One of our favorite web debugging tools --- Safari's Web Inspector panel -- has received a very nice looking visual makeover and packs in some welcome new features. The new look and additional debugging tools are already available via the Webkit nightly builds and will, in all likelihood, be part of the next version of Apple's Safari web browser.
The redesign definitely makes Web Inspector one of the prettiest debugging tools for developers, but the changes aren't just cosmetic. Under the hood there's a much faster Javascript debugger, a revamped DOM inspector and a brand new JavaScript Profiler, which allows you to see which scripts are slowing down your pages.
The JavaScript Profiler in particular should be a very welcome tool for web developers looking to speed up their pages.
There's also a new Databases panel lets you interact with HTML 5 Database storage tools for those pushing the cutting edge of web design. Each database is shown in the sidebar and you can examine the contents of all of the page's open databases, as well as execute SQL queries against them.
For a complete look at all the new features and some more screenshots check out the Surfin' Safari blog.
All the new features are already part of the WebKit nightly builds, so if you'd like to take advantage of them today you can. If nightlies aren't your style, you'll have to wait until Apple releases the next version of Safari (I should point out that there's no absolute guarantee these tools will be included, but it seems very likely).
[screenshot from Surfin' Safari]
See Also:
