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Repeat Error. Repeatability is important
to assure it's your code and not environmental software failure.
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Divide and Conquer. Comment Out Working sections
of code to execute testing areas.
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Isolate Error. Use error trapping
to isolate the cause of the problem. Keep in mind often there are
more than one area of concern, pay attention to variables being passed
as possibly inaccurate or malformed causing a failure of a function
that appears to be correct.
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Research Fix. Use up-to date reference
materials to explore the proper syntax or offer another method or
approach to your process.
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Apply Fix.
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Re-Test . Repeat steps 1-4 5 times if you do not
have success. After 5 times go to step 7.
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Get Up and Walk Away . I can't tell
you how important this is. Come back after a 5 minute or so period
of doing nothing related to coding or sitting at a desk. This fresh
start always works.
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Confirmation of Functionality. Beat
it up and throw uncharacteristic behavior at it to test stability.
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Document the process. Put
your trials and the solution down on paper to help you beat a similar
problem in the future and to show the path to your work product.
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Party like it's 1999 !!!!