7 Simple Techniques for Fixing Common Software Bugs

All software tools will at one point or another have bugs. It’s simply a fact of life. However, that doesn’t mean you have to put up with them. There are several simple techniques that you can use to fix common software bugs as we will see in this article.

Ready? Let’s dive straight in!

Check the code for typos and spelling mistakes

Typos and spelling mistakes often go unnoticed in code. However, they can cause bugs that are very hard to track down without fixing them. By using a spellchecker, you should pick up typos early on in the development process.

This will significantly reduce the number of bugs in your software. One example is when a word in the code has not been saved to the document correctly. This could result in an error later in the program, which can be very difficult to fix especially if it doesn’t happen again.

Check your assertions at the appropriate levels

If you assert that your code will never do something, then it should be impossible for that code to end up doing that thing. However, it’s straightforward for an assertion like this to go unchecked.

As a result, asserting can often feel like you’re just adding useless noise into the code base. For example, arguing that a variable is never null can often be redundant if you check for nullity at other points in the code.

To ensure that your assertions are helpful, you need to check them at the appropriate levels. That way, you can confirm that they are only being used where they’re needed. Ultimately, this will help to reduce the number of bugs in your code.

An excellent way to ensure that this is done correctly is to use a static analyzer like Check style or Find bugs.

Use static analysis tools

Static analysis tools are another excellent way to find bugs lurking in your codebase. Using these tools can quickly identify potential problems and fix them before they cause any real damage. Some of the best tools in this category are built using Python, with notable mentions including Pylint, Pyflakes and Mypy.

Don’t want to use these? You can create a custom tool for your specific needs, although you need to master the language first. This includes learning about things like Python loops, error handling and dictionaries among others.

Use defensive programming techniques

Defensive programming is a technique that can help prevent certain types of bugs from occurring. In addition, using defensive programming can make your code more resilient to errors. For example, you can use assertions to ensure that certain conditions are always met.

Another technique that you can use here is input validation. This involves validating input from the user before the program processes it. This will help to ensure that the user cannot enter invalid data into the system.

Use unit tests

Unit tests are a great way to find and fix bugs early in the development process. By running unit tests regularly, you can quickly find out if any new bugs have been introduced into your code. To do this, you should run unit tests as part of your continuous integration system. That way, you can ensure that the code base is always clean and free from bugs.

Get other people to review the code

By getting your code reviewed by an experienced developer, you will often pick up on bugs you missed during development. If possible, try to get somebody else who used to work in a similar role to the one you are in now.

And no, getting help on this doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. All you need to do is post a message on a code review website, such as Code Review Stack Exchange, and you will usually get some responses pretty quickly.

Use a bug tracking system

A bug tracking system, just as the name implies, is designed to keep track of bugs. Using one will identify which bugs are the most serious and prioritize your work accordingly. This means that you can ensure that any particularly nasty bugs are fixed in time for release.

How do you track and catch software bugs?

Using any of these techniques will help you significantly reduce the number of bugs in your code and make your software a lot more reliable. The idea is to improve the quality of your software and ultimately increase user satisfaction.

Are you using any of these methods? What has the experience been like? We would like to hear your feedback in the comments below.

Hugo Morris

Content Outreach manager at ProfitEngine Hugo wasted no time to get into his role at Profit Engine after leaving full time education. He has spent a year in his role mastering the process of Content Creation. With a background in English language he has been able to use his skills to great effect to the point where he is the head of content creation at Profit Engine. For his pastimes, he is an avid lover of reading, music and travelling

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