Hello All,
I see a majority of "Debug" events within my logs, is there an option to turn these off per device or app and is there an obvious use for them?
Thank You
Matt
This depends on the specific app and driver. If you're using built-in drivers, most of them begin with debug logging enabled (e.g., right when you install the device) and then automatically turn it off 30 minutes later. It will also do this if you manually enable debug logging. They'll also print an entry in the log when it gets disabled. For comparison, most also have a separate option for "descriptionText logging" (which will show up as "info" logs and not "debug" logs), which is by default enabled and stays enabled unless you manually disable it.
Apps vary quite a bit here, and the behavior of logging isn't quite as "standardized" as that of drivers. Many stock apps have an option to either enable or disable logging (e.g., Rule Machine--ignoring Log actions you can use in rules themselves) or options to specify logging level (verbosity) or disable it entirely (e.g., Lock Code Manager). But again, there are fewer conventions here.
So, to answer your first question: yes, most devices and apps should have a way to turn these off in each device/app. But all the above describes built-in apps. It also describes, in my opinion (because it matches stock behavior), the best behavior for community apps and drivers to follow. However, there is no guarantee that any community app or driver will follow these conventions (again especially for apps, where they aren't as clear in the first place). If you have a specific app or driver you're wondering about and don't see options like the above, you may want to ask about it specifically (especially if it's community code).
To answer the second part of your question: there is usually no use for debug logging unless you are trying to troubleshoot something (and often the debug logs would make sense only to the developer). In most cases, if you just want to review a history of device status, descriptionText/info logging will show you that (e.g., why did my motion lighting app not turn off? Oh, this motion sensor last sent an "active" event and got stuck there...maybe the battery died). Apps, again, vary greatly in what information they show you in logging, but whatever the options are, more logging is generally only necessary if you're trying to troubleshoot something (I usually keep it on to some extent in Lock Code Manager just because locks can be so tricky). Again, however, community apps and drivers may vary to some degree here, and not all developer's follow Hubitat's conventions, so the real answer depends on what devices and apps you're using.
The advantage of keeping logs off if you don't need them is that it leaves more room for "Past Logs" (this feature wasn't always there and is probably when people started caring), which are capped at a specific size; the disadvantage is that if you (or the developer) needs the level of detail that only more verbose logs can provide, then you obviously won't get those if those options are disabled. I prefer the latter and normally keep just info logging enabled and disable or limit logging for apps where it's unlikely to matter most of the time. Your preferences may vary (but keep in mind that by convention, debug logging usually won't stay on for long in drivers anyway).
