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1. Built in compiler or interpreter

   • In IDLE, we press F5 to run the built-in interpreter In Greenfoot, we click the compile button to compile the code

2. Linker

   • Many IDEs will include the facility to load multiple source files and link them together. Greenfoot does this well – it will load the source files for all the classes in the program.

3. Loader

4. Debugger

   • The debugger steps through the code line by line allowing the programmer to view how the code executes and spot if the wrong line is running

5. Tracer

   • Another debugging tool is tracing. Tracing creates a log of what happens while a program is running, including logs of: Which variables have been changed, User inputs, Loops

6. Break points

   • A break point is inserted at a particular point in the code. When this code is reached, the execution pauses, and the programmer can inspect the contents of variables to see if they are as expected.

7. Variable watch

   • Advanced IDEs will keep a table of variables that are used by the program, and during de-bugging can even show the contents of each variable at various points.

8. Memory inspector

   • Some IDEs (particularly ones for Assembly Language) will include a memory inspector. This allows the programmer to view the contents of memory locations as the program runs, to help spot errors

9. Error diagnosis

   • When the compiler throws a syntax error, IDEs will help deal with this error by highlighting the code that caused it. If a runtime error occurs, if the code is interpreted, then the IDE can also trace the source of this error as well.