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Debugging

Debugging

Debugging in Plate.

Using the DebugPlugin

The DebugPlugin is automatically included when you create a Plate editor. You can access its methods through the editor's API:

const editor = createPlateEditor({
  plugins: [/* your plugins */],
});
 
editor.api.debug.log('This is a log message');
editor.api.debug.info('This is an info message');
editor.api.debug.warn('This is a warning');
editor.api.debug.error('This is an error');

Log Levels

The DebugPlugin supports four log levels:

  1. log: For general logging
  2. info: For informational messages
  3. warn: For warnings
  4. error: For errors

You can set the minimum log level to control which messages are displayed:

const editor = createPlateEditor({
  plugins: [
    DebugPlugin.configure({
      options: {
        logLevel: 'warn', // Only show warnings and errors
      },
    }),
  ],
});

Configuration Options

The DebugPlugin can be configured with the following options:

  • isProduction: Set to true to disable logging in production environments.
  • logLevel: Set the minimum log level ('error', 'warn', 'info', or 'log').
  • logger: Provide custom logging functions for each log level.
  • throwErrors: Set to true to throw errors instead of logging them (default: true).

Example configuration:

const editor = createPlateEditor({
  plugins: [
    DebugPlugin.configure({
      options: {
        isProduction: process.env.NODE_ENV === 'production',
        logLevel: 'info',
        logger: {
          error: (message, type, details) => {
            // Custom error logging
            console.error(`Custom Error: ${message}`, type, details);
          },
          // ... custom loggers for other levels
        },
        throwErrors: false,
      },
    }),
  ],
});

Error Handling

By default, the DebugPlugin throws errors when error is called. You can catch these errors and handle them as needed:

try {
  editor.api.debug.error('An error occurred', 'CUSTOM_ERROR', { details: 'Additional information' });
} catch (error) {
  if (error instanceof PlateError) {
    console.log(error.type); // 'CUSTOM_ERROR'
    console.log(error.message); // '[CUSTOM_ERROR] An error occurred'
  }
}

To log errors instead of throwing them, set throwErrors to false in the configuration.

Best Practices

  1. Use appropriate log levels for different types of messages.
  2. In production, set isProduction to true to disable non-essential logging.
  3. Use custom loggers to integrate with your preferred logging service.
  4. Include relevant details when logging to make debugging easier.
  5. Use error types to categorize and handle different error scenarios.

Additional Debugging Strategies

Besides using the DebugPlugin, there are other effective ways to debug your Plate editor:

1. Override Editor Methods with Logging

You can use the extendEditor option to override editor methods and add logging:

const LoggingPlugin = createPlatePlugin({
  key: 'logging',
  extendEditor: (editor) => {
    const { apply } = editor;
 
    editor.apply = (operation) => {
      console.log('Operation:', operation);
      apply(operation);
    };
 
    return editor;
  },
});
 
const editor = createPlateEditor({
  plugins: [LoggingPlugin],
});

This approach allows you to log operations, selections, or any other editor behavior you want to inspect.

2. Remove Suspected Plugins

If you're experiencing issues, try removing plugins one by one to isolate the problem:

const editor = createPlateEditor({
  plugins: [
    // Comment out or remove suspected plugins
    // ParagraphPlugin,
    // HeadingPlugin,
    // BoldPlugin,
    // ...other plugins
  ],
});

Gradually add plugins back until you identify the one causing the issue.

3. Use React DevTools

React DevTools can be invaluable for debugging Plate components:

  1. Install the React DevTools browser extension.
  2. Open your app and the DevTools.
  3. Navigate to the Components tab.
  4. Inspect Plate components, their props, and state.

4. Use Browser DevTools Breakpoints

Set breakpoints in your code using browser DevTools:

  1. Open your app in the browser and open DevTools.
  2. Navigate to the Sources tab.
  3. Find your source file and click on the line number where you want to set a breakpoint.
  4. Interact with your editor to trigger the breakpoint.
  5. Inspect variables and step through the code.

5. Create Minimal Reproducible Examples

If you're facing a complex issue:

  1. Pick a template.
  2. Add only the essential plugins and components to reproduce the issue.
  3. If the issue persists, open an issue on GitHub or share your example on Discord.

Debug Error Types

Plate uses several predefined error types to help identify specific issues during development. Here's a list of these error types and their descriptions:

DEFAULT

A general error that doesn't fit into other specific categories. Used when no other error type is applicable to the situation.

OPTION_UNDEFINED

Thrown when an attempt is made to access an undefined plugin option. This occurs when trying to use a plugin option that hasn't been set or is undefined.

OVERRIDE_MISSING

Indicates that an expected override is missing in a plugin configuration. This happens when a plugin expects certain overrides to be provided, but they are not present in the configuration.

PLUGIN_DEPENDENCY_MISSING

Occurs when a required plugin dependency is not found. This error is thrown when a plugin depends on another plugin that hasn't been registered or included in the editor configuration.

PLUGIN_MISSING

Indicates an attempt to use a plugin that hasn't been registered. This happens when trying to access or use a plugin that is not part of the current editor configuration.

USE_CREATE_PLUGIN

Thrown when a plugin wasn't created using createSlatePlugin or createPlatePlugin function. This error occurs when a plugin is added to the editor without being properly created using the designated function.

USE_ELEMENT_CONTEXT

Indicates that the useElement hook is being used outside of the appropriate element context. This occurs when trying to access element-specific data or functionality outside of the correct component context.

PLUGIN_NODE_TYPE

Thrown when a plugin is incorrectly configured as both an element and a leaf. This error occurs when a plugin's configuration contradicts itself by setting both isElement and isLeaf to true.

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