Debug Perl scripts using OpenPerl IDE

Good Perl tools, like their human users, are getting harder and harder to find. What if you encounter a Perl script and your boss won’t take any lame excuse for you not to be able to debug it?

Well, you don’t have to be limited to command line “perl.exe” debugging since there is a free open source IDE called OpenPerl. The program is hosted on Sourceforge: http://open-perl-ide.sourceforge.net/.

With this tool, you get a lightweight PERL development environment with syntax color coding and trace stepping mechanism – the basics of good IDE tools.

You can trace the code step by step using Step Over under the Run menu option.

The output terminal is displayed on the lower part of the screen. This is where your print command outputs are displayed. It has a flexible environment with dockable windows. Each configuration can be saved as an IDE-Desktop so you can have some sort of multiple “profiles” for each configuration.

The tool clearly encapsulates the “perl.exe” program. Instead of users issuing commands on the command prompt, the IDE calls “perl.exe” with the appropriate parameters to be able to run and debug the script. The errors are highlighted automatically in red so it is easier for users to see.

The call stack info and modules lists all the modules called by your script. This is useful for verifying if the right library is used by the script.

Overall this is a non-fancy, yet effective IDE for beginning and intermediate Perl programmers. Beginners, more importantly, will benefit from it’s capability to show visually step by step execution with error color coding and assignable break points. This tool saved me a lot of time when I encounter complex Perl scripts so I recommend this for IT pros who encounter Perl from time to time.