SwissSys Logging System

SwissSys automatically logs diagnostic information to help troubleshoot issues. Starting in version 11.76, logging is enabled by default and runs quietly in the background. You likely won’t notice it during normal use, but the logs are there if you need them.

Accessing Logging Settings

Open the Logging Settings dialog from the Help menu:

Help → Logging Settings…

This dialog has two main tabs: General Logging (for configuring log behavior) and Submit to Support (for uploading logs when needed).

General Logging Settings

The General Logging tab contains the main logging options:

Logging Settings dialog showing the General Logging tab

Log Levels

SwissSys offers three logging levels for capturing different amounts of detail:

Normal – Default level. Captures standard diagnostic information with minimal impact on performance.
Debug – A middle level between Normal and Verbose. Captures more detail; use this if the support team requests additional info beyond Normal.
Verbose Debug – The highest detail. Use this when reproducing a tricky bug that you intend to send to support. It captures very granular details to help track down hard-to-reproduce issues.

Higher levels (Debug/Verbose) may produce larger log files and slightly slow operations, so use them primarily when troubleshooting.

Basic Settings

Enable Logging – Master switch to turn logging on or off. (Logging is enabled by default in v11.76.)
Log File Path – Shows where the log files are stored on your computer. Click Browse to change the location if needed.
Max Log File Size – The maximum size for each log file (default: 9 MB). When a log reaches this size, SwissSys will start a new log file (old logs are preserved up to a point).

Actions (General Tab)

View Log File – Opens the current log file in a text viewer so you can read the latest log entries.
Clear Log – Erases the current log file’s content. Useful if you want to start fresh when reproducing an issue.
Reset to Defaults – Restores all logging settings to their default values (including log level and file size).

Submitting Logs to Support

If you encounter a bug or issue, you can easily submit your logs to our support team. This helps us diagnose the problem quickly.

Typically, you should switch to the Verbose Debug level before reproducing an issue you plan to submit, so that the logs capture as much detail as possible.

Here’s how to submit your logs:

Enable Verbose Logging: In the Logging Settings dialog (General tab), select Verbose Debug level.
Reproduce the Problem: Perform the actions in SwissSys that led to the issue/error, so that detailed information is logged.
Open Submit Tab: Switch to the Submit to Support tab in the Logging Settings dialog.
Fill Out the Form: Provide details and send logs (see below).

Submit to Support Tab

Submit to Support tab with upload button

On the Submit to Support tab, click Upload Logs to Support to open the submission form.

Submission Form

Submit Debug Logs to Support form with email and description fields

When you click upload, a form appears with a few fields:

Email Address – Your contact email. If you’re logged into ChessRoster within SwissSys, this will auto-fill with your ChessRoster account email. Otherwise, enter a valid email so our support team can reach you.
Problem Description – A text box to describe what happened. Include as much detail as possible: what you were doing, what went wrong, and any error messages. (Minimum 5 characters required.)

After filling in the form, click Submit Logs to securely upload the log package to our support servers.

When you submit logs, SwissSys attaches your tournament data along with diagnostic information. This helps us understand exactly what led to the issue and replicate it if necessary.

What Happens After Submission?

Once you submit your logs, our technical support team will receive the data. They will review the logs and your description. If we need more details or once we identify a solution, we’ll reach out to you at the email you provided.

You should get an on-screen confirmation in SwissSys that the upload succeeded. If the upload fails (e.g., no internet connection), an error will be shown and you can try again later.

Automatic Error Handling and Log Prompt

SwissSys also has a global error catcher. If an unexpected error or crash occurs, SwissSys will display a prompt encouraging you to submit logs on the spot. This makes it easy to report issues without navigating the menus.

Automatic Error Detection

When SwissSys encounters an unexpected error (e.g., an unhandled exception or a serious program fault), it will:

Log detailed error information automatically in the background.
Show you an error dialog with a message and an Error Code (e.g., “APP-UNHANDLED-001”) for reference.
Prompt you to submit logs to support.

Example error message:

Error dialog prompting to submit diagnostic logs

If you see a dialog like this, it’s SwissSys catching something that went wrong.

How to Submit Error Logs

Step 1: Click Yes on the Error Dialog

When prompted with “Would you like to submit logs…?”, click Yes to proceed. (If you click No, no logs will be sent and you can continue using SwissSys.)

Step 2: Provide Your Email

If you are not already logged in to ChessRoster (so we have your email), you’ll be asked to enter a valid email address for contact. This ensures the support team can follow up if needed.

Step 3: Describe the Problem

A mini version of the submission form will ask for a brief description of what you were doing when the error occurred. Please provide a few sentences – this context helps us immensely.

Step 4: Submit the Logs

Click the Submit Logs button. SwissSys will package the diagnostics (log + tournament file + system info) and upload it via a secure HTTPS connection.

Step 5: Confirmation

After a successful upload, you’ll see a confirmation message. Our support team now has your logs and info. We may reach out via email if additional information is needed.

What Information Is Included in a Log Upload?

When you upload logs (whether through the Logging Settings or an error prompt), SwissSys bundles the following:

Files Uploaded:

The current SwissSys.log file (up to the last 10 MB of data).
Your tournament file (.sjson) if a tournament is open, to provide context (player names, pairings, etc.).
Basic system information (your Windows version, SwissSys version/build).

Personal Information Included:

Tournament data: Player names, ratings, player IDs, pairings, results (because this is part of the tournament file and logs).
Your email address (the one you provide in the form or via ChessRoster login).
Your computer name and a hardware fingerprint (an anonymized ID to help us differentiate senders).

Personal Information NOT Included:

Passwords or license keys (SwissSys does not log these).
Payment or credit card info (not applicable to logs).
ChessRoster authentication tokens (the system filters these out for security).

User Control:

Logs are never sent automatically. You have to explicitly click a Submit or Yes button to send anything.
You can review the log file yourself (using View Log File) before deciding to send it.
You can cancel an upload at any time before final submission.

Privacy Note: Because tournament data (player names, etc.) is included in logs, do not submit logs if that is a concern (for example, in a highly sensitive event). In such cases, you can contact support directly and describe the issue without sending the data.

Database Troubleshooting – Tips for resolving common database issues (unrelated to logging, but useful if diagnosing player DB problems).
ChessRoster Integration – If you run into sync issues, those might also generate log entries; see this guide for integration troubleshooting.

SwissSys Logging System was introduced in SwissSys v11.76.