Debugger Decorator: A Simple Python Debugging Tool

As a Python developer, debugging functions can sometimes be tedious, especially when you need to track function calls, arguments, return values, and execution times. To make this process easier, I created Debugger Decorator, a lightweight Python decorator that provides detailed debugging information with minimal code changes.

Why Debugger Decorator?

Debugging in Python often involves adding print statements or using debuggers, which can clutter your code. Debugger Decorator offers a clean, non-intrusive way to get comprehensive debugging information. It’s particularly useful for:

• Tracking function execution flow
• Monitoring input parameters and return values
• Measuring execution time
• Identifying performance bottlenecks
• Debugging complex function chains

Key Features

Debugger Decorator provides several features to enhance your debugging experience:

• Function Call Information: Displays the function name and caller info
• Parameter Logging: Shows all parameters with their names and values
• Return Value Display: Prints the return value of the function
• Execution Time: Measures and displays how long the function took to execute
• Error Handling: Catches and displays exceptions with detailed information
• Color Customization: Supports custom color schemes for better readability
• Easy to Use: Simple decorator syntax that works with any function

Installation

Debugger Decorator is available on PyPI, making installation straightforward:

pip install debugger-decorator

Basic Usage

Using Debugger Decorator is as simple as adding a decorator to your functions:

from debugger_decorator import show_information

@show_information()
def my_function(a, b):
    return a + b

my_function(1, 2)

This will output something like:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Function 'my_function' was called from line 20 in <module> with:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        --> a: 1
        --> b: 2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Running . . .
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Returns: 3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Function 'my_function' took 13.9ms to execute.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Customizing Colors

For better accessibility or personal preference, you can customize the color scheme using Colorama:

from debugger_decorator import show_information
from colorama import Fore, Style, Back

# High contrast color scheme
high_contrast_colors = {
    'header': Style.BRIGHT + Fore.WHITE,
    'params': Fore.CYAN,
    'running': Style.BRIGHT + Fore.YELLOW,
    'return': Back.GREEN + Style.BRIGHT + Fore.BLACK,
    'time': Style.BRIGHT + Fore.GREEN,
    'error': Style.BRIGHT + Fore.RED,
    'dashes': Style.BRIGHT + Fore.WHITE,
    'error_dashes': Style.BRIGHT + Fore.RED
}

@show_information(color_scheme=high_contrast_colors)
def my_function(a, b):
    return a + b

my_function(1, 2)

Available color keys include:

• header: Function name and caller info
• params: Parameter names and values
• running: “Running…” message
• return: Return value display
• time: Execution time
• error: Error messages
• dashes: Separator lines
• error_dashes: Error separator lines

Error Handling

The decorator also handles exceptions gracefully:

@show_information()
def problematic_function(x):
    return 1 / x

problematic_function(0)

This will display the error details along with the debugging information.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Function 'problematic_function' was called from line 28 in <module> with:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        --> x: 0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Running . . .
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An exception occurred in function 'problematic_function': division by zero
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
test.py 28 <module>
problematic_function(0)

__init__.py 125 wrapper
output = func(*args)

test.py 26 problematic_function
return 1 / x

ZeroDivisionError:
division by zero