Java Logging

ava Logging

If the Ultimate Button Bar applet encounters an error or detects a potential problem, it will write a message to the Java console or the Java log. This information can be invaluable for finding errors that might prevent the Ultimate Button Bar applet from functioning as expected.

For instance, if you misspell the name of an image file, or if you forget to upload an image file that your button bar is configured to use, the Ultimate Button Bar will report these errors to the console or log.

Different browsers log messages generated by the Ultimate Button Bar applet in different ways. A description of how Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer log messages is provided below.

etscape Navigator

Netscape Navigator logs Java messages to a "Java Console" window.

If you are using Navigator 3, then you can display the Java Console by selecting the "Show Java Console" menu item from the "Options" menu. The Navigator 3 "Options" menu and Java Console window is shown below:

To display the Java Console using Netscape Communicator (a.k.a. Navigator 4), select the "Java Console" menu item from the "Communicator" menu as shown below:

icrosoft Internet Explorer

Microsoft Internet Explorer does not have the capability of displaying messages in a console window as does Netscape Navigator, but Internet Explorer can create a text file that contains messages logged by Java applets.

The log file that Internet Explorer creates is named "javalog.txt." If you are using Windows 95 or NT, the log file will most likely be found in the default directory "C:\WINDOWS\JAVA\" (i.e., the complete file path and name would be "C:\WINDOWS\JAVA\javalog.txt").

It is important to note that before Internet Explorer will create a Java Log text file, Java Logging must be enabled in the browser's options.

If you are using version 3 of Internet Explorer, then you can enable Java Logging by selecting the "Options" menu item from the "View" menu. When the "Options" dialog window is displayed, select the "Advanced" tab then click the "Enable Java Logging" checkbox. After enabling Java Logging, you will need to shut down your browser and restart it before the logging change will take effect.

To enable Java Logging in Microsoft Internet Explorer 4, start by selecting the "Options" menu item from the "View" menu. When the "Options" dialog window is displayed, select the "Advanced" tab, then scroll through the list of advanced options until you see a section labeled "Java VM." One of the options under the "Java VM" section heading is titled "Java logging enabled." Make sure that there is checkmark in the option's checkbox. If there is not, then click the checkbox to enable the option.

Once you have enabled Java Logging in Internet Explorer, you can view any messages logged by an applet by opening the log text file (e.g., "C:\WINDOWS\JAVA\javalog.txt") using a text editor, such as the "Notepad" accessory included with Windows 95 and NT.