Rails: How to step-by-step debug a request

Question

I have an ajax request that is causing problems in my Rails 3.0.9 app. I can see the problem in the logs, but I don't have any idea what is triggering it between the ajax call and the render. Here's the log, and the event I don't want with ** beside it:

Started DELETE "/notifications/13" for 127.0.0.1 at 2011-06-21 22:08:39 -0500
  Processing by NotificationsController#destroy as JS
  Parameters: {"id"=>"13"}
  SQL (0.4ms)   SELECT name
 FROM sqlite_master
 WHERE type = 'table' AND NOT name = 'sqlite_sequence'

  SQL (0.3ms)   SELECT name
 FROM sqlite_master
 WHERE type = 'table' AND NOT name = 'sqlite_sequence'
  User Load (0.8ms)  SELECT "users".* FROM "users" WHERE "users"."id" = 1 LIMIT 1
  Slug Load (0.4ms)  SELECT "slugs".* FROM "slugs" WHERE ("slugs".sluggable_id = 1 AND "slugs".sluggable_type = 'User') ORDER BY id DESC LIMIT 1
  ****AREL (0.3ms)  UPDATE "users" SET "remember_token" = NULL, "remember_created_at" = NULL, "updated_at" = '2011-06-22 03:08:40.084049', "preferences" = '---
:email_notifications: ''true''
' WHERE "users"."id" = 1
  Notification Load (0.2ms)  SELECT "notifications".* FROM "notifications" WHERE "notifications"."id" = 13 LIMIT 1
  User Load (0.9ms)  SELECT "users".* FROM "users" WHERE "users"."id" = 1 LIMIT 1
  AREL (0.3ms)  UPDATE "users" SET "notifications_count" = COALESCE("notifications_count", 0) - 1 WHERE "users"."id" = 1
  AREL (0.1ms)  DELETE FROM "notifications" WHERE "notifications"."id" = 13
Completed 200 OK in 1334ms

I'd like to somehow step by step debug this request, sort of like the way you can step through a function in javascript using firebug.

Is there a way to debug like this so I can see how that specific AREL command is getting called??

Answer 1

Have you looked at ruby on rails guides - debugging?? you can debug just like in gdb

This railscast is also quite useful.