How to apply HoldForm to a list of variables without the variables in the list being evaluated first? - wolfram-mathematica

Question

I am writing a debug function, which prints a variable name, and its value. I call this debug function with a list of variables from anywhere in the program. So the idea is for it to work like this:
debug[var_List] := Module[{values = ReleaseHold[var], i},
For[i = 1, i <= Length[values], i++,
Print[var[[i]], " = ", values[[i]]]
]
];
Now I use the above, like this
x = 3; y = 5;
debug[{HoldForm[x], HoldForm[y]}]
and I see in the console the following
x = 3
y = 5
But I have a large program and long list of variables at different places I want to debug. And I do not want to type HoldForm to each variable to make up the list to call the debug[] function. Much easier to Map it if possible. Less typing each time. But this does not work:
debug[ Map[HoldForm,{x,y}]]
The reason is that {x,y} was evaluated before HoldForm got hold of it. So I end up with a list that has the values in it, like this:
3 = 3
5 = 5
I could not find a way to Map HoldForm without the list being evaluated.
The best I could find is this:
debug[HoldForm[Defer[{x, y}]]]
which gives the following output from the above debug[] function:
{x,y} = {3,5}
Since Defer[{x, y}] has length 1, and it is just one thing, I could not break it up to make a 2 column list like in the above example.
It will be better if I can get an output of the form
x = 3
y = 5
easier to match the variable with its value since I have many variables.
question is: Any one knows of a programming trick to convert HoldForm[{x,y}] to {HoldForm[x],HoldForm[y]}
thanks

Answer 1

Just use Thread:
Thread[HoldForm[{x, y}]]
alternatively,
Map[HoldForm, Unevaluated[{x, y}]]

Answer 2

Here is a longer alternative demonstrating use of Hold, found in Roman Maeder's Programming In Mathematica (3rd ed.), page 137:
e1 = Hold[{x, y}];
e2 = MapAt[Hold, e1, {1, 0}];
e3 = Map[HoldForm, e2, {2}];
e4 = MapAt[ReleaseHold, First[e3], {0}];
debug[e4]
x=3
y=5

Answer 3

I did a PrintIt function using attributes that does what you want. I posted it here https://stackoverflow.com/a/8270643/884752, I repeat the code:
SetAttributes[System`ShowIt, HoldAll];
System`ShowIt[code__] := System`ShowIt[{code}];
System`ShowIt[code_] :=
With[{y = code},
Print[Defer[code = y]];
y
];
SetAttributes[System`PrintIt, {HoldAll,Listable}];
System`PrintIt[expr__]:=System`PrintIt[{expr}];
System`PrintIt[expr_] := System`ShowIt[expr];