-step your code and inspect objects in 
memory.  What exactly is in that silly nextOne variable?  Hey, it's a 
list rather but it's supposed to be a number!  You get the picture.