Log Files

While Xic is running, various log files are produced. These files contain a record of operations and errors, which may be useful for debugging purposes. Ordinarily, though, many of the log files are rarely used, and these files are stored in a temporary directory which is removed when Xic exits normally. Other log files, such as DRC error reports, are saved in the current directory and are not removed on exit.

Below is a listing of the log files that are saved in a temporary directory. The files in this directory can be browsed from within Xic with the Log Files button in the Help Menu. In addition, a button in the error pop-up allows the xic_error.log to be viewed.

The Logging Options panel from the Logging button in the Help Menu selects whether or not certain operations are logged, such as those done during extraction. This will optionally produce additional log files not listed below.

xic_run.log
This file contains a listing of key press/release and mouse button press/release events, in a format which can be understood as script instructions. Although presently this feature in incomplete, the instructions can be used to ``play back'' the current session by executing the log file as a script. The file is limited in size to about 100Kb, at which point the file is given a ``.0'' extension and a new file is started. If Xic should ever crash or otherwise misbehave, the current xic_run.log should be included with the bug report sent to Whiteley Research. This will greatly help in tracking down the problem.

xic_error.log
This file contains a list of error messages generated during the session. The previous 20 errors are displayed in the error pop-up window in Xic, but the xic_error.log file retains a complete record. This file may also be of use in diagnosing problems within Xic, and should be included with the bug report if it contains an entry relevant to the problem.

xic_mem_errors.log
This file, used under Unix/Linux only, is generated or appended to if memory corruption is detected. If this file exists when Xic exits, it will be emailed to Whiteley Research (by default). However, if either XICNOMAIL or XTNOMAIL is set in the environment, the file will instead be moved to the current directory, and a message will be printed requesting that the user mail it to Whiteley Research. Memory corruption should never occur, and this file contains stack trace information that will help identify the problem.

$\parbox{4in}{\tt read\_cgx.log\\ read\_cif.log\\ read\_gds.log\\ read\_oas.log\\ read\_native.log}$
These files contain messages emitted when a file is read into Xic for editing. The file name generated depends on the type of file read.

$\parbox{4in}{\tt write\_cgx.log\\ write\_cif.log\\ write\_gds.log\\ write\_oas.log\\ write\_native.log}$
These files contain messages emitted when a file is written to disk. The file name generated depends on the type of file written.

$\parbox{4in}{\tt convert\_cgx.log\\ convert\_cif.log\\ convert\_gds.log\\ convert\_oas.log\\ convert\_native.log}$
These files contain messages emitted when a file is converted directly to another format through the commands in the Convert Menu.

The size of the log files that grow progressively as Xic is running are size-limited to about 100Kb. If the file exceeds this size, the file is moved to the same name with a ``.0'' extension, and the original log file is reopened. Thus, a maximum of 200Kb per log of information is retained.

The environment variable XIC_LOGDIR can be set to an existing directory that will be used to store the log files. The log files will be placed in a directory

logdir/xic.pid

where logdir is the first defined of the environment variables XIC_LOGDIR, XIC_TMP_DIR, TMPDIR, or defaults to ``/tmp''. The pid is the process id of the Xic process. This directory is created when Xic starts, and is deleted when Xic terminates normally. If Xic terminates abnormally, the log files will still be around for inspection. If a user needs to look at a log file after running Xic, the file must be copied to another location before exiting Xic. The !logfiles command can be used to read logfiles from within Xic.

This mechanism lets multiple copies of Xic run on the same machine from any directory, and minimizes the pollution of the file system and in particular the current directory with a lot of generally unused log files.