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Debugging runtime issues is an essential part of swift app development, whether you're developing your app locally or launching it live to the app stores. In this article, we'll explore techniques for debugging runtime issues in both development and production environments.

Development Errors

When encountering errors during development, it's crucial to isolate and identify the root cause. One way to do this is by examining the stack trace. However, this approach may not always provide sufficient information, especially when dealing with cryptic error messages. To overcome this challenge:

  • Search for the error message in Google and Stack Overflow; chances are you're not the first person to encounter this issue.
  • Isolate the code throwing the error by reverting to a working version of your code and applying recent changes piece by piece until it breaks.
  • If the added code is complex, consider simplifying what you're doing. For instance, if you use a state management library like Redux, try removing that from the equation completely to see if the issue lies in your state management.
  • Use breakpoints or console.log statements to check and ensure specific pieces of code are running or variables have desired values.

Native Debugging

For more complex issues, native debugging can be a valuable tool. You can generate source code locally and build it using Android Studio or Xcode:

Android Studio

  1. Run the command npx expo prebuild -p android to generate the native code for your project.
  2. Open the project in Android Studio by running the command open -a "/Applications/Android Studio.app" ./android.
  3. Build the app from Android Studio and connect the debugger.

Xcode (for macOS users)

  1. Run the command npx expo prebuild -p ios to generate the native code for your project.
  2. Open the project in Xcode by running the command xed ios.
  3. Build the app with Cmd ⌘ + r or by pressing the play button in the upper left corner of Xcode.

Production Errors

When errors occur in production, it can be more challenging to debug due to limited context. The best first step is to reproduce the error locally:

  • Run your app in production mode locally using npx expo start --no-dev --minify. This allows you to see errors that might not normally occur.
  • Follow the development debugging process to isolate and address the root cause.

Production App Crashing

If your production app crashes, it can be frustrating with limited information. To debug this issue:

  • Reproduce the crash using your production app.
  • Find an associated crash report for Android (using adb logcat) or iOS (using the Console app in Xcode).
  • Use native device logging features like ADB Logcat and macOS Console to find bugs in your code and quickly fix them.