711723 - refine position of timestamp in the Error console

Status: RESOLVED FIXED

(Toolkit Graveyard :: Error Console, defect)

Description

[:aceman]

Followup to bug 122213.
In that bug, time and date of an error displayed in Error console was added in a separate line above the message text.

In this bug it should be decided whether that design is good enough or any better position can be found.

Comment 1

[David E. Ross]

One consideration would be to format each entry so that it could readily be inserted into a spreadsheet for analysis.  No, it does not have to be suitable for a direct paste.  

It could instead be easily formatted into a single row of a word-processer application's (e.g., Word) table; then that row could be copied and pasted into a spreadsheet.  That would require standardized separator characters (e.g., colons), standardized positioning of the date-time stamp, and consistent placement of the entry type (i.e., Error, Warning, Message).  Note that the entry type does NOT appear in the copied entry for all types; it seems to appear only for Error.

Comment 2

[:aceman]

There were also comments in bug 122213 that the date display would not be necessary, that time should suffice. But there were opinions against this (for long running sessions).

Comment 3

[:aceman]

(In reply to David E. Ross from comment #1)
... placement of the entry type (i.e., Error, Warning, Message). 
> Note that the entry type does NOT appear in the copied entry for all types;
> it seems to appear only for Error.

It seems the Entry type is only displayed as text in the Error console on Mac OS X. But it should be copied into clipboard on all platforms. Only the Message type does not have this prefix when copied. Can you find an example where this is not the case on your system?

Comment 4

[Philip Chee]

For consistency, Console2 prefixes all types when rows are copied to the clipboard. However Message types do not have timestamps which makes parsing into spreadsheets slightly more complicated. However a simple spreadsheet macro should take care of this.

Comment 5

[Philip Chee]

> For consistency, Console2 prefixes all types 
Err except for Messages. e.g.

Mon Dec 19 2011 18:26:42
Warning: Use of getAttributeNodeNS() is deprecated. Use getAttributeNS() instead.
Source file: chrome://navigator/content/navigator.xul
 ----------
Mon Dec 19 2011 18:26:42
Error: Couldn't get browser.startup.homepage.1 pref: [Exception... "Component returned failure code: 0x8000ffff (NS_ERROR_UNEXPECTED) [nsIPrefBranch2.getComplexValue]"  nsresult: "0x8000ffff (NS_ERROR_UNEXPECTED)"  location: "JS frame :: chrome://communicator/content/utilityOverlay.js :: GetLocalizedStringPref :: line 194"  data: no]
Source file: chrome://communicator/content/utilityOverlay.js
Line: 196
 ----------
No chrome package registered for chrome://browser/skin/browser.css
 ----------
Mon Dec 19 2011 18:26:41
Warning: Warning: Ignoring obsolete chrome registration modifier 'xpcnativewrappers=no'.
Source file: jar:file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/philip/Application%20Data/Mozilla/Profiles/TestSR22/extensions/[e-mail]!/chrome.manifest
Line: 24

Comment 6

[Philip Chee]

Attachment: Screenshot of Console2 v0.9

Suggested placement of timestamp in the error console.

Comment 7

[:aceman]

(In reply to Philip Chee from comment #4)
> For consistency, Console2 prefixes all types when rows are copied to the clipboard. Err except for Messages. e.g.

It seems to me this is also the case for the built-in console.

(In reply to Philip Chee from comment #6)
> Created attachment 582776 [details]
> Screenshot of Console2 v0.9
> 
> Suggested placement of timestamp in the error console.

Yes, this would be nice. But whatever I did in the xml file, I couldn't make the timestamp appear there (actually any other place than the separate first line). So I leave this bug to somebody more knowledgeable. Maybe you could transplant your code for this from Console2 to the built-in one?

Comment 8

[David E. Ross]

Re comment #3:

SeaMonkey 2.6 (build ID: 20111217091431, file version: 9.0.0.4368) [just installed this morning]

If I copy a Message and paste it to an ASCII editor, there is no "Message" entry-type.  I do get "Error" and "Warning" entry-types when I do this for Errors and Warnings.  All three entry-types should have a single, consistent format that is easily parsed if Error Console entries are to be analyzed by software.

Comment 9

[Philip Chee]

> If I copy a Message and paste it to an ASCII editor, there is no "Message"
> entry-type.  I do get "Error" and "Warning" entry-types when I do this for Errors and
> Warnings.  All three entry-types should have a single, consistent format that is
> easily parsed if Error Console entries are to be analyzed by software.
Please file a new bug on this issue. Thanks.

Comment 10

[:aceman]

Yes, file that as a new bug and set me as assignee. I think I can patch that.

Comment 11

[:aceman]

It was probably left out intentionally, but we can try it, if you present that use case in the description.

Comment 12

[David E. Ross]

See bug #713398.

Comment 13

[Alex Limi (:limi) — Firefox UX Team]

The UX team has no particular input here, removing uiwanted. (Let me know if this is used differently in other components!)

Comment 14

[:aceman]

OK, I've learned XUL a bit more and I am now able to place the timestamp to the left and on the same line as the message (So that it does not take a line by itself, which was a waste). The same way as Console2 does.

Comment 15

[:aceman]

Attachment: patch

Comment 16

[:Gavin Sharp [email: [e-mail]]]

Comment on attachment 669705 [details] [diff] [review]
patch

This doesn't need ui-review, the console is no longer enabled by default in Firefox (bug 602006), and this is a simple enough change anyways.

Comment 17

[[e-mail]]

Comment on attachment 669705 [details] [diff] [review]
patch

>+          <xul:hbox flex="1">
>+            <xul:hbox class="console-row-msg" align="start" flex="1">
>+              <xul:label class="label" xbl:inherits="value=typetext"/>
>+              <xul:description class="console-error-msg" xbl:inherits="xbl:text=msg" flex="1"/>
>+            </xul:hbox>
>+            <xul:label class="label console-row-time" xbl:inherits="value=time"/>
>+          </xul:hbox>
I don't think the console-row-time class makes sense any more. Also instead of introducing an extra box (with unnecessary flex) I think you should just put the label inside the existing box and tweak the themes to avoid hiding it.

Comment 18

[:aceman]

Attachment: patch v2

Like this? Somebody please test the Mac theme, it is a bit different.

Comment 19

[[e-mail]]

Comment on attachment 670081 [details] [diff] [review]
patch v2

I don't have a Mac but the pinstripe changes look sane to me.

Comment 20

[:aceman]

Comment on attachment 670081 [details] [diff] [review]
patch v2

Bwinton, I know you are not a toolkit reviewer but could you please check out the Error console theme on Mac? The intention is for the timestamp to not be bold as on the other themes.
And this does affect Thunderbird ;)

Comment 21

[Blake Winton (:bwinton) (:☕️)]

Comment on attachment 670081 [details] [diff] [review]
patch v2

Seems fine to me, for whatever that's worth.  ;)

Screenshot at https://dl.dropbox.com/u/2301433/Screenshots/ErrorConsole.png

Later,
Blake.

Comment 22

[Ryan VanderMeulen [:RyanVM]]

https://hg.mozilla.org/integration/mozilla-inbound/rev/f31e2370284e

Comment 23

[Ed Morley [:emorley]]

https://hg.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/rev/f31e2370284e