Closed Bug 1526475 Opened 5 years ago Closed 5 years ago

Add file logging to the updater

Categories

(Toolkit :: Application Update, enhancement)

enhancement
Not set
normal

Tracking

()

RESOLVED FIXED
mozilla67
Tracking Status
firefox67 --- fixed

People

(Reporter: bytesized, Assigned: bytesized)

References

Details

Attachments

(1 file)

Prior to changing around the way the updater works, we would like to make it easier to get information from our users if they are having trouble with updates. These are the steps that we would like to be able to give users to walk them through retrieving troubleshooting data for us:

  1. User navigates to about:config
  2. User searches for pref app.update.log.file and sets it to true.
  3. User attempts to update
  4. User navigates to about:support
  5. User finds the row labeled "Profile Folder" and clicks "Open Folder"
  6. User locates a file named "update_messages.log"
  7. User uploads the file to Bugzilla

There is one caveat in the implementation here. We do not want this pref to get left on and generate logs that eventually grow too large. To prevent this, the pref's effects will only last for a single Firefox session.

I'm planning to implement this in the following way: When Firefox starts, the UpdateStub checks if app.update.log.file == true. If it does, it moves "update_messages.log" to "update_messages_old.log" and sets app.update.log.file = false.

Blocks: 1520321
No longer blocks: 1512302

File logging can be turned on by setting app.update.log.file=true. It will log update messages that would normally go to the browser console (assuming app.update.log==true) to a file in the user profile directory called "update_messages.log". File logging will last for a single Firefox session only before it automatically disables itself.

The goal of this is to make it easier to get troubleshooting/debugging information from users that might complain of update problems. This will be especially important when upcoming changes are made to the update mechanism.

Pushed by ksteuber@mozilla.com:
https://hg.mozilla.org/integration/autoland/rev/d75868102cea
Add file logging to the updater r=rstrong
Status: NEW → RESOLVED
Closed: 5 years ago
Resolution: --- → FIXED
Target Milestone: --- → mozilla67
See Also: → 1796652
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