RPG Maker Forums

Introduction
Getting error information from players sometimes seems harder than pulling teeth, but it doesn't have to! ConsoleTrace is a small, light-weight utility that will write a log of console output to a file to create a log for deployed games. Instead of giving players access to the powerful developer console and trying to guide them through it, you can have them send you a file - a process most people are used to!

Features
ConsoleTrace works completely in the background once you configure it (and it works out of the box, too!). Simply set the types of messages you'd like to save, the file you want it to write to, and whether or not the log should be cleared at the launch of the game, and you're all set to go!

Screenshots
An error message seen in the console vs seen in the generated log file.

How to Use
The plugin can be installed and used right away! Place it in your plugins folder, and add it through the plugin manager. Changing options is purely optional, but you may want to change the log level to include more information for extended debugging purposes.

Download
The script is available from github. Right click and select "Save file as..." (or your browser equivalent) on the "Raw" button to download the file directly, or just copy all the code and place it in a file in your plugins directory. The plugin will find its parameters regardless of filename.

FAQ
Q: Can I use this in my commercial project?
A: ConsoleTrace is licensed under the MIT license, which allows use for commercial and non-commercial projects, as long as credit is provided.

Q: I can't find my logs!
A: What version of MV are you using? 1.5.1 and below place the log in the same folder as Game.exe, so if you're playtesting, this is where MV is installed, in the nwjs-platform folder, where platform is what operating system you use.

If you're using 1.6.0 or above, the logs should be placed in the same folder as your Game.rpgproject file, and all the data to your plugin, which is easier to find.

Q: I have an idea for something to add to ConsoleTrace.
A: I'm open to receiving feedback and new ideas on my plugins. Please PM me on the forums with your idea.

Credit and Thanks
- Zalerinian

Author's Notes
ConsoleTrace is a very light plugin. It uses asynchronous calls to write data to the log file, and uses a queue system that prevents it from making excessive allocation. There should be very little to no affect on performance by using this plugin.

Also, please note that logs will not appear correctly when viewed through the standard Notepad program in windows. Please view files in NotePad++, Sublime Text, Atom, Visual Studio Code, or basically any other text editor ever made.