HOW-TO post about a XBMC for iOS problem (AKA YOU MUST POST XBMC.LOG SO WE CAN HELP)

Taking off Davilla's thread in the XBMC for Mac sub-forum, I've decided to shamelessly rip it off. If you can think of anything I missed please let me know.


Things we want from EVERY report:
Platform (eg. AppleTV2, iPhone 4, iPad, etc.)
Version of iOS/ATV (e.g. iOS 4.3 build 8F305 /w Apple TV software 4.2.2)
XBMC Build version and date compiled (See below)
Install Method (apt-get, dpkg, ssh'd and copied)
FULL Debug Log (Please use your favorite paste site! See below.) << NOT OPTIONAL! (see here for how to do this)
Detailed Instructions to Reproduce the Problem (The more specific the better.)
If your issue is a crash back to ATV2 main menu / iOS - CrashReporter and Syslog are needed too!


GUI Problems (Navigation, Finding options, Setup, Labels, etc):
Skin name

Playback Problems:
Video codec and container.
Audio codec and container.
MediaInfo output (ref frames, etc goggle mediainfo for where to obtain it for your platform, it will have info above too)
You may also need to provide a sample. (100-500mb piece of the problematic file. Make sure the sample also exhibits the same issue you post. Dropbox/mediafire/etc for hosting it)

"Latest" is a completely useless build version!
When referring to the version of something, ALWAYS be as detailed as possible. Saying you're using the latest version of something is wrong the second it is updated, and completely useless to someone looking for help on a similar problem in the future.

HOWTO FIND THE BUILD INFO:
In Confluence, the default theme, arrow down to System and right arrow. You will be presented with a 'System Info' page. Select that and you should have build e.g. Git:d538b07(Compiled on Feb 6 2011)
Also list where you got the build, self compiled, which unofficial one, xbmc official release, etc.

LOG LOCATIONS:
/private/var/mobile/Library/Preferences/xbmc.log (this is the debug log, don't forget to enable debugging)
/private/var/log/syslog (if you don't have this, apt-get install syslogd, then try to re-produce the issue)
/private/var/mobile/Library/Logs/CrashReporter (the files are called something like "AppleTV_2012-01-24-200330_Apple-TV.plist" on ATV2 - the log-aggregated ones are no CrashReporter files!)

See these wiki instructions for how to get xbmc.log. These same instructions can be adapted to get the other logs as well.

Paste any logs to your favorite paste site. If you post it, you will get thrashed.

Paste sites:
http://www.pastebin.com
http://pastebin.ubuntu.com

Examples of great trouble posts:
http://forum.xbmc.org/showpost.php?p=789...tcount=222 (excessive? maybe. super helpful? most definitely!)
(more to be added)

The debug log is a crucial piece of information when you're reporting a problem. For more information on reporting a problem, please see the HOW-TO submit a proper Bug Report topic on the Wiki. This will guide you through each step of investigating and posting the report of your problem.

Before getting your log files you should ensure that debug logging is switched on and you should then reproduce the problem. Switch debug logging on in the settings (settings -> system -> debugging -> enable debug logging), then restart xbmc, reproduce the problem, and then obtain your log files.


An easy way to upload your debug log to a paste site is through this addon:

XBMC Debug log Addon - available through the official XBMC repository for installation via the Add On manager
Note that this will only upload your xbmc.log, and will not upload the syslog or crashreporter files. You will need to use the method below to obtain these.


If you're having problems with the debug log addon mentioned above, then you can do it the old fashioned way!

In this method you pull the xbmc.log file directly off the disk, and then copy and paste the text onto pastebin.

The easiest way to get files off your ATV2 without delving into the command line is to use a SFTP program like Filezilla, or Cyberduck. Personally, I use Filezilla on Windows so this is what the description below relates to, but more info on Cyberduck transfers can be found here. The proceedure shouldn't vary that much if you're using a different OS.

Full Method:
Part 1: accessing the files on your ATV2 via Filezilla

1. Download, install and run the Filezilla Client program from the link above
2. In the boxes near the top of the Filezilla window enter the following details (here's an example of the Filezilla window for reference: link):
   
   Host: enter the IP address of your ATV2
   Username: root
   Password: alpine (this is the default, if you've changed the password then enter whatever you changed it to)
   Port: 22
3. Hit the "Quick Connect" button
4. The files and folders on your ATV2 should now be listed in the "Remote site" frames on the right-hand side.
   

For a description of how to connect with Cyberduck, see this wiki page.

Part 2: Finding and extracting the log files

1. Navigate through the folders in the "remote site" panes until you find the log files you require. The file locations for the various types of log files are:
   
   /private/var/mobile/Library/Preferences/xbmc.log
   /private/var/log/syslog
   /private/var/mobile/Library/Logs/CrashReporter
   
   You will probably only require the xbmc.log file, but the others may also be required in certain situations.
2. Once you have found the log file that you require then drag-and drop it into a location on your computer. You can either do this by dragging into a location specified in the left-hand "Local site" pane of Filezilla, or directly into an explorer window.
   

Part 3: Uploading your log to pastebin

1. Right-click the log file that is now on your computer and choose to open with a plain text editor such as Notepad.
2. Select all the text in the file and copy it to the clipboard
3. Go to Pastebin.com, or whatever your favorite paste site is
4. Paste the copied text into the text box labelled "New Paste"
5. Hit the "submit" button (just ignore the other options, they're not important)
6. If prompted to then enter the Captcha code
7. You should now be presented with a page with the text you just uploaded on it. Copy the URL from the address bar.
8. Paste the address in the post that you make on the forum
   

If you need to upload information on the particular file that you're trying to play, then use this program to gain that information:

MediaInfo

.

keith Wrote:HOWTO FIND THE BUILD INFO:
In Confluence, the default theme, arrow down to System and right arrow. You will be presented with a 'System Info' page. Select that and you should have build e.g. Git:d538b07(Compiled on Feb 6 2011)
Also list where you got the build, self compiled, which unofficial one, xbmc official release, etc.

Just wanted to add that if you can't access your ATV2 to get this info, you can simply grab the debug log (see procrastinator's post above mine here), and look at the first line in the log. It provides the same info.

In fact, since you're getting the debug log and pasting it anyway as part of your bug report (right? Right?? ), you might as well just get it that way and not bother going into your ATV2 separately to get that info.