A tutorial on creating logfiles for event-driven applications

Abstract

This paper describes the practical steps necessary to write logfiles for recording user actions in event-driven applications. Data logging has long been used as a reliable method to record all user actions, whether assessing new software or running a behavioral experiment. With the widespread introduction of event-driven software, the logfile must enable accurate recording of all the user's actions, whether with the keyboard or another input device. Logging is only an effective tool when it can accurately and consistently record all actions in a format that aids the extraction of useful information from the mass of data collected. Logfiles are often presented as one of many methods that could be used, and here a technique is proposed for the construction of logfiles for the quantitative assessment of software from the user's point of view.

Human Research and Data Collection via the Internet

“…One can also glean valuable information from an analysis of the server's log file, which keeps track of requests and submissions of files and data. See also Breinholt & Krueger (1999) and Reips (2001aReips ( , 2002b. Reips has written software that can be used to analyze log files in order to determine where in a study the participant might have dropped out, for example.…”