Debugging and Testing F# Programs

Abstract

Anecdotal evidence indicates that functional programming frequently leads to a substantially reduced bug rate for good programmers. This is primarily because programs built using functional techniques tend to be highly compositional, building correct programs out of correct building blocks. Functional programming style, moreover, avoids or substantially reduces the use of side effects in the program, one property that makes programs more compositional. However, debugging and testing are still essential activities to ensure that a program is as close as possible to its specifications. Bugs and misbehaviors are facts of life, and F# programmers must learn techniques to find and remove them.