Logging

How log messages are filtered in Stride, and how to see them while working on the engine or Game Studio. For crashes, see crash-reporting.md.

Two filters

A message passes two filters before it is displayed.

The logger that emits it. Every Logger has a minimum level (ActivateLog). Below it the message is never created, so this is the cheap filter. Global loggers (GlobalLogger.GetLogger(module)) start at Info, from Logger.MinimumLevelEnabled. GlobalLogger.SetModuleLevel(module, level) sets the level of a module's logger, whether it already exists or is created later.
The listener that displays it. Every LogListener has a MinimumLevel (default Debug, so it lets everything through) and ModuleLevels, per-module overrides keyed by the message's Module. A listener can stay quiet overall while following a few modules in detail.

Both are needed: the emitter level saves the cost of messages nobody wants, the listener level lets several sinks (console, debugger, a log pane) show different amounts of the same stream.

Severity and module are metadata, so filters act on them. How much of that metadata gets printed is the formatter's choice.

Game Studio

Game Studio routes everything logged through GlobalLogger to the attached debugger's output (the VS Output pane), in Debug builds only. What reaches it is configured in %APPDATA%\stride\GameStudioSettings.conf, under the Logging keys. They are read once at startup, so a change needs a restart.

Key	Default	In the Settings dialog
`Logging/DebugOutputLevel`	`Warning`	yes, under Logging
`Logging/DebugOutputModuleLevels`	`GraphicsDevice: Debug`, `GraphicsDebug: Debug`	no, file only
`Logging/SourceModuleLevels`	`AssetBuilderService`, `EffectCompilerCache`, `Preview`, `Quantum`: `Debug`	no, file only

DebugOutputLevel is the general level of the debugger output listener. Warning by default because Info and Verbose volume, during an asset build or a NuGet restore, slows the debugger noticeably.
DebugOutputModuleLevels overrides it per module. The two graphics modules default to Debug: that is where the backends report the validation layer status and messages, and they are quiet without a debug device (/DebugEditorGraphics).
SourceModuleLevels sets the emitting level of global loggers. The defaults cover the loggers shown in the debug window (Help > Show debug window), so those pages get their full history.

The file is sparse: only what you set is written, everything else keeps its default. The two maps merge over their defaults, so one entry overrides one module and the others stay as they are. To silence a default entry, set it explicitly to a higher level.

Levels are Debug, Verbose, Info, Warning, Error, Fatal.

Examples

See Info from everything, and follow the build engine step by step:

!SettingsFile
Settings:
    Logging/DebugOutputLevel: Info
    Logging/DebugOutputModuleLevels:
        BuildStep: Debug

Keep the default Warning level but silence the graphics modules:

    Logging/DebugOutputModuleLevels:
        GraphicsDevice: Warning
        GraphicsDebug: Warning

Make a global logger emit Debug so its debug page shows everything, or so it can be followed in the debugger output:

    Logging/SourceModuleLevels:
        Preview: Debug
    Logging/DebugOutputModuleLevels:
        Preview: Debug

Both entries are needed, one per filter. The Preview logger starts at Info, so without the first its Debug calls return without creating a message, and no listener setting can show what was never emitted. Without the second, the debugger output listener drops the messages, since its general level is Warning.

Build pane

The Build pane shows what MSBuild reports for the project build, relayed with its severity and location: errors and warnings appear as file(line,col): CODE: text. The asset compiler runs with --verbose under Game Studio and its output travels as Verbose, hidden by default; turn on the Verbose toggle to see it. Its errors and warnings keep their severity, so they show in colour regardless.

Games