{"id":2972182,"date":"2026-07-01T11:14:47","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T18:14:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&p=2972182"},"modified":"2026-07-02T11:30:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T18:30:23","slug":"call-the-exterminator-debugging-arcade","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/arcade\/call-the-exterminator-debugging-arcade","title":{"rendered":"Call the Exterminator: Debugging Arcade"},"author":319692,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":""},"categories":[777102],"tags":[43131,72381,671411],"industry":[],"product":[36551],"class_list":["post-2972182","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-arcade","tag-arcade-expression","tag-debugging","tag-whats-new-june","product-arcgis-online"],"acf":{"authors":[{"ID":319692,"user_firstname":"Taylor","user_lastname":"McNeil","nickname":"Taylor McNeil","user_nicename":"tmcneil","display_name":"Taylor McNeil","user_email":"tmcneil@esri.com","user_url":"","user_registered":"2022-10-06 12:43:53","user_description":"Taylor is a Product Engineer on the ArcGIS Online team based in Nova Scotia, Canada. She has received a BSc in Biology and a MSc in Applied Geomatics. When she's not at work, she can be found taking care of her houseplants, reading copious amounts of fiction, and exploring local thrift stores.","user_avatar":""}],"short_description":"The new debugger experience in the Arcade editor will help you troubleshoot issues in your complex scripts and expressions with ease.","flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Have you ever been stuck authoring an Arcade expression? Maybe you just can\u2019t figure out where in the script you\u2019ve gone wrong? We\u2019ve all been there. Before you know it, your script is filled with Console()<\/code> statements and early returns to try and help you troubleshoot what\u2019s happening. Well, we have some news for you. With the recent update of ArcGIS Online, a built-in debugger experience is now available in the Arcade editor to help save you time (and frustration) when authoring Arcade. Keep reading to learn more about how this debugging experience works and how you can leverage it to be more successful while writing Arcade in your maps and apps in ArcGIS Online.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

First things first, what is a debugger? Some of you may already be familiar with this concept but let\u2019s make sure we\u2019re all on the same page and quickly review. A debugger is a means of testing and troubleshooting your script. It allows you to determine and track variable states at set points within your script. In a nutshell, it\u2019s a tool to help you find issues (aka \u201cbugs\u201d) in your logic \u2013 hence the name.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Launching the debugger<\/h2>\n

So now that we know what a debugger is, I\u2019m sure the next question you\u2019re asking is: how do I use it? When you open the Arcade editor in Map Viewer (or elsewhere in ArcGIS Online) you will now see a Run and Debug<\/code> button on the bottom action bar. The button is how you open the debugger, but it will be disabled until you have placed at least one breakpoint within your script.<\/p>\n

Setting breakpoints<\/h3>\n

Breakpoints indicate where in the script to pause so you can determine the current state of variables and other script elements. You cannot access the debugger without at least one breakpoint present.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2974651,"id":2974651,"title":"AddingBreakpoints","filename":"AddingBreakpoints.gif","filesize":237708,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AddingBreakpoints.gif","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/arcade\/call-the-exterminator-debugging-arcade\/addingbreakpoints","alt":"Three breakpoints are added to a script before opening the debug experience.","author":"319692","description":"","caption":"Breakpoints can be added to the script by clicking to the left of the line number. Once the script has one breakpoint, the Run and Debug button will become enabled.","name":"addingbreakpoints","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2972182,"date":"2026-07-02 14:19:53","modified":"2026-07-02 14:21:34","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/gif","type":"image","subtype":"gif","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":794,"height":720,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AddingBreakpoints-213x200.gif","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AddingBreakpoints.gif","medium-width":288,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AddingBreakpoints.gif","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":696,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AddingBreakpoints.gif","large-width":794,"large-height":720,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AddingBreakpoints.gif","1536x1536-width":794,"1536x1536-height":720,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AddingBreakpoints.gif","2048x2048-width":794,"2048x2048-height":720,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AddingBreakpoints-513x465.gif","card_image-width":513,"card_image-height":465,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AddingBreakpoints.gif","wide_image-width":794,"wide_image-height":720}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Script breakpoints are indicated by a red circle and can be set on specific lines of code by clicking to the left of the corresponding line number. To remove an existing breakpoint, simply click on it again. The placement of your breakpoint(s) also matters, so be intentional. For example, a breakpoint set on an empty line or a line with a comment will be ignored by the debugger. Likewise, if you set a breakpoint in a loop, it will pause there on every iteration until the loop is completed.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Anatomy of the debugger<\/h2>\n

Once you select Run and Debug<\/code>, the debug console will open, and the script will run and pause when a breakpoint is encountered. The current breakpoint will be indicated in multiple ways: the icon will change from red to blue, the line will be highlighted in the editor window, and a preview of the code will be displayed at the top of the debug console. A summary of all script breakpoints is also visible from the dropdown menu to the side of the breakpoint preview.<\/p>\n

When actively debugging, controls to navigate through the script will replace the Run<\/code> and Run and Debug<\/code> buttons:<\/p>\n