The Log Window

Suppose you're about to perform a lengthy file operation, such as copying a CD-Rom to disk, or compressing many MB of files for to a backup archive or possibly a large file transfer to a relatively slow FTP site.

In such a situation it'd be nice if we just could get the operation started and then return to our previous task. But, if a file-transfer must query the user on some detail, the operation cannot continue until 'OK' or 'Cancel' has been clicked in the dialog. We'd rather spend our time in a better way than waiting for popup queries to appear.

In Probe there is an option, 'Silent mode', which can be checked before starting a file operation. This means that rather than displaying a dialog to the user on what action to take in a query situation, the program uses settings specific for the problem at hand. So, the transfer need not be halted.

See also: Reference Manual, The Log Window.

Fig 1: The 'Silent mode' setting

Once the file operation has completed, we'd like to know if everything went well, and in case of any problems, what they were and how they were handled. This is where the Log Window comes in. This component is exactly what it sounds like, a frame logging the file operations of Probe.

Fig 2: The Log Window

In the fig 2 above we see there was a name clash - an attempt to create a file with a name already in use - in the destination folder. It was resolved by replacing the existing file. The default action in this situation is controlled from the 'File Clash Settings' dialog.

The output in the Log Window is given different color depending on it's type. Output indicating the start/end of a file operation has a greenish color. Notes, warnings and errors go from purple to red. Command strings issued to the OS, or to remote hosts are printed using blue color. When receiving feedback from an external tool, such as a compressor, or from a remote computer, this is displayed with grey color. This enables easy detection of any problems when reading the log.

Fig 3: The Log Window when packing files

The Log Window also provide richer detail of problems occurring when handling compressed or remote archives. Probe bases part of it's GUI output on parsing the output from remote or local helper applications. Since textual output can vary a lot, Probe cannot fully interpret all answers into a GUI response. In such cases the Log Window may provide the details.

Also, when handling FTP sessions, the remote server may send messages to the client, intended for the user, on connecting to the site, or when entering certain directories. This type of feedback is available in the Log Window.

Another strong point of the Log Window architecture is that there may be several Log Windows. When handling multiple file-transfers simultaneously, each of them can use a private Log Window. In this way output is not mixed up.

The appearance of the Log Window can be customized. In the figure below, the popup menu for the Log Window has been invoked, displaying what options can be modified.

Fig 4: Log Window Options

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