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FAQ

Why don't My Applications Show Up?

In order to analyze an application, it first needs to be recorded and sub-sequently show up in the application view.

There can be a multitude of possible reasons for this to go wrong:

  1. You did not instrument the application. Make sure to use one of the four methods of Running a JavaScript Application w/ Dbux Enabled.
  2. Your application exited prematurely due to a crash or process.exit being called. In that case, Dbux might not have been able to send out the data on time. Usually, this is accompanied by a console message that reads a little like "Process exiting but not all data has been sent out. Analysis will be incomplete. This is probably because of a crash or because process.exit was called manually.".
    • Note that some environments (such as Jest) might swallow important console messages, which would explain why you were not able to see the message.
    • In order to prevent this situation, Dbux tries (rather aggressively) to keep an instrumented application alive. If it does, it would accompany its moves with further log messages. Look for the hints.
  3. Your application has an infinite loop or otherwise starves the network queue.
    • Since Dbux relies on the network queue to send data back to the mothership, it requires the code to give up control for that to happen first. Thus, Dbux is not (currently) a good tool to help in dealing with infinite loops or starvation.
  4. You are not running on localhost.

How to Use Commands?

Dbux offers several commands. This is how commands work in VSCode:

  1. Press F1 or CTRL/Command + Shift + P
  2. Search for a command... (type the name or some letters of the name)
  3. Select the command (Enter)
  4. See it execute.
  5. For more info, please consult the official documentation for the VSCode Command Palette.
tip

You can bind commands to keys. This official documentation explains how to easily keybind any command in VSCode.

Why is someFile.js not Traced?

If you are certain that a file executed in a Dbux-enabled application, make sure your configuration is not accidentally excluding the file, package or folder.

How can I debug code remotely?

While Dbux currently doesn't have native remote debugging capabilities on its own, it does work with VSCode remote sessions.

  1. If not already done, set up remote development with VSCode on your server via the "Remote: SSH" extension, as described in this guide.
  2. In a VSCode remote session, install the dbux extension, in the same way you would do locally (going to "Extensions" in the sidebar, searching for "Dbux" and clicking "Install").
  3. Use Dbux normally!
note

Using VSCode's remote capabilities will result in the installation of a headless VSCode server complete with extension host and a copy of the Dbux extension on the remote server (in ~/.vscode-server).

It Just Won't Work!

While technically not a question, this is certainly a frustrating experience to encounter.

Please don't hesitate to reach out. We recommend using our GitHub Issues Page to file well-written reports/complaints, or join us on Discord to ask questions about or discuss whatever it is you encountered.