Log Center reads the log files of the active connection in three ways. Tail watches files for new entries, Parse imports the entries a file already has, and Parse & Tail does both. You choose the files in the Files tab and follow the running tasks in the Monitor tab
Before you start
- Make the sandbox the active connection in Connections. Log Center reads its Log Files folder over WebDAV
- Open the matching source project, with its cartridges linked, so stack frames resolve to your files
- The sandbox's logging configuration decides which entries are written. Tailing a file does not turn on debug logging on the instance
Pick log files
The Files tab lists every log file under Log Files on the instance, plus the archives in log_archive. Each row shows the event counts by level (Err, Warn, Info, Debug, Other), the size, when it last changed, the progress, and the state
- Narrow the list with the file type filter (Error, Warn, Info, Debug, Jobs, Quota, API deprecation, Custom, Unknown), the category picker, and the search field
- Select files with their checkboxes. The summary counts the visible, watchable, and selected files
- Auto refresh reloads the list every few seconds while the panel is visible, and Refresh reloads it now. The interval is
intellij-sfcc.logs.autoRefreshIntervalSec - Click a row to download the file and open it in the Log File Editor
Each row also has its own Tail, Parse, Parse & Tail, and Stop buttons, Focus to reveal the file in the B2C WebDAV Explorer, and Download
Badges next to the file name explain its state. Hover one for the full explanation:
| Badge | Meaning |
|---|---|
| PARSED | Its events are saved in the local Log Center database, and the tooltip gives the count |
| ARCHIVED | The file left Log Files, but a matching .log.zip is in log_archive. It can be parsed, not tailed |
| MISSING | The file left Log Files and no archive matches it. Its checkbox is disabled |
| LEVELS: ERROR, WARN | Only the levels you picked were parsed for this file |
| A warning icon and count | The parser could not read some records or fields completely. These warnings are separate from logged WARN events |
Tail, Parse, or Parse & Tail
Select files, then choose a mode:
| Mode | What it does |
|---|---|
| Tail | Watches the selected files for new log entries. It starts at the current end of a new file, or resumes from its saved position, and continues until you stop it |
| Parse | Imports the existing entries into Events once, using saved progress when there is some. It does not keep watching |
| Parse & Tail | Imports the existing entries, then keeps watching for new ones until you stop it |
Every mode opens Tail event levels, Parse event levels, or Parse & Tail event levels first:
- All keeps every level. Or pick Error, Warn, Info, and Debug one by one. Levels you leave out are never imported, so the display filters cannot bring them back later
- In the full panel, Preview shows sample lines, with the skipped ones dimmed
- Read from beginning, for Parse and Parse & Tail, reads the whole file again. It refreshes HTTP extraction and parsing coverage for entries already imported, and keeps their fixed and backlog marks
- Press
Enterto start, orEscto cancel
A toast confirms Preparing 3 file(s), and the files move through Queued parse or Queued tail, Downloading, Parsing, and Tailing. Files that are already running, or archives in a tail mode, are skipped
Archived .log.zip files can only be parsed. Their Tail buttons are disabled with This file cannot be tailed. Archived files can only be parsed.
Follow tasks in Monitor
The Monitor tab lists the active tasks, with a summary such as 2 active · 1 queued · 0 downloading · 0 ready · 1 parsing · 1 tailing. Each row shows its stage and progress:
| Stage | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Locating file / archive | Finding the file on the instance |
| Preparing queue | The request is accepted and the file is being prepared |
| Queued parse / Queued tail | Waiting for a worker, with its place in the queue and the busy workers, such as Queued parse #3 · 2/2 workers |
| Downloading N% | Fetching the file |
| Parsing N% | Turning lines into events |
| Tailing | Watching for new lines |
| Parsed | The import finished. The events are saved in the local Log Center database |
| Stopped / Error | The task ended |
Stop selected and Stop all end tasks in Files and Monitor. Stopping keeps the parsed data: Stopped 2 active log task(s). Parsed data was kept.
Load and performance
Parsing runs in a separate logs server process, so the editor stays responsive. Large imports still use CPU, so Log Center shows its load
- The status bar item reads 2 files · 14 unique · CPU 6% while work runs, and shows only its icon when Log Center is idle. It turns yellow at 40% of your CPU cores and red at 70%. Its tooltip lists the monitored files, unique events, parsed total, queue, workers, and CPU, with Open Log Center, Stop monitoring, and Tune concurrency links
- When 8 or more files are monitored while work is running, a warning explains that SFCC completions, go to definition, and other language features may be slower until parsing and tailing finish. It offers Open Log Center, Tune Concurrency, and Stop Monitoring, and appears once until that work finishes
- The panel shows the same state as Log Center CPU load is elevated or Log Center CPU load is high
Tune concurrency opens the Settings tab, where Worker concurrency, Initial parse concurrency, and Tail polling interval control how much work runs at once. See Settings
Commands
Start Watching All in the Command Palette starts tailing every listed log file, and Stop Watching All stops every task. Use the Files tab to pick files and levels instead
Troubleshooting
| What you see | What to check |
|---|---|
| The log list is empty | Confirm the active connection, its account, and permission to read Log Files. Click Refresh |
| An old error does not appear | Use Parse or Parse & Tail. If the file was parsed with fewer levels, parse it again with Read from beginning and the levels you need |
| New entries do not appear | Check in Monitor that the file is Tailing, and reproduce the issue on the same sandbox. Make sure that log level is written on the instance |
| A Tail button is disabled | The file is an archive, or it already runs. Archives support Parse only |
| Stack frames do not open your files | Open the project with the cartridges deployed to the sandbox, and link them in Cartridge Management |
| VS Code feels slower during an import | Lower Worker concurrency or Initial parse concurrency, or stop the tasks you do not need |