Debug-logging Releases

It is the nature of beta releases that they contain bugs. If you do encounter a problem with a beta, then the debug-logging release of SpamPal may be useful in collecting more information. There is a price for this however; debug-logging versions run much slower than normal SpamPal betas.

For the more rare occaisions when a bug is found in a full release of SpamPal, a debug-logging version of the latest full release is also available.

You can obtain the SpamPal debug-logging release from here:

• Latest full release (debug-logging version) (installer)
• Latest full release (debug-logging version) (binaries only)
• Latest beta release (debug-logging version) (installer)
• Latest beta release (debug-logging version) (binaries only)

Download and install it as normal. Thereafter, every time SpamPal starts up it'll create a new sub-folder under C:\SpamPalDebug, named for the date and time. Each of these folders will the following several debugging logfile:

• debug.log - just one of these. It's a step-by-step log of what SpamPal does, and is most useful to me when tracking down crashes.

The release version also creates the following logfiles (they have been removed from the beta as reecnt betas of SpamPal since v1.697 can create equivalent files by activating the "Protocol Logs" option in the "Advanced" area of the options window):

• pop3-<num>-client.log - a full capture of the communications between SpamPal and a POP3 mail client; one logfile for each POP3 transaction.
• pop3-<num>-server.log - a full capture of the communications between SpamPal and a POP3 mail server; one logfile for each POP3 transaction.
• imap4-<num>-client.log - a full capture of the communications between SpamPal and a IMAP4 mail client; one logfile for each IMAP4 transaction.
• imap4-<num>-server.log - a full capture of the communications between SpamPal and a IMAP4 mail server; one logfile for each IMAP4 transaction.
• smtp-<num>-client.log - a full capture of the communications between SpamPal and a SMTP mail client; one logfile for each SMTP transaction.
• smtp-<num>-server.log - a full capture of the communications between SpamPal and a SMTP mail server; one logfile for each SMTP transaction.

These files may be rather large. It is your own responsibility to periodically clean out the C:\SpamPalDebug directory, deleting old files that are no longer relevent. SpamPal will not do this for you!

If you want the debugging files placed somewhere other than C:\SpamPalDebug you can specify an alternative location using the -debug_dir command-line argument, e.g.:

spampal.exe -debug_dir E:\tempfiles\spampal\debug

In the beta-releases, you can also change this setting (along with several others) from the "Debugging registry keys" dialog, available from the tray menu.

Generally, you'll download and run a debug-logging version because I've asked you to do so to help track down some problem or other. But you're free to run it for other reasons too, if you like. All I ask is you don't send me copies of any of the logfiles unsolicited - copy the relevent files into another folder somewhere, drop me a mail to let me know you've got them, and only send them if I ask for them.

debug.log will not contain your password; the other logfiles probably will contain your password and other personal information. You will almost certainly want to load them into Notepad and remove private details before sending them to me.

Thanks.