---
name: "LWP::DebugFile"
section: "3pm"
platform: "linux"
package: "libwww-perl"
version: "5.813-1+lenny2"
release: "Debian 5.0 (Lenny)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/LWP::DebugFile"
---

# LWP::DebugFile(3pm)

routines for tracing/debugging LWP

## NAME

LWP::DebugFile - routines for tracing/debugging LWP

## SYNOPSIS

If you want to see just what LWP is doing when your program calls it, add this to the beginning of your program's source:

```
  use LWP::DebugFile;
```

For even more verbose debug output, do this instead:

```
  use LWP::DebugFile ('+');
```

## DESCRIPTION

This module is like LWP::Debug in that it allows you to see what your calls to LWP are doing behind the scenes.  But it is unlike LWP::Debug in that it sends the output to a file, instead of to STDERR (as LWP::Debug does).

## OPTIONS

The options you can use in `"use LWP::DebugFile (`*options*`)"` are the same as the **non-exporting** options available from `"use LWP::Debug` `(`*options*`)"`.  That is, you can do things like this:

```
  use LWP::DebugFile qw(+);
  use LWP::Debug qw(+ -conns);
  use LWP::Debug qw(trace);
```

The meanings of these are explained in the documentation for LWP::Debug. The only differences are that by default, LWP::DebugFile has `"cons"` debugging on, ad that (as mentioned earlier), only `"non-exporting"` options are available.  That is, you **can't** do this:

```
  use LWP::DebugFile qw(trace); # wrong
```

You might expect that to export LWP::Debug's `"trace()"` function, but it doesn't work -- it's a compile-time error.

## OUTPUT FILE NAMING

If you don't do anything, the output file (where all the LWP debug/trace output goes) will be in the current directory, and will be named like *lwp\_3db7aede\_b93.log*, where *3db7aede* is `$^T` expressed in hex, and `"b93"` is `$$` expressed in hex.  Presumably this is a unique-for-all-time filename!

If you don't want the files to go in the current directory, you can set `$LWP::DebugFile::outpath` before you load the LWP::DebugFile module:

```
  BEGIN { $LWP::DebugFile::outpath = '/tmp/crunk/' }
  use LWP::DebugFile;
```

Note that you must end the value with a path separator ("/" in this case -- under MacPerl it would be ":").  With that set, you will have output files named like */tmp/crunk/lwp\_3db7aede\_b93.log*.

If you want the LWP::DebugFile output to go a specific filespec (instead of just a uniquely named file, in whatever directory), instead set the variable `$LWP::DebugFile::outname`, like so:

```
  BEGIN { $LWP::DebugFile::outname = '/home/mojojojo/lwp.log' }
  use LWP::DebugFile;
```

In that case, `$LWP::DebugFile::outpath` isn't consulted at all, and output is always written to the file */home/mojojojo/lwp.log*.

Note that the value of `$LWP::DebugFile::outname` doesn't need to be an absolute filespec.  You can do this:

```
  BEGIN { $LWP::DebugFile::outname = 'lwp.log' }
  use LWP::DebugFile;
```

In that case, output goes to a file named *lwp.log* in the current directory -- specifically, whatever directory is current when LWP::DebugFile is first loaded. `$LWP::DebugFile::outpath` is still not consulted -- its value is used only if `$LWP::DebugFile::outname` isn't set.

## ENVIRONMENT

If you set the environment variables `"LWPDEBUGPATH"` or  `"LWPDEBUGFILE"`, their values will be used in initializing the values of `$LWP::DebugFile::outpath` and `$LWP::DebugFile::outname`.

That is, if you have `"LWPDEBUGFILE"` set to */home/mojojojo/lwp.log*, then you can just start out your program with:

```
  use LWP::DebugFile;
```

and it will act as if you had started it like this:

```
  BEGIN { $LWP::DebugFile::outname = '/home/mojojojo/lwp.log' }
  use LWP::DebugFile;
```

## IMPLEMENTATION NOTES

This module works by subclassing `"LWP::Debug"`, (notably inheriting its `"import"`). It also redefines `&LWP::Debug::conns` and `&LWP::Debug::_log` to make for output that is a little more verbose, and friendlier for when you're looking at it later in a log file.

## SEE ALSO

LWP::Debug

## COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMERS

Copyright (c) 2002 Sean M. Burke.

This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but without any warranty; without even the implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

## AUTHOR

Sean M. Burke `"sburke@cpan.org"`