At first glance, Lasernet logs may appear somewhat confusing, especially if you have not been exposed to log files before. However, with some basic guidance, it is possible to quickly navigate a log file and find the information you need. This article will help users navigate Lasernet log files.

Viewing the logs

Lasernet log files can be viewed in real-time by using the Lasernet Monitor and connecting to the server and port Lasernet is currently running on. Alternatively, the .lnlog files can be read directly, using your tool of choice.

Lasernet log files can be located using this FAQ article Where can I find the Lasernet logs?

Understanding the logs

The logs have a number of columns separated by a semicolon to allow for easy parsing using the Lasernet Monitor or a custom syntax highlighter. When viewing the logs directly in a text editor tool there are eight columns in total, each used for a specific piece of data:

1. Server Name

2. Date and Time

3. Module Name

4. Type ID of message, some examples are:

   • 0 – Starting/Stopping Service Details

   • 1 – Uploading Build

   • 2 – Licence Details

   • 10 – Normal processing

   • 11 – Running Script

   • 12 – Creating a Jobinfo

5. Thread ID

6. Not relevant

7. JobID

8. Message

Identification of these columns makes it possible to start tracing jobs through the system, using the modules and module name columns to identify the location of data and the system status. 

At the end of each Module in Lasernet there should be a message similar to the one below:

Passing job TECH018_FILE_INPUT_7805F9D3_6839_4BB0_A9A1_11CEF70DFD54 to XML Transformer 1

This indicates that the job with JobID TECH018_FILE_INPUT_7805F9D3_6839_4BB0_A9A1_11CEF70DFD54 is getting passed to a module called “XML Transfomer 1”. At this point, the JobID of the job gets changed but the Thread ID stays the same to allow for the job to be followed through Lasernet.

Additional Logging

Scripts can be used within the Lasernet build to print information into the log file. An example has been provided below:

logger.LogEvent(123,"Logging Message Here " + job.getJobInfo("jobinfoName"));

After this script has been executed in Lasernet, “Logging Message Here ” will be printed out, along with the value contained in the jobinfo “jobinfoname” and the message will have the Type ID 123.

It is important to remember that Type ID values < 100 are reserved for the Lasernet service. However, it is possible to use any other numbers as well as modifying the second argument of the function to contain any information wanted.

Errors in the logs

The logs can show a number of different errors. When viewed in the Lasernet Monitor, errors are shown with red text and an error type tag.

TECH018_FILE_INPUT_7805F9D3_6839_4BB0_A9A1_11CEF70DFD54;Failed job
TECH018_FILE_INPUT_7805F9D3_6839_4BB0_A9A1_11CEF70DFD54 (Failed to pass 
job(TECH018_FILE_INPUT_7805F9D3_6839_4BB0_A9A1_11CEF70DFD54): Destination PDFEngine not found)

The error above shows that the job with the JobID of TECH018_FILE_INPUT_7805F9D3_6839_4BB0_A9A1_11CEF70DFD54 failed because the destination “PDFEngine” was not found. This can be caused by the destination name being misspelled or a module being removed without making changes to all the other modules that point to it.

Another common error is incorrect permissions set on output folders. These are shown in the logs as:

Could not write to file C:\temp\NoPerms\test.txt - failing job