Difference between the debugger and player

In truth I use both of these though probably the player the most.  CTRL + F5 is your friend!  Of course, so is F5.  Anyway, I've outlined a couple of the reasons for why you would need to use one over the other and why you would want to use both. 

Debugger

• The ability to set breakpoints cannot be overstated.  Seeing how the program flows and executes allows you to make good decisions.  Nothing new there: its the basics of any good IDE.
• The ability to see variables as they execute in the local space.  Those two things alone would make it worth it.  This lets you know the values you expect are actually in place.
• While not obvious, the debugger gives you different error messages than the player.

Player

• It  allows you to quick run a form and doesn't require the same permissions as a person who needs to run the debugger.
• You can't set breakpoints but effective user of alerts, dialogs and other feedback can give you a lot of information.
• Its actually more effective in the short run to use it, especially if you are coding for something that is graphic intensive or requires exactness in the user interface.  Timewise you can often bring something up in the player, check it and get an answer before the debugger even loads up.  That time savings is invaluable.