Mark A. Basler's Weblog

Wednesday March 15, 2006

Javascript, AJAX, DHTML (Web 2.0) debugging tools...

When developing anything that has to do with Javascript like AJAX or DHTML web pages (Web 2.0, if you prefer), it pays to have good debugging tools.

A large amount of pluggins are available for the FireFox browser in addition to the extremely useful embedded Javascript console.  The one I use to debug numerous problems is Live HTTP Header.  It shows the actual HTTP interaction between the browser and a server like Glassfish.   I have found it an invaluable resource in debugging browser/server interactions when developing complex AJAX web applications.

Also, the DOM Inspector that comes with your the FireFox browser (you have to perform a custom install) is very useful debugging the resultant DOM when developing advanced DHTML web pages.

I must credit the AJAX in Action book appendix on tools for these tips. Many Thanks to Greg Murray for making a copy available :-). See his Javascript Recommendations for many useful tips.

One other tool that the book recommends, but I have yet to use in any detail is the Venkman Javascript Debugger.

Hope this helps to cut down on your debugging time - Mark



Posted by basler Mar 15 2006, 09:06:13 AM PST Permalink Comments [1]