Error Logging

[Charles Hoens]

I have some apps where a lot is going on. Some of these routines run at night on my server based on time, etc. In my old days as a mainframe programmer, I used to open a text file on the side, and as the program(s) would run they would add lines to this text program.

For example, if I ran a script that had an update within it, I could put at the top of the script a line "starting script 101 Update." Later, at the bottom, to ensure that it finished I could put another line saying "ending script 101 update" and so on.

If something didn't run, it was then an easy task to go back through the log file and find out where the error occurred and perhaps what parameters had taken place at the time.

Does anyone know of a way this can be accomplished in A5?

Many thanks,

Charlie

[Finian Lennon]

Re: Error Logging

YOu can do the same thing with a little xbasic;you could open a text file at the start of your routines and write to it periodically as they run. Something like
(this not checked)

fname = A5.Get_Path() + Chr(92) + "runlog_"+dtoc(date()+".txt"
if file.exists(fname) then
file.remove(fname)
end if
fn = file.create(fname,file_rw_exclusive)
linetext = "Starting the run for " + dtoc(date() +" at " + time()
fn.write_line(linetext)
fn.flush()
fn.close()
linetext = ""
'=========================
'Code runs here
'=========================
dim filesize as n
fn = file.open(fname,file_rw_shared)
filesize = fn.size()
fn.seek(filesize)    'go to the end of the file
fn.write_line("")
linetext = "Finished phase 1 at " + time() + "starting phase 2"
fn.write_line(linetext)
fn.flush()
fn.close()
'=========================
'More code runs here
'=========================
dim filesize as n
fn = file.open(fname,file_rw_shared)
filesize = fn.size()
fn.seek(filesize)    'go to the end of the file
fn.write_line("")
linetext = "Operations finished " + time()"
fn.write_line(linetext)
fn.flush()
fn.close()

YOu could remove the repetitive code above with a function to wrap up the file writing stuff.

You could also use a different approach by creating a log table that you would update as the operations run.

[Lenny Forziati]

Re: Error Logging

YOu could remove the repetitive code above with a function to wrap up the file writing stuff.

We've already done it for you: save_to_file()

[Charles Hoens]

Re: Error Logging

EXCELLENT!

Just what I needed!

Charlie

[Finian Lennon]

Re: Error Logging

And it's been there since V5 too! I completely forgot about it.

So the code would become

fname = A5.Get_Path() + Chr(92) + "runlog_"+dtoc(date()+".txt"
if file.exists(fname) then
file.remove(fname)
end if
dim linetext as c
linetext = "Starting the run for " + dtoc(date() +" at " + time()
Save_To_File(linetext,fname,.T.)
linetext = ""
'=========================
'Code runs here
'=========================
linetext = "Finished phase 1 at " + time() + "starting phase 2"
Save_To_File(linetext,fname,.T.)
linetext = ""
'=========================
'More code runs here
'=========================
linetext = "Operations finished " + time()"
Save_To_File(linetext,fname,.T.)
linetext = ""

Which is a little easier to handle.

[JohnZaleski]

Re: Error Logging

There is no reason that it has to be a text file .It could easily be a table within Alpha, which would make browsing, reporting , and other reviewing much more friendly.

[Steve Workings]

Re: Error Logging

Maybe useful:

http://www.workings.com/A5Error.htm

[Raymond Lyons]

Re: Error Logging

Steve,

It is useful. However, it does not capture all A5 errors, which makes it less useful than I would like it to be. Maybe Alpha should add something that would do it for all errors.

Ray