Debugging

What is bug? Syntax error

•Some flaw with your code • Easiest to resolve (in theory)

• Caught by compiler
Runtime error • Program with syntax errors does
not compile
• Harder to find and resolve
• Compiler is not useful here
Efficiency
• Program compiles and runs but
may produce incorrect results • Is the program using computing
or crash resources efficiently?
• Resources = time + memory
• Problem typically only shows up
when the program runs on large
input
What is debugging?
•
Example: The factoring problem
•
Example: The factoring problem
public class Factors{
public static void main(String[] args){
long n = Long.parseLong(args[0])

for (i = 0; i < n; i++){

while (n % i == 0)
System.out.print(i + " ")
n = n / i
}
}
}
Example: The factoring Program
problem does not
public class Factors{ compile!
public static void main(String[] args){
long n = Long.parseLong(args[0])

for (i = 0; i < n; i++){

while (n % i == 0)
System.out.print(i + " ")
n = n / i Missing ;
}
}
}
Missing
type for i
Example: The factoring problem
public class Factors{
public static void main(String[] args){
long n = Long.parseLong(args[0]);

for (int i = 0; i < n; i++){

while (n % i == 0)
System.out.print(i + " ");
n = n / i;
}
}
}
Example: The factoring problem
public class Factors{
public static void main(String[] args){
long n = Long.parseLong(args[0]);

for (int i = 0; >java

i < n;Factors
i++){
Exception
while (n % i == 0) in thread "main"
java.lang.ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsExceptio
System.out.print(i + " ");
n = n / i; n: 0
} at Factors.main(Factors.java:3)
}
} >
Missing command-line
argument
Example: The factoring problem Runtime error!

public class Factors{

public static void main(String[] args){
long n = Long.parseLong(args[0]);

for (int i = 0; >java

i < n;Factors
i++){ 6
Exception
while (n % i == 0) in thread "main"
java.lang.ArithmeticException:
System.out.print(i + " "); / by
n = n / i; zero
} at Factors.main(Factors.java:6)
}
} >
Example: The factoring problem
public class Factors{
public static void main(String[] args){
long n = Long.parseLong(args[0]);

for (int i = 0; i < n; i++){

while (n % i == 0)
System.out.print(i + " ");
n = n / i;
}
} • 0 cause the “division by zero” error
} • Need to start at 2, since 0 and 1 are
not factors anyway
Example: The factoring problem
public class Factors{
public static void main(String[] args){
long n = Long.parseLong(args[0]);

for (int i = 2; i < n; i++){

while (n % i == 0)
System.out.print(i + " ");
n = n / i;
}
}
}
Example: The factoring problemRuntime error – logical error
– non-terminating loop!
public class Factors{
public static void main(String[] args){
long n = Long.parseLong(args[0]);

for (int i = 2; >java

i < n;Factors
i++){ 6
222222222222222222222222222222222222222
while (n % i == 0)
222222222222222222222222222222222222222
System.out.print(i + " ");
n = n / i; 222222222222222222222222222222222222222
} 222222222222222222222222222222222222222
} 222222222222222222222222222222222222222
} 222222222222222222222222222222222222222
222222222222222222222222222222222222222
222222222222222222222222222222222222222
222222222222222222222222222222222222222
Example: The factoring problem
public class Factors{
public static void main(String[] args){
long n = Long.parseLong(args[0]);

for (int i = 2; i < n; i++){

while (n % i == 0)
System.out.print(i + " ");
n = n / i;
}
}
• These need to enclosed in a block,
}
otherwise n = n / i never gets executed,
and the value of never changes, hence
the while loops forever!
Example: The factoring problem
public class Factors{
public static void main(String[] args){
long n = Long.parseLong(args[0]);

for (int i = 2; i < n; i++){

while (n % i == 0){
System.out.print(i + " ");
n = n / i;
}
}
}
}
Example: The factoring problem Runtime logical
error!
public class Factors{
public static void main(String[] args){
long n = Long.parseLong(args[0]);

for (int i = 2; i>java

< n;Factors
i++){98
No output for 5
while (n % i ==2 70){
7
>java Factors
System.out.print(i + "5 ");
n = n / i;
} >java Factors 6
2 Missing the last
} factor (3) for 6
} >
}
Example: The factoring problem
public class Factors{
public static void main(String[] args){
long n = Long.parseLong(args[0]);
Runtime logical
for (int i = 2; i < n; i++){ error!
while (n % i == 0){
System.out.print(i + " ");
n = n / i;
} Because of <, i can
} never reach n, so n
} is never tried!
}
Example: The factoring problem
public class Factors{
public static void main(String[] args){
long n = Long.parseLong(args[0]);

for (int i = 2; i <= n; i++){

while (n % i == 0){
System.out.print(i + " ");
n = n / i;
}
}
}
}
Example: The factoring problem
>javac Factors.java

public class Factors{ >java Factors 98

public static void main(String[]
2 7 7 args){
long n = Long.parseLong(args[0]);
>java Factors 5
5
for (int i = 2; i <= n; i++){
>java Factors 6
while (n % i == 20){
3
System.out.print(i + " "); 1111111111111111
>java Factors
n = n / i; 11 17 73 101 137 5882353
} >java Factors 11111111111111111
} 2071723 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1
} -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1
} -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1
-1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1
-1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1
Example: The factoring problem
public class Factors{
public static void main(String[] args){
long n = Long.parseLong(args[0]);

for (int i = 2; i <= n; i++){

while (n % i == 0){
System.out.print(i + " ");
n = n / i;
}
}
}
}
Example: The factoring problem
public class Factors{
public static void main(String[] args){
long n = Long.parseLong(args[0]);

for (long i = 2; i <= n; i++){

while (n % i == 0){
System.out.print(i + " ");
n = n / i;
}
}
}
}
Example: The factoring problem
public class Factors{ >java Factors 98
2 7 7
public static void main(String[] args){
>java Factors 5
long n = Long.parseLong(args[0]);
5
for (long i = 2; >java Factors
i <= n; i++){ 6
2 30){
while (n % i ==
>java Factors
System.out.print(i + " ");1111111111111111
n = n / i; 11 17 73 101 137 5882353
} >java Factors 11111111111111111
} 2071723 5363222357
} >
} Took too long to compute!
Example: The factoring problem
public class Factors{
public static void main(String[] args){
long n = Long.parseLong(args[0]);

for (long i = 2; i <= n; i++){

while (n % i == 0){
System.out.print(i + " ");
n = n / i;
}
}
}
} Do we really need to test
all the way to n?
Example: The factoring problem
•
Example: The factoring problem
public class Factors{
public static void main(String[] args){
long n = Long.parseLong(args[0]);

for (long i = 2; i <= n / i; i++){

while (n % i == 0){
System.out.print(i + " ");
n = n / i;
}
}

if (n > 1)
System.out.println(n);
}
}
Example: The factoring problem
Digits in the largest i <= n i <= n / i
factor
3 Instant Instant
6 instant Instant
9 77 Instant
12 21 hours Instant
15 2.4 years 2.7 seconds
18 2,400 years 97 seconds
Example: The factoring problem
•
Summary
Edit program

Syntax error
Compile
e r r o r
t i m e
ru n
i c e r ror
Run – does it work as intended? e m a nt
S

c e e r ror
f o r m an
Test – with real input data per