Unraveling the Mystery: Debugging Web API with Visual Studio 2019

Debugging is a perplexing but essential aspect of web development. With regards to creating robust web API applications, debugging is what helps detect and resolve code errors. Enter Visual Studio 2019, an IDE furnished with an extensive and sturdy toolset that supports web API application debugging. In this article, we’ll show you how to debug web API with Visual Studio 2019.

Step 1: Create the Web API Project

The first step in debugging web API using Visual Studio 2019 is to set up a project. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Fire up Visual Studio 2019
2. Click the “Create a new project” button
3. From the “Create a new project” window, choose “ASP.NET Core Web Application” from the available project templates
4. Select a location and project name on your computer
5. Click “Create”

Visual Studio will create a brand new web API project just for you.

Step 2: Set Breakpoints

In the subsequent step, it’s time to set breakpoints in the code. Breakpoints allow the Visual Studio debugger to pause application execution at a specific point in the code, enabling runtime inspection of the application state. Follow the four steps below to add breakpoints to your code:

1. Open the file that you want to debug
2. Move the cursor to the line of code at which you’d like to add the breakpoint
3. Click the left margin of the editor or press F9 to create a breakpoint at the current line
4. Repeat the above process as necessary to add breakpoints to your code

Step 3: Attach the Debugger to the Application

The subsequent step is to attach the debugger to the application to start debugging your web API app. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Run the web API application
2. Return to Visual Studio
3. Click on “Debug > Attach to Process” on the main menu
4. In the “Attach to Process” window, find the application process you’d like to debug and select it
5. Click “Attach”

Visual Studio will attach to the selected process, and when the application reaches the code point where breakpoints were set, the debugger marks the breakpoints as hit.

Step 4: Inspect the Variables

Next, it’s time to inspect your code’s variables. When the application reaches the breakpoint, the debugger stops running, allowing for a review of the runtime state of the app. Here are the two steps for inspecting code variables:

1. Click on the “Locals” or “Watch” tabs in the “Debug” window
2. Click on the plus sign next to the variable to expand it and view its associated value

Customize the values of your variables using the textboxes that appear in the “Debug” window.

Step 5: Resume Debugging

Once you’re done debugging your code, it’s time to resume execution of your web API application. Here are the two steps to follow:

1. Click on the “Continue” button or press F5
2. The application proceeds with its execution until the next breakpoint is hit, or the application completes

In Conclusion

Debugging web API applications is a critical aspect of the development procedure. Utilizing Visual Studio 2019 makes debugging easier, thanks to its all-inclusive toolset. By following the steps outlined in this article, you’re a lot closer to debugging your web API applications in Visual Studio 2019.