[Pidgin] #9482: Include dates in logs, or restart logs daily at midnight (was: Include dates in logs)

[Pidgin]

#9482: Include dates in logs, or restart logs daily at midnight
-----------------------------------+----------------------------------------
 Reporter:  macnewbold             |        Owner:  rekkanoryo  
     Type:  enhancement            |       Status:  pending     
Milestone:                         |    Component:  unclassified
  Version:  2.5.7                  |   Resolution:              
 Keywords:  logs dates timestamps  |  
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Changes (by macnewbold):

  * status:  pending => new


Old description:

> When a conversation or chat is open across one or more date boundaries,
> the log file becomes hard to use, because one can no longer easily tell
> which date the logged time refers to. For example, I frequently leave IRC
> chats, and even some IM conversations, open for days or weeks at a time,
> and the only date stored in my logs is the date that the
> conversation/chat was originally opened.
>
> While possible to put the date on every line next to the time, I think it
> would be preferable to show the current date every time a new entry is
> from a different day than the previous entry. Or perhaps it might be more
> simple to output the current date to every open log file at midnight each
> day. That would accomplish roughly the same thing, the only difference
> being that it would show a date in the log even if there was no activity
> during that day.

New description:

 When a conversation or chat is open across one or more date boundaries,
 the log file becomes hard to use, because one can no longer easily tell
 which date the logged time refers to. For example, I frequently leave IRC
 chats, and even some IM conversations, open for days or weeks at a time,
 and the only date stored in my logs is the date that the conversation/chat
 was originally opened.

 While possible to put the date on every line next to the time, I think it
 would be preferable to show the current date every time a new entry is
 from a different day than the previous entry. Or perhaps it might be more
 simple to output the current date to every open log file at midnight each
 day. That would accomplish roughly the same thing, the only difference
 being that it would show a date in the log even if there was no activity
 during that day.

 Another possibility is that any open log files should be closed at
 midnight and reopen a new log each day. Then the view/search logs features
 could show the logs by the actual day the message was sent, rather than
 just the day that log file was opened.

--

Comment:

 I confirmed this morning that the plugin "IRSSI Features" does indeed
 _display_ the day change, but does _not_ log the day change message.

 I don't much care whether this feature request becomes a part of that
 plugin or gets implemented in the core or something else, but I still
 would like to see it happen. All the log entries have times, but without
 knowing what date they're for, it gets a little confusing sometimes.

 Another possibility here is that by logging date on every message is that
 the view/search logs features could show the logs by the day the message
 was sent, rather than just the day that log file was opened.

 Another possibility that I would like just fine, and maybe even better
 than what I thought I wanted, is that any open log files should be closed
 at midnight and reopen a new log each day.

-- 
Ticket URL: <http://developer.pidgin.im/ticket/9482#comment:9>
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