Helper tool to automatically upload infologs

[Forboding Angel]

To pastebin.

I haven't fully formed this idea and maybe someone can help me figure out a good one size fits all solution.

It would be nice to have a tool that we can invoke somehow that would automatically post an infolog, maybe even get an automatic stacktrace?

Problem is, I can't figure out the best method that would help everyone out.

Maybe you guys have some ideas on how an automated system could work?

The purpose is for newbies to provide infolog easily and possibly at the touch of a button.

[gajop]

Well, before spring starts, just have another "crash detector" program start, which is supposed to detect when spring crashes or has any error line and then post the said error in a fashion similar to:

The second option would be to use some sort of an automated data collector, which would include the crash detector and also send infologs regardless if an error has been detected or not.


However, if you want people to be able to write anything when trying to submit bugs while no errors have been detected, it may be best to have a bug reporting tool integrated into whatever lobby there is. In this case though, it may be best to save multiple infologs, i've seen people often overwrite old ones as there's no backup.

[danil_kalina]

we need to add HTML POST for main website.

[koshi]

I've already had this in SL with a site backend by zydox/me. There was no continued interest after the initial "do want" --> it died.

[Forboding Angel]

That's because using that tool on windows causes SL and the error reporter to lock up and crash. You can avoid the crash by telling the window to go away.

[jamerlan]

Looks like spring already has CrashHandler. Currently it writes stacktraces to infolog.txt:

#4 0x085704ed in SpringApp::Shutdown () at /usr/src/debug/spring_88.0/rts/System/SpringApp.cpp:1032
No locals.
#5 0x0856b637 in ErrorMessageBox (msg="Spring has crashed:\nSegmentation fault (SIGSEGV).\n\nA stacktrace has been written to:\n /home/revenant/.spring/infolog.txt", caption="Spring crashed", flags=8) at /usr/src/debug/spring_88.0/rts/System/Platform/errorhandler.cpp:92
forcedExitThread = 0xa3c008e8
#6 0x085cbe43 in CrashHandler::HandleSignal (signal=-1079900416) at /usr/src/debug/spring_88.0/rts/System/Platform/Linux/CrashHandler.cpp:553

but under linux you need to use debugger to get correct stacktrace. So sending raw infolog.txt does not helps much.

Also, linux has interesting tool. Automatic Bug Report Tool. I am making spring crash reports using it.

Screenshots:

[danil_kalina]

Ordinary people will just close it and you will never get a report.
"Make one label "Error" and one button "Send"."

[Jools]

I would just block such an application with the firewall. You would have to explain why the lobby needs the rights to act as a server.

[zwzsg]

I don't really like the idea of automatically uploading infolog.

Also, who would analyse all those logs?

[SinbadEV]

I'm thinking the best option would be to have an option somewhere of backing up your crash logs in a sub-folder... then you could populate a dialog asking what went wrong and append these comment to the crash-log helping people submit the right log file for the problem they are having... automating the upload is going to annoy more people than it helps but making it a more straightforward process would probably help.

[Google_Frog]

If someone complained that their UI broke I would analyse the log from that game. Getting them to manually upload it is near impossible.

[SinbadEV]

If someone complained that their UI broke I would analyse the log from that game. Getting them to manually upload it is near impossible.

What I'm thinking would be on crash (assuming it it caught) or if you start spring.exe and a special file (like "cleanrun.tmp" or something) is present in the root directory (so you can catch the last crash) you are prompted for a "Spring seems to have crashed, would you like to describe the problem?" dialog... this will move the last replay and the infolog and the notes of the user to a folder called "crash report_date_time" or something... then, if someone comes on to the forums complaining of crashes we can tell them to go to that folder, upload the replay and infolog associated with the crash from the correct "crash report" folder.

[Jools]

A subfolder is a good idea. It's always a pain the the a* to find infolog.txt

[FLOZi]

First step: Revert buffering of infolog.

[Google_Frog]

First step: Revert buffering of infolog.

+1000000

It's like the engine devs have no idea how we debug things. Developing games for spring became a lot harder after the infolog became buffered.

[Forboding Angel]

First step: Revert buffering of infolog.

+1000000

It's like the engine devs have no idea how we debug things. Developing games for spring became a lot harder after the infolog became buffered.

This. +9001

Moreover:

I don't really like the idea of automatically uploading infolog.

Also, who would analyse all those logs?

Automagic when asked. IE, "please send your error report". Not after every game/crash. That would be useless.

Most people don't understand the concept of pastebin. It's pretty sad, but so many nubs don't even understand pastebin. Moreover, computer nubs think that google search == address bar.

[Jools]

My dad opens a webpage from the dropdown list on the right side of the url.

[FLOZi]

First step: Revert buffering of infolog.

+1000000

It's like the engine devs have no idea how we debug things. Developing games for spring became a lot harder after the infolog became buffered.

Worse yet - we were never offered any justification for it or consulted about it.

[MidKnight]

There was a minutes post or two about it.
I think http://springrts.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=73&t=26893 may have been it.

[knorke]

the mantis ticket for the buffer thing is still on "feedback":
http://springrts.com/mantis/view.php?id=2796

imo automatic infolog upload has little use unless the logs are all browseable. (by error, by mod,..)
So that modders can for example look at all logs from their game where a gadget crashed or something.
To me it seems 90% of crashes are known problems such as "old buggy map", "ai crash", or "bad setting" and you would have to filter that.
But that would need some sort of website that parses the infolog (for modname, sort of error etc) and I do not see that happening?
When a player is unable/unwilling to register on forum to post his crash, not much usefull will come out of it anyway.