How to get unstuck

Regardless of how long we’ve been coding, we can bump into unexpected bugs or behavior where we can’t immediately figure out the issue. We can feel stuck. This presentation uses four real-world bugs to highlight eight key principles for getting unstuck.

Transcript

1. J OEL C LERMONT / LA RACON US 2023
   How to Get Unstuck
   ™
   L E T S T A L K A B O U T
   m as t er i n g l ar a ve l .i o
   

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2. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
   Hi, my name is Joel
   
   
   and I’m a developer
   ™
   

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3. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
   Most days it’s great
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4. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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   But some days…
   N O T S O M U C H
   

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5. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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   This was just working!!
   

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6. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
   Maybe I’m not that good
   

   at this after all
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7. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
   You are not alone
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8. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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9. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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   Goal: How to get unstuck
   

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10. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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    8 Key Principles
    

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11. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
    ”
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    masteringlaravel.io
    

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12. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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    Story time
    

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13. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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    Bug 1: Unknown column in factory
    

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14. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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16. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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17. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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18. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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19. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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20. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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21. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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    Principle 1
    

    Pay attention to formatting
    

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22. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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    Principle 2
    

    Read the whole error message
    

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23. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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24. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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    Principle 3
    

    Simplify the problem
    

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25. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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    Bug 2: ZeroMQ in package
    

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26. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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    Bug 2: ZeroMQ in package
    

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27. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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    What do you think is happening?
    

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28. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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    Is it really this package?
    

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29. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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    Progress! We get an error!
    

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30. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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    Principle 4
    

    Eliminate layers of abstraction
    

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31. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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    Bug 3: Validation rule not enforced
    

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32. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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33. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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34. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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35. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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36. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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37. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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    Principle 5
    

    Be a human code interpreter
    

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38. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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    Bug 4: When is a CSV file not a CSV file?
    

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39. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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40. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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41. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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42. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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43. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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44. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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    Principle 6
    

    Don’t be afraid to dive deep
    

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45. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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    Principle 7
    

    Use all available tools
    

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46. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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    Principle 8
    

    Know where to stop
    

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47. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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48. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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    8 Key Principles
    Use your tools Refine the problem
    

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49. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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    8 Key Principles
    Use your tools Refine the problem
    Pay attention to formatting
    
    
    

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50. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
    ™
    8 Key Principles
    Use your tools Refine the problem
    Pay attention to formatting
    
    
    Read the whole error message
    
    
    

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51. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
    ™
    8 Key Principles
    Use your tools Refine the problem
    Pay attention to formatting
    
    
    Read the whole error message
    
    
    Don’t be afraid to dive deep
    
    
    

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52. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
    ™
    8 Key Principles
    Use your tools Refine the problem
    Pay attention to formatting
    
    
    Read the whole error message
    
    
    Don’t be afraid to dive deep
    
    
    Use all available tools
    

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53. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
    ™
    8 Key Principles
    Use your tools Refine the problem
    Pay attention to formatting
    
    
    Read the whole error message
    
    
    Don’t be afraid to dive deep
    
    
    Use all available tools
    Simplify the problem
    
    
    

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54. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
    ™
    8 Key Principles
    Use your tools Refine the problem
    Pay attention to formatting
    
    
    Read the whole error message
    
    
    Don’t be afraid to dive deep
    
    
    Use all available tools
    Simplify the problem
    
    
    Eliminate layers of abstraction
    
    
    

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55. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
    ™
    8 Key Principles
    Use your tools Refine the problem
    Pay attention to formatting
    
    
    Read the whole error message
    
    
    Don’t be afraid to dive deep
    
    
    Use all available tools
    Simplify the problem
    
    
    Eliminate layers of abstraction
    
    
    Be a human code interpreter
    
    
    

    View Slide

56. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
    ™
    8 Key Principles
    Use your tools Refine the problem
    Pay attention to formatting
    
    
    Read the whole error message
    
    
    Don’t be afraid to dive deep
    
    
    Use all available tools
    Simplify the problem
    
    
    Eliminate layers of abstraction
    
    
    Be a human code interpreter
    
    
    Know where to stop
    

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57. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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    Know when to ask for help
    

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58. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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    Your homework…
    A c t u a l l y t r y t h i s . I t ’ s n o t d u m b
    

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59. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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    Think of it like a puzzle
    

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60. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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    Are you stuck right now?
    

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61. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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    If When you get stuck in the future
    Yo u w i l l . W e a l l d o .
    

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62. J OEL C LERMONT / @ jcl ermon t
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    masteringlaravel.io/get-unstuck
    

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