2026-09-04 –, Auditorium
This talk tackles the common, yet ultimately limiting, practice of using print statements for debugging in Python. We will explore why relying on print statements often becomes inefficient and cumbersome as applications grow in complexity.
The presentation will guide attendees through a transition to professional-grade debugging tools, beginning with a detailed look at the built-in Python debugger, pdb, including essential commands and workflows.
Next, I will demystify the powerful debugging capabilities integrated into modern Integrated Development Environments (IDEs), specifically demonstrating debugpy and its seamless application within popular tools like VS Code and PyCharm.
Finally, the talk will introduce debug logging as a robust, scalable alternative to temporary print statements, covering best practices for when and how to implement a logging framework to manage application state effectively.
By contrasting these strategies, this session aims to empower developers to choose the right tool. Be it a dedicated debugger, an IDE feature, or a logging framework, for any challenge. Enabling smarter, faster, and more effective code remediation in their daily work.
Python skills, Debugging
After having a career as a Data Scientist and Developer Advocate, Cheuk dedicated her work to the open-source community. Currently, she is working as a developer advocate for JetBrains. She has co-founded Humble Data, a beginner Python workshop that has been happening around the world. Cheuk also started and hosted a Python podcast, PyPodCats, which highlights the achievements of underrepresented members in the community. She has served the EuroPython Society board for two years and is now a fellow and director of the Python Software Foundation.