What a screen reader can teach you about remote Python debugging
07-21, 14:00–14:30 (Europe/Prague), South Hall 2A

The NVDA screen reader is a Python application packaged with Py2exe, along with C++ extensions for low-level system access and improved performance. Its functionality can be expanded through addons that are also written in Python, which makes the ability to debug both the core and addon code highly desirable.

However, debugging code within an embedded or packaged Python environment can be quite challenging, especially if you are a visually impaired programmer trying to debug your own screen reader, since hitting a breakpoint will freeze the tool you rely on for computer access!

In this presentation, I will demonstrate how I addressed this challenge by leveraging Microsoft's debugpy library for remote debugging. I will showcase how this technique can be used to debug Python applications running within an embedded Python environment, regardless of the host language. Additionally, I will explore its applicability in debugging applications running on different operating systems or environments than the one where you prefer to use your debugging IDE.


Expected audience expertise

intermediate

I'm a freelance accessibility consultant based in Oviedo, Spain. I have 15-year experience in web development and since 2019 I'm learning Python and developing small programs for my special needs as a blind developer