NSLog not working - objective-c

Question

Strangest thing I've seen yet.. NSLog is failing within a method based on something bizarre. Here is the code:
-(void) testBoard {
BoardManager* bm = [BoardManager manager];
Board* board = [bm boardForName:#"fourteen by eight"];
NSLog(#"%#", board);
NSLog(#"%#", board.coords);
}
in Board.m :
-(NSArray*) coords {
if(!_coords.count && _definition) {
NSArray* c = [Board decode:_definition];
[self setCoords:c];
}
return _coords;
}
+(NSArray*) decode:(NSString*)encodedCoords {
NSMutableArray* coords = [NSMutableArray array];
NSArray* tokens = [encodedCoords componentsSeparatedByString:#","];
int i = 0;
NSString* dimStr = [tokens objectAtIndex:i++];
int width = [dimStr substringToIndex:2].intValue;
int height = [dimStr substringWithRange:NSMakeRange(2, 2)].intValue;
int depth = [dimStr substringFromIndex:4].intValue;
NSLog(#"w=%d h=%d d=%d", width, height, depth);
NSString* b128;
NSString* b2;
for(int z=0; z<depth; z++) {
for(int y=0; y<height; y++) {
b128 = [tokens objectAtIndex:i++];
NSLog(#"[%#]", b128);
b2 = [Board base128to2:b128];
NSLog(#"b2=%#",b2);
for(int x=0; x<b2.length; x++) {
if([b2 characterAtIndex:b2.length-1-x] == '1') {
Coord* coord = [Coord x:width-1-x y:height-1-y z:z];
[coords addObject:coord];
}
}
}
}
return coords;
}
Now what happens is, none of the NSLog statements within decode: or methods called from decode: will log to the console. However, NSLog before and after calling decode: work, and the rest of the code around the NSLog's executes fine. I found that I could get all the NSLog statements to work simply by commenting out [coords addObject:coord];. This statement appears after NSLog statements that it is affecting. I also found I could get the NSLog's to work by rearranging a few lines in testBoard: like this:
-(void) testBoard
{
BoardManager* bm = [BoardManager manager];
Board* board = [bm boardForName:#"fourteen by eight"];
NSLog(#"%#", board);
NSString* def = board.definition;
NSArray* coords = [Board decode:def];
NSLog(#"%#", coords);
}
This seems quite bizarre..an xcode Loch Ness monster surfacing?!

Answer 1

Have you tried running in the debugger? What happens when you get to that if statement
if(!_coords.count && _definition)
Are you sure _coords.count is 0 and _definition is not nil

Answer 2

In my experience, NSLog macro expansions can fail. Most of the time it's obvious why, sometimes not.
Just do something like this:
id objToLog = /* whatever */;
NSLog(#"%#", objToLog);
If this approach works, you can go ahead with your development and maybe you figure the problem out later.