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Quick Diagnosis: Why INFO Shows But ERROR/WARNING Don't

The Mystery

User sees "INFO" messages in the GUI log widget, but NOT "ERROR", "WARNING", or other log levels.

The Investigation

I traced through the entire logging system and found the filtering logic:

How Filtering Works

  1. Log level filtering in src/utils/logging.py (line 330-338): 

    def should_emit_gui(self, category: str, level: int) -> bool:
    if level < self._gui_level:
        return False  # Block message
    # ... category checks ...

  2. Numeric log levels:

  3. DEBUG = 10
  4. INFO = 20 (default GUI level)
  5. WARNING = 30
  6. ERROR = 40

  7. CRITICAL = 50

  8. Default behavior: With level_gui = INFO:

  9. Should show: INFO, WARNING, ERROR, CRITICAL
  10. Should block: DEBUG, TRACE

The Paradox

According to the code, ERROR and WARNING should ALWAYS show when INFO shows!

This is because: - ERROR (40) >= INFO (20) - WARNING (30) >= INFO (20)

So if INFO appears, ERROR and WARNING must also pass the filter.

Possible Explanations

1. Messages Don't Have Correct Log Level

Maybe ERROR/WARNING messages aren't being logged with level="error" or level="warning":

# Wrong (defaults to INFO)
log("Something failed")

# Correct (explicit ERROR level)
log("Something failed", level="error")

2. Category Filters Block Them

Each category can be disabled independently. If ERROR messages are in a disabled category:

[LOGGING]
cats_gui_network = false  # Blocks ALL network messages, even ERROR

3. Messages Aren't Being Generated

Code paths that would generate ERROR/WARNING might not be executing.

4. Config Has Wrong Level

The config file might have: 

[LOGGING]
level_gui = ERROR  # This would block INFO and WARNING!

But this contradicts the fact that INFO is showing...

Run the Diagnostics

Step 1: Check Configuration

python3 scripts/diagnose_log_filtering.py

This will show: - Current level_gui setting - Which categories are enabled/disabled - Which log levels should pass the filter - Specific diagnosis of the problem

Step 2: Test Message Generation

python3 scripts/test_log_levels.py

This sends messages at all levels and you can see which appear in the GUI.

Step 3: Search for Actual ERROR Logs

Check if ERROR messages are even being called: 

grep -rn 'level="error"\|level="warning"' src/

Expected Output

If everything is working correctly:

  1. diagnose_log_filtering.py should show:
  2. GUI Log Level: INFO
  3. All categories ENABLED

  4. Test showing: INFO, WARNING, ERROR all pass filter

  5. test_log_levels.py should display:

  6. INFO messages in GUI
  7. WARNING messages in GUI
  8. ERROR messages in GUI
  9. CRITICAL messages in GUI

What to Look For

If ERROR messages are being blocked:

Check the diagnostic output for: - level_gui setting (should be INFO or DEBUG) - Category status (ERROR messages' categories should be enabled) - Test results (ERROR test should show "SHOWN")

If ERROR messages aren't being generated:

Search the codebase: 

# Find all ERROR log calls
grep -rn 'log.*level.*error\|log.*"error"' src/

# Find all WARNING log calls
grep -rn 'log.*level.*warning\|log.*"warning"' src/

If no results, then ERROR/WARNING simply aren't being logged anywhere!

Most Likely Culprit

Based on the code analysis, I suspect one of these:

  1. ERROR/WARNING aren't being called - The application isn't logging errors yet
  2. Category filters - ERROR messages are in disabled categories
  3. Wrong log level in code - Code is calling log(message) without level="error"

Quick Fix

If you want to test ERROR messages immediately, add this to any Python file:

from src.utils.logger import log

log("This is an ERROR test", level="error", category="general")
log("This is a WARNING test", level="warning", category="general")
log("This is an INFO test", level="info", category="general")

All three should appear in the GUI (assuming general category is enabled).

Files to Check

  1. ~/.bbdrop/bbdrop.ini - Check [LOGGING] section
  2. src/utils/logger.py - Main logging function (line 198-370)
  3. src/utils/logging.py - AppLogger class with filters (line 330-338)
  4. src/gui/main_window.py - GUI log display (line 5214-5263)

Summary

The logging system should work correctly. If ERROR/WARNING don't show but INFO does, it's likely:

  • Messages aren't being logged at ERROR/WARNING level
  • OR category filters are blocking them
  • OR there's a bug I haven't found yet

Run the diagnostic scripts to find out which!