Opening Existing Log Files

Using TraceView To Open An Existing Log File

TraceView can be started by running it from the command-line with no options, or double clicking its icon in Windows Explorer. A new trace logging session may be started by selecting "File" and then "Create New Log Session". Alternatively, right clicking any blank area of the Log Session window causes a pop-up menu to appear from which appropriate action can be selected.

Selecting “Open Existing Log File” pops up the Log File Selection window. The ‘Log File Name’ edit box is where the name of the log file (.etl file) to be opened is specified. The box is initially blank, as no log file is specified. The other options let the user specify whether or not to create listing and/or summary output files, and to name those files.

The ‘…’ button to the right of the ‘Log File Name’ edit box is a browse button that brings up a file open dialog allowing the user to browse the system for the appropriate log file as shown below:

Clicking the ‘Open’ button will cause TraceView to open the log file for reading. The log file must exist, and a warning will be displayed if it does not. Once a valid log file is selected, and the ‘Open’ button selected, the Log File Selection window is updated with the new log file name:

Click the ‘OK’ button to bring up the Format Information Setup window.

Two options are available for providing trace event format information to TraceView.

1.) A PDB file which contains the format GUID information internally.

2.) TMF file(s) which have the format GUID information for the trace events.

A PDB file can be entered directly into the PDB edit box in the window above, or the ‘…’ button can be used to browse for a suitable PDB file. If a valid PDB file is selected, the previously specified log file is opened and the trace event data displayed:

Notice that the ‘State’ column in the Trace Log Session List window shows the session as ‘Existing’. This is always the state of an existing log file opened in TraceView.

If the user selected the TMF file(s) option back in the Format Information Setup window, then when the ‘OK’ button is clicked, the Format Information Source Select window appears.

The TMF location can be specified in two ways. Either the TMF files can be specified directly, or a TMF path can be specified which tells TraceView the location of the files, but lets TraceView determine which files at that location are needed. If the ‘Select TMF Files’ radio button is selected, and the user subsequently clicks ‘OK’, the following Trace Format Information Setup window is displayed:

The ‘Trace Format and Display Information’ list control lists all TMF files selected for the given log file. The list is blank in the screenshot above as no TMF files have been selected. To add a TMF file or files to the list the user clicks the ‘Add’ button and a file open dialog appears:

Multiple TMF files can be selected from this dialog. Whenever all files have been selected, clicking ‘Open’ returns back to the previous window. The window is updated with the new TMF information:

Once all desired TMFs have been listed clicking ‘Done’ causes TraceView to open the log file and display the trace event data.

If the user specifed the ‘Set TMF Search Path’ option in the Format Information Source Select window, then the Select Directory window would appear when ‘OK’ is clicked:

This window allows the user to select the path to the TMF file(s). Only one path can be used for a given log file. When ‘OK’ is clicked from this window, TraceView will open the log file and display the trace event information.

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