Skip to content
Smart Cities Group Project

DEBUG Logger

Overview

The DEBUG.h library is a lightweight debugging utility for Arduino/ESP32 projects that provides conditional compilation of debug output. It allows developers to easily add debug logging throughout their code that can be globally enabled or disabled without removing debug statements from the source code.

Features

  • Global Debug Toggle: Enable or disable all debug output with a single macro
  • Zero Runtime Overhead: When disabled, debug statements are completely removed during compilation
  • Multiple Output Formats: Support for simple prints, line prints, and formatted printf-style output
  • Arduino Compatible: Designed specifically for Arduino/ESP32 Serial output

Configuration

Debug Toggle

The library uses a global DEBUG macro to control whether debug output is enabled:

1
2
#define DEBUG 1  // Enable debug output
#define DEBUG 0  // Disable debug output

When DEBUG is set to 1, all debug macros will output to the Serial port. When set to 0, all debug macros become empty and are removed during compilation, resulting in no performance overhead.

Usage

Macros

DEBUG_LOG(x)

1
DEBUG_LOG(x)

Prints the specified value or string without adding a newline character.

Parameters:

  • x - The value, variable, or string to print

Example:

1
2
3
4
DEBUG_LOG("Temperature: ");
DEBUG_LOG(temperature);
DEBUG_LOG("°C");
// Output: Temperature: 25.5°C

DEBUG_LOG_LN(x)

1
DEBUG_LOG_LN(x)

Prints the specified value or string and adds a newline character at the end.

Parameters:

  • x - The value, variable, or string to print

Example:

1
2
3
4
5
DEBUG_LOG_LN("System initialized");
DEBUG_LOG_LN("WiFi connecting...");
// Output:
// System initialized
// WiFi connecting...

DEBUG_PRINTF(fmt, ...)

1
DEBUG_PRINTF(fmt, ...)

Prints formatted output using printf-style formatting.

Parameters:

  • fmt - Format string with placeholders
  • ... - Variable arguments to fill the placeholders

Example:

1
2
3
4
5
6
DEBUG_PRINTF("Sensor %d: %.2f°C\n", sensorId, temperature);
DEBUG_PRINTF("Network Status: %s, IP: %s\n",
             WiFi.isConnected() ? "Connected" : "Disconnected",
             WiFi.localIP().toString().c_str());
// Output: Sensor 1: 25.50°C
// Output: Network Status: Connected, IP: 192.168.1.100

Production vs Development

 1
 2
 3
 4
 5
 6
 7
 8
 9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
// In development - enable debug output
#define DEBUG 1
#include "DEBUG.h"

void developmentCode() {
    DEBUG_LOG_LN("This will appear in development");
    performOperation();
    DEBUG_LOG_LN("Operation completed");
}

// In production - disable debug output
#define DEBUG 0
#include "DEBUG.h"

void productionCode() {
    DEBUG_LOG_LN("This will NOT appear in production");
    performOperation(); // Only this line executes
    DEBUG_LOG_LN("This will also NOT appear in production");
}