tracecode

tracecode records the execution of a Python script to create a standalone HTML viewer.

It is intended for instructors who want to make a program's execution visible:

• step through the source code forward and backward
• jump forward or backward to any line of code
• see variable values
• observe function call mechanics
• see console input/output at each step
• observe if, elif, and while condition outcomes
• watch exceptions unwind the call stack

Output HTML files are completely self-contained and shareable.

Check out the interactive live demos.

Requires Python 3.12 or later.

To install:

pip install tracecode

Run a script with the tracecode command:

tracecode --auto-open path/to/script.py

The HTML trace is written next to the script, with the same name and an .html extension. --auto-open opens it in a browser. Arguments after the script name are passed to the script:

tracecode path/to/script.py first-argument