Setting the level of logging from FotoWeb

Using the FotoWeb log service drop down list you can control the level of logging the FotoWeb produces. The log service is a dispatcher that gives global control of which events are forwarded. The default setting is Information, which includes warnings and errors but not trace and debug information.

Tip: When troubleshooting a system, Fotoware Support may ask you to attach a debug log to the case. Learn how to create the debug log!

Forwarding FotoWeb logs to the Fotoware log server

FotoWeb can be configured to forward log messaged to the Fotoware log server, which stores logs from all Fotoware applications on that server in C:\ProgramData\Fotoware\Logs\FWEvents.log. Choose the level of information you would like to store in this file. Information loggingis the default log level.

Remember that if the FotoWeb log service has been set e.g. to log Information level events only, you cannot set the Fotoware log server to log Trace or Debug levels, since those events will not be forwarded by FotoWeb.

Forwarding FotoWeb logs to the Windows Event log

It is also possible to forward messages to the Windows Event Log so that you can see all your system events in one place by choosing the log level to store in the Windows event log drop down list.

Under normal circumstances, it should be enough to store the log data in one place. If you do not run other Fotoware applications on the server, it is recommended that you use the Windows Event Log for permanent storage of the log data.

Enabling trace files for troubleshooting

To get trace files you have to choose the appropriate level of trace logging using the Application Trace files drop down list. Choosing Debug here means everything is logged. Make sure this is only used temporarily, for instance during troubleshooting, and then reduced to a less intensive level afterwards, or switched off, to reduce the amount of logging being output.

Trace files are written to C:\ProgramData\Fotoware\FotoWeb\Operations\Logs.

The system log engine allows you to set a filter so that you only see messages that are relevant. The three levels are Information, Warning and Error. During installation and configuration of your system you should run with all messages enabled. When your system is stable and working, as you want, you may consider increasing the filter to show only warning and error messages. The filtering setting is set in the System log tab under System Properties.

Tip! If you have a technical problem with FotoWeb, the System log should be the first place to check. Don’t just read the newest line in the log as it will often only tell you that something is wrong; earlier events may explain the real reason for the error.

Additional log options

Log errors in embedded web server (Apache): If enabled, all errors detected by the embedded Apache web server are logged into a file called error.log in the Operations\Logs folder.

Log requests to embedded web server (Apache): If enabled, all HTTP requests processed by the embedded Apache web server are logged into a file called access.log in the Operations\Logs folder.

Enable write-through for trace files: When enabled, FotoWeb does not use any buffering when writing to the log files, ensuring each line is committed to disk before proceeding. This slows down FotoWeb considerably, but allows log tracing all up to the point of a crash, and is useful when tackling problems related to crashes.
Function call tracing:  Verbose logging that shows entry into and exit on function level in FotoWeb. Will produce enormous amounts of log data and should not be enabled unless so advised by Fotoware support.