debugging by printf

debugging by printf

   <programming> The {debugging} technique where the programmer
   inserts print statements into a program so that when run the
   program leaves a "trail of {breadcrumbs}" allowing him to see
   which parts were executed.  The information output may just be
   a short string to indicate that a particular point in the code
   has been reached or it might be a complete {stack trace}.  The
   output typically just goes to the window or terminal in which
   the program is running or may be written to a log file.

   {printf} is the standard {C} print function, other languages
   would use different names.

   (2007-03-08)