README.debug-levels

Date: Wed, 22 Dec 1999 13:46:30 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: Debug Levels
From: Robert de Bath <rdebath@poboxes.com>

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Level 0
   Errors and states that cause a significant change in program flow.  
   => Anything that causes a Discon+Retry or a "giveup" message.

Level 1
   Important or inaccessible state information.
   => Connection start, Idle disconnection.

Level 2
   Rare things that cause a minor program flow adjustment.
   => No REST, No PASV, etc.

Level 3
   Errors and useful messages that are slightly too verbose or common
   for 0-2 or don't quite fit in the classifications.
   => Login banner

Level 4
   All remote responses or major results. (Trace results)
   => All "999 Xyzzy" responses received.

Level 5
   All remote commands or major tasks. (Trace jobs)
   => All commands sent to server.

Level 6
   General information that will not be too verbose but is normally a
   little less important. (Trace state)

Level 7
   Similar to level 3 but verbose or not as useful.

Level 8
   Very verbose information that'll probably be useful sometime.

Level 9
   Anything and everything else, debugs that probably won't be useful
   ever again.                                            (unclassified)
   
Notes:
   If the programmer doesn't set the debug level this is not an important
   debug message or is only important right now.
   => default debug level == 9

   If something fits in one of the lower levels but is very verbose
   it should nevertheless be moved upto level 3 or levels 7-9.
   (Possibly leaving a single line 'oops' at the lower level)

   The general idea is that debug levels 0-3 should not scroll too fast
   to read and nothing below level 7 should be much more verbose than 
   levels 4 or 5. 

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