How to create a detailed log when executing Process Plans (or Profiles, Checks or Fixups)
Especially when creating a Process Plan, it can become necessary to inspect intermediate results (such as PDF files in their state in the middle of a Process Plan's processing steps and preferably some details about each step in the form of a log file or similar). This can help to understand and to optimize the configuration of the steps in a Process Plan and their inner workings as a whole.
Note: This logging feature is not only available for Process Plans, but also for Profiles, Checks, and Fixups.
Activate logging
To activate logging, just click within one of the three sections of the Profile window on the flyout menu button in the upper right corner (1).
Select the entry "Log Profile Execution" (1).
This option activates the logging of the execution of any Process Plans, Profiles, Checks and Fixups.
A check mark ("✓") in front of the menu item indicates that logging is active.
Deactivate logging
In order to deactivate logging, simply execute the menu item again (1). The check mark ("✓") will then disappear from the menu item (2).
Execute a Process Plan (or Profile, Check or Fixup)
Execute a Process Plan (or a Profile, Check, or Fixup).
Explore folder with logging information
After processing the PDF, a window will open in Finder (on Mac OS X) or in the Explorer (on Windows), revealing a folder (having a time stamp at the start of its name) with all the logging data and associated files inside it.
Structure of the files subfolders in the logging folder
This folder will contain files and subfolders:
- folders with intermediate results (if applicable) for each step in a Process Plan (Profiles, Checks and Fixups only will have one such step) in a folder;
- the subfolder's name will consist of sequence number and step number in square brackets, followed by the name of the step (or the name of the Profile, Check, or Fixup);
- the subfolder will also contain the profile, check or fixup associated with the respective Process Plan step as a "kfpx" file
- the original file (in this example "Adv_callas_v2_final.pdf")
- logging information in a file named "process.log"
- a "kfpx" file with the whole Process Plan (or Profile, Check or Fixup) that was just executed
The contents of the "process.log" would contain information like shown in the example below:
2016-10-25 23:38:55 Check for non-CMYK color, create a report, convert to CMYK (ISO Coated v2) and flatten transparency
2016-10-25 23:38:55 Input /Users/olaf/TEMP-DELETE/Adv_callas_v2_final.pdf
2016-10-25 23:38:55 Starting with step 1
2016-10-25 23:38:55 [1-1] Object uses non-CMYK color
2016-10-25 23:38:55 Result No hits
2016-10-25 23:38:55 Continuing with step 2
2016-10-25 23:38:55 [2-2] Convert color to ISO Coated v2 (ECI) (convert spot colors to CMYK)
2016-10-25 23:39:04 Result Success
2016-10-25 23:39:04 Modified /Users/olaf/TEMP-DELETE/Adv_callas_v2_final - output.pdf
2016-10-25 23:39:04 Continuing with step 3
2016-10-25 23:39:04 [3-3] Flatten transparency (medium resolution)
2016-10-25 23:39:05 Result Success
2016-10-25 23:39:05 Modified /Users/olaf/TEMP-DELETE/Adv_callas_v2_final - output.pdf
2016-10-25 23:39:05 TerminatingNote w.r.t. Sifter Checks/Profiles: When "Log profile execution" is active, a report is written for each sifter check to the step folder in a sub folder with the name "Sifter" during profile execution (subfolders shown below as an example).
Sending the logging information for support cases
When requesting support from the callas support team, you might get asked to send the complete logging package.
This will help us to determine how processing was executed on your computer, and why something may not be working as expected. For easy and safe transfer please compress the entire folder into a ZIP archive by clicking the right mouse button after selecting the respective folder:
- Mac OS X: "Compress..."
- Windows: "Send to..." - "ZIP compressed folder"
