Opera Dragonfly emerges from pupa

Debug tool aims to metamorphise web development

Browser maker Opera has released an early version of a tool to help developers debug web pages. It hopes Opera Dragonfly will assist developers in making the experience of surfing the net consistent across web-enabled mobiles, desktops, and consoles while prompting the adoption of open standards.

Opera Dragonfly is designed to debug web pages, widgets, and web applications on any device. The Alpha version of the tool comes with Opera 9.5 beta 2. Opera Dragonfly includes a JavaScript Debugger, DOM and CSS Inspectors, Error Console and Command Line, among other features.

It promotes the adoption of open web standards and pushes the idea of making web pages accessible from any device.

"With Opera Dragonfly we take an important step toward our vision by providing web developers with the tools to unify both development and experiences across devices," Opera Software chief development officer Christen Krogh said.

Opera has released the source code for Dragonfly under the BSD license, making the code itself available for inspection and reuse. It invites feedback from web designers and developers on the tool, which is still in the early stages of development.

Features in Opera Dragonfly Alpha include:

• Remote debug - a tool that allows developers to debug web pages whether they are on a computer or a separate, supported device, running a supported version of Opera.
• DOM Inspector - Opera Dragonfly allows developers to inspect the updated DOM and all its properties. Support for editing the DOM will follow.
• CSS Inspector - users can check what CSS rules apply to which element, and what rules are inherited or set by browser defaults. Overridden rules are highlighted. Support for editing CSS rules will follow.
• JavaScript Debugger - Opera Dragonfly's JavaScript debugger enables developers to put together sophisticated Ajax applications. It allows developers to step through their code line by line, setting break points along the way. The feature means users can make sure applications and scripts are acting as there were designed.
• Error Console and Command Line - the feature allow developers to see, filter, and log any errors in their scripts.

To test Opera Dragonfly, download Opera 9.5 beta 2 here (launch the browser and go to Tools/Advanced/Developer Tools).®