Quality Feedback Agent: Difference between revisions
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==Installing== | ==Installing== | ||
The agent is usually bundled with Firefox/Thunderbird/Mozilla Suite. However to install it you may need to do a "Custom" installation and select "Quality Feedback Agent" component manually. If you installed the program without Talkback, the best way to do this is to reinstall (you won't lose your settings). | |||
==Getting | ==Getting an incident ID== | ||
Every time the application crashes and sends info on that crash to the Mozilla servers, it generates an incident ID. Incident IDs are listed in the agent user interface. The interface is not part of Firefox, Thunderbird or Mozilla Suite; it is a seperate program. If you were asked by someone to supply an incident ID for a crash and then linked to this page, please follow these simple steps: | |||
===Find out if | ===Find out if the agent is installed=== | ||
If you're using Firefox or Thunderbird 1.5.x, look in Extension manager for an extension named Talkback. If you're using a version of Firefox 1.0.x, or another Mozilla product, you can look in the directory where | If you're using Firefox or Thunderbird 1.5.x, look in Extension manager for an extension named Talkback. If you're using a version of Firefox 1.0.x, or another Mozilla product, you can look in the directory where the application installed to see if it's there. | ||
===Find out where | ===Find out where the agent is installed=== | ||
====Windows==== | ====Windows==== | ||
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If Talkback isn't where it should be, then you will need to [[Talkback#Installing|install it]]. | If Talkback isn't where it should be, then you will need to [[Talkback#Installing|install it]]. | ||
=== | ===Opening the agent user interface=== | ||
Run the application from the path you located above. The agent user interface window will open and will contain a list of all the incident IDs (eg: TB12345678A) that were sent to Mozilla servers. On Windows and Mac OSX, you can select an ID, or multiple IDs and copy them to the clipboard using the Copy Selected ID(s) button, or by using the right-click context menu copy (on Mac OS X, simply selecting the build ID pressing Cmd-C also works). Unfortunately, on Linux a copy feature does not exist and one must write simply write out the ID(s). | |||
===No incident IDs listed=== | |||
There are a couple of possible reasons for this. | |||
* The first time you crash, a window appears asking whether you want to turn the agent on or off. If you change your mind, you can change it under the Settings menu in the agent UI. | |||
*You may be experiencing a hang rather than a crash. With crashes, the application will "disappear" immediately rather than stop responding. The agent can only report on crashes. | |||
=== | *If you are using a proxy server that requires authentication, the agent will not be able to send the reports to Mozilla's servers. Such authentication methods aren't supported yet. | ||
There are a couple of reasons for this. | |||
The first time you crash, a window appears asking whether you want to turn the agent on or off. If you change your mind, you can change it under the Settings menu in the | |||
==What data is sent== | ==What data is sent== | ||
Revision as of 21:15, 28 August 2006
The Quality Feedback Agent (aka Talkback) is a program that activates when Mozilla Suite, Firefox, or Thunderbird crashes. It lets you send stack traces and other development information to mozilla.org engineers. This information helps developers make future versions of the software crash less.
Installing
The agent is usually bundled with Firefox/Thunderbird/Mozilla Suite. However to install it you may need to do a "Custom" installation and select "Quality Feedback Agent" component manually. If you installed the program without Talkback, the best way to do this is to reinstall (you won't lose your settings).
Getting an incident ID
Every time the application crashes and sends info on that crash to the Mozilla servers, it generates an incident ID. Incident IDs are listed in the agent user interface. The interface is not part of Firefox, Thunderbird or Mozilla Suite; it is a seperate program. If you were asked by someone to supply an incident ID for a crash and then linked to this page, please follow these simple steps:
Find out if the agent is installed
If you're using Firefox or Thunderbird 1.5.x, look in Extension manager for an extension named Talkback. If you're using a version of Firefox 1.0.x, or another Mozilla product, you can look in the directory where the application installed to see if it's there.
Find out where the agent is installed
Windows
Program Location Firefox 1.5 C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\extensions\talkback@mozilla.org\components\talkback.exe Firefox 1.0.x C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\components\talkback.exe Thunderbird 1.5 C:\Program Files\Mozilla Thunderbird\extensions\talkback@mozilla.org\components\talkback.exe Thunderbird 1.0.x C:\Program Files\Mozilla Thunderbird\components\talkback.exe Mozilla Suite C:\Program Files\mozilla.org\Mozilla\components\talkback.exe
Searching for talkback.exe is also a viable option.
Mac OSX
Program Location Firefox 1.5 /Applications/Firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/extensions/talkback@mozilla.org/components/talkback/Talkback.app Firefox 1.0.x /Applications/Firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/components/Talkback.app Thunderbird 1.5 /Applications/Thunderbird.app/Contents/MacOS/extensions/talkback@mozilla.org/components/talkback/Talkback.app Thunderbird 1.0.x /Applications/Thunderbird.app/Contents/MacOS/components/Talkback.app Mozilla Suite /Applications/Mozilla.app/Contents/MacOS/components/Talkback.app
Searching for "Talkback" is also another, easier option. In order to get into the folders that end with .app you must right click on them and choose "Show Package Contents".
Linux
- Since in most cases the way that Linux users have installed their Mozilla product is by using a distro-specific package, Talkback is usually not installed. If you think that it might be installed, you can search for "talkback" and see if any results come up. There are other ways to get crash data besides using Talkback. Some distros, such as Fedora, provide debug packages that will allow users to obtain a stack trace one these packages are installed. In fact, some crashes are caused by patches that distros have added to their own packages and are not even Mozilla's fault! One other, more involved way of getting a stack trace for a crash is compiling a debug build of whatever Mozilla product you're using and using gdb.
If Talkback isn't where it should be, then you will need to install it.
Opening the agent user interface
Run the application from the path you located above. The agent user interface window will open and will contain a list of all the incident IDs (eg: TB12345678A) that were sent to Mozilla servers. On Windows and Mac OSX, you can select an ID, or multiple IDs and copy them to the clipboard using the Copy Selected ID(s) button, or by using the right-click context menu copy (on Mac OS X, simply selecting the build ID pressing Cmd-C also works). Unfortunately, on Linux a copy feature does not exist and one must write simply write out the ID(s).
No incident IDs listed
There are a couple of possible reasons for this.
- The first time you crash, a window appears asking whether you want to turn the agent on or off. If you change your mind, you can change it under the Settings menu in the agent UI.
- You may be experiencing a hang rather than a crash. With crashes, the application will "disappear" immediately rather than stop responding. The agent can only report on crashes.
- If you are using a proxy server that requires authentication, the agent will not be able to send the reports to Mozilla's servers. Such authentication methods aren't supported yet.
What data is sent
Contained in the data sent is a stack trace (where in the code the crashed occured and how it got there), the version and operating system, how long the program ran before crashing, and any data that you fill out.
Uses of the data
- Statistics are compiled on all the incidents. Periodically, someone looks at these statistics and files bugs for the most frequent types of crashes, called "topcrashes".
- Individual incidents can be looked up with Talkback FastFind to help users find immediate solutions to crashes.
