If you’re like most programmers, you have some code that you’re pretty proud of. Maybe it’s a little function you wrote years ago that’s now helping you make money online, or maybe it’s a program you wrote a few months ago to make your life easier.
If you’re like most people, you probably created that code using old-school syntax and tools. You probably wrote it using a text editor, not a code editor. You probably saved it as a .py file, not an .cs or .js file. There’s probably even a handwritten signature of some kind on it.
If you’re like most people, you probably don’t even know your software bug tracking tool of choice exists. Or maybe you know about it, but you don’t use it.
If you’re like most people, you probably haven’t thought about what software bug you have until you fix it. But what if you don’t know where to start?
If you’re like most people, you don’t know where to start when it comes to fixing software bugs. It can be a scary proposition. Especially when you consider you may have thousands of dollars worth of software sitting on your hard drive.
That’s why we’ve compiled a few simple steps you can take to find and fix a software
Check Your Version and Platform
Before you start fixing your bugs, make sure you are up to date on your version and platform. Make sure you are using the correct software for your version of Windows, OS X, or Linux.
Your version number should be set when you installed Windows, OS X, or Linux. If you think you are using an old version, it’s time to update.
Here are a few things to check:
Is your software version number ending in a 0 or a 9? Those are the most ancient versions of your software, and they should be deleted.
Do you have a newer version of your software? A 1.0 release is considered old software and should be deleted.
If you have any doubts about which software version you are using, you can always click the Help menu in your software and look for the documentation for that software.
Run the Software
After you’ve made sure your version and platform are correct, it’s time to run your software.
Run your software, and make sure it runs properly. Perhaps the most boring and straightforward test you can perform is to run your software and see if it works.
Run your software as an administrator, if it asks you to do so. This is because many of your programs don’t automatically run as an administrator when they are launched.
Also, while running your software, make sure it is not doing anything malicious. You don’t want to delete your data or access any sensitive information when running your software.
Check Your Installation
While running your software, check to see if it is installing correctly.
When you run your software, it will create a lot of files and folders on your computer.
You’re probably going to want to keep track of all these files and folders, so make a note of where they are located and what they are called.
Also, if you’re running your software on a Windows computer, make sure you are putting the files and folders in the correct location. It’s important but often overlooked.
Check Your Online Help
Even if you installed your software correctly, and it is running as you directed, there may be a problem with your online help.
You may have enabled search in your software, but that doesn’t mean people can find your product if they are looking for it. You may have set up your software to index the web, but that doesn’t mean people can find your product if they are looking for it.
For example, your online help may be located on a third-party website, or it may be stored in an unprotected file on your computer.
If people can’t find your help, they will likely go in circles looking for answers, which will likely drive them away, and stop them from using your software.
Try Uninstalling and Reinstalling
If you find that your installation is still broken, or you simply want to try installing your software again, you may uninstall it and retry installing it from scratch.
Sometimes, when people uninstall a program, they may not completely uninstall it. For example, they may leave a back door open so they can still access the program if they need it.
If you keep reinstalling your software, eventually you may end up with a different setup that doesn’t work the way you want it to.
In this case, you may want to start from scratch and try to re-create your software from scratch.
Windows users can use the “reinstall functionality” from their Control Panel to do this.
Try Loading the Correct Plug-In
Sometimes, when you run your software, you may get an error message about a plug-in not being loaded.
This error may occur when you use a plug-in that is not supported by your software. For example, if you used the Google plug-in while writing your software, you may encounter this error.
It’s worth noting that some plug-ins may conflict with other plug-ins you are using. For example, if you are using the Google plug-in with adblockers on different websites, you may encounter this error.
In this case, you will probably want to load your other plug-ins first before trying to run your software with the Google plug-in disabled.
Try Turning on Debug Mode
Sometimes, when you run your software and see that it is not accepting any data, you may get an error message about it being in debug mode.
This error may occur when your program is dealing with sensitive data, or it is trying to access a network connection that your computer does not have permission to access.
When this happens, your program may crash, which will likely produce an error message about it being in debug mode.
Conclusion
If you’ve gotten this far, you may have realized that you have a software problem. Whether it’s an old program that you can’t seem to budge or a brand new project, you can always start by checking your version and platform and running your software to see if it’s working properly.
If it is, you can skip to the next step, but if not, you can find and fix a software bug in your programming code with these tips.