Forward FBTrace logs into the browser console

[janodvarko]

If the tracing console isn't available, we should display all logs created using FBTrace in the browser console.

If useful, FBTrace logs can appear in the browser console automatically, but we might want to have an option for that.

Honza

[janodvarko]

@fflorent: just ping from here. You already have an experience with FBTrace and this one could be good for you.

Honza

[fflorent]

Yep. I hope to start it this week.

Florent

[fflorent]

Beginning working on this today.

Florent

[fflorent]

Looks like it is already implemented. The option to set to true is "extensions.firebug-tracing-service.DBG_toOSConsole".

To display the logs, we have to execute jpm run with the -v option.

@janodvarko does it fit your need?

---

Note for improvements: we can use not-standard uneval function somewhere here to improve the display of objects being logged (the obj parameter in that code), because we currently just see "[object Object]" for example.

Florent

[janodvarko]

Yes, it looks like we can reuse the code (or at least get an inspiration). But note that the entire logic should be part o Firebug itself since the point of this bug is to see the tracing-logs -> if the tracing console isn't available.

Note for improvements: we can use not-standard uneval function somewhere here to improve the
display of objects being logged

Yep, I like the idea.

Honza

[fflorent]

since the point of this bug is to see the tracing-logs -> if the tracing console isn't available.

Oh, sorry, I misunderstood that!

So I see these possibilities:

• The dumps should appear while an FBTrace option (set in the "Options" tab of the trace console) is activated
• The dumps appear anyway:
  • The option browser.dom.window.dump.enabled is set to false by default
  • The performance would be damaged (a little? a lot?) if the user has set it to true
• Same as before but also testing whether extensions.firebug@software.joehewitt.com.sdk.load.command is set (no matter what the value is), so we ensure we don't damage the performance.

How about the last point?

Florent

[janodvarko]

The dumps should appear while an FBTrace option (set in the "Options" tab of the
trace console) is activated

Yes. This is what I have in mind too. A FBTrace option is just a pref and can be set manually if the Tracing Console isn't installed in the current profile. Also note that instead of Trace.sysout (conditional tracing) working only if related module option is set - we can also use FBTrace.sysout (unconditional) that works all the time.

The performance would be damaged (a little? a lot?)

Yes, this would damage the performance a lot.

extensions.firebug@software.joehewitt.com.sdk.load.command is set (no matter what
the value is), so we ensure we don't damage the performance.

I don't understand this. Where the pref comes from? Or it's new?
In any case, having one pref (option) that controls all logs doesn't sound good to me.
It's either all or nothing, meaning I don't see any logs or the performance is significantly slowed down by tracing everything.

Honza

[fflorent]

I don't understand this. Where the pref comes from? Or it's new?
In any case, having one pref (option) that controls all logs doesn't sound good to me.
It's either all or nothing, meaning I don't see any logs or the performance is significantly slowed down by tracing everything.

This pref is set to true while running firebug using jpm. So the user won't see them.

So I meant that when this option would be set to true we would log everything into the console. If dumping is damaging the performance a lot, probably this isn't the right option neither.

Florent

[janodvarko]

So I meant that when this option would be set to true we would log everything into the console.
If dumping is damaging the performance a lot, probably this isn't the right option neither.

I see and agree.

Honza

[fflorent]

How about this?

Note that it is not functional as is yet, since the options are not managed yet.
To do so, we can either:

• Reuse the existing options of the Trace Console
• Or introduce command line options and inject them into the FBTrace object.

The latter would be easier to implement, but the first would allow changing the trace preferences without restart (which can be convenient, but we don't have any interface to manage them).

Florent

[janodvarko]

Reuse the existing options of the Trace Console

Yes

Or introduce command line options and inject them into the FBTrace object.

I like that. So, that would be through args to JPM?

the first would allow changing the trace preferences without restart

Yes, through about:config (without restart: you can miss initialization trace logs)

(which can be convenient, but we don't have any interface to manage them).

The UI is the tracing console. If somebody wants better UI (than about:config)
the tracing console needs to be installed.

Honza

[fflorent]

I like that. So, that would be through args to JPM?

Actually, through firefox args, that you can pass after the --binary-args option of jpm (unless there is a way to create other jpm args).

Florent