How do you execute the Python script with the debugger enabled?

Enabling Debugger and Setting Breakpoints in Python Scripts

In order to run a Python script with the debugger enabled and stop at the set breakpoints, you need to use the Python debugger ('pdb'). The 'pdb' debugger allows you to interactively debug your code, inspect variables, and pause execution at specific breakpoints. Here's how to run a Python script with the debugger enabled:

Insert pdb.set_trace(): First, ensure that you have the 'pdb' module imported at the beginning of your script. Next, set a breakpoint by using pdb.set_trace() at the desired location in your code.

import pdb
# Your Python code
...
pdb.set_trace()  # Set a breakpoint here

Run the script with the Debugger:

• Open a terminal or command prompt.
• Navigate to the directory where your Python script is located.

To start the Python script with the debugger enabled, run the following command:

python -m pdb your_script.py

When invoked as a module, pdb will automatically enter post-mortem debugging if the program being debugged exits abnormally. After post-mortem debugging (or after normal exit of the program), pdb will restart the program. Automatic restarting preserves pdb's state (such as breakpoints) and in most cases is more useful than quitting the debugger upon program's exit.

New in version 3.7: -m option is introduced to execute modules similar to the way python -m does. As with a script, the debugger will pause execution just before the first line of the module.

Replace your_script.py with the name of your Python script. For example, if your script is named script.py, you would use python -m pdb script.py.

Interact with the debugger:

Once the script starts executing, it will pause at the pdb.set_trace() statement. You will see a (Pdb) prompt, indicating that you are now in the 'pdb' debugger.

At this point, you can use various 'pdb' commands to interactively debug your code:

• p variable_name: Print the value of a specific variable.
• n: Execute the current line and stop at the next line.
• s: Step into the function call (if applicable).
• c: Continue execution until the next breakpoint or until the program finishes.

You can use these commands to inspect variables, step through the code, and analyze program behavior at different points.

Continue with execution:

• To continue the script's execution and move to the next breakpoint (if any), type 'c' and press Enter. As long as the script encounters another pdb.set_trace() statement or reaches the end, it will continue to run.

You can effectively use 'pdb' to identify and fix issues in your code by running the Python script with the debugger enabled. This makes the debugging process more efficient and interactive.