flameshot-org/flameshot

Verbose logging

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#3,172 opened on Apr 19, 2023

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 (1 comment) (3 reactions) (1 assignee)C++ (1,916 forks)batch import
CLIEnhancementHacktoberfest

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Description

Feature Description

The issue

It has been brought up quite a few times that the user is willing to help us pin-point the issue (e.g https://github.com/flameshot-org/flameshot/issues/3126#issuecomment-1475760380) , but there is no easy way to give us some log on what is happening on their computer.

The suggestion

It would be good to have an opt-in verbose logging system that it can store a log file and the user can send it to us. It should be verbose enough especially about:

  • the information it detects from the host machine (OS, monitors, keyboard layout, flameshot version)
  • the build flags that the Flameshot binary was built with
  • the config and if there is any issues detected with it when reading it and if it falls back to any defaults
  • the CLI argument that was passed to the Flameshot binary
  • the dbus messages sent and received

Design suggestion

  • One simple CLI flags: --log which it send to stdout if no file is defined, or if path is defined writes it into files.
  • if writing to files, it would be better if it can write one file per any of the item in the previous list and also incorporates a uniform epoch in the file names in case user runs Flameshot multiple times.

Contributor guide

Research direction
Research how to add a log CLI flag that enables verbose logging to stdout or a file. Look into existing logging frameworks (e.g., spdlog) and how to capture system info, build flags, config, CLI args, and DBus messages. Implement a logging module that writes one file per category with epoch timestamps.
Tech stack
cpp
Domain
desktop
Issue type
Feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
3-5 days
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
Active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Clear
Prerequisites
C++
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
60