1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451
452
453
454
455
456
457
458
459
460
461
462
463
464
465
466
467
468
469
470
471
472
473
474
475
476
477
478
479
480
481
482
483
484
485
486
487
488
489
490
491
492
493
494
495
496
497
498
499
500
501
502
503
504
505
506
507
508
509
510
511
512
513
514
515
516
517
518
519
520
521
522
523
524
525
526
527
528
529
530
531
532
533
534
535
536
537
538
539
540
541
542
543
544
545
546
547
548
549
550
551
552
553
554
555
556
557
558
559
560
561
562
563
564
565
566
567
568
569
570
571
572
573
574
575
576
577
578
579
580
581
582
583
584
585
586
587
588
589
590
591
592
593
594
595
596
597
598
599
600
601
602
603
604
605
606
607
608
609
610
611
612
613
614
615
616
617
618
619
620
621
622
623
624
625
626
627
628
629
630
631
632
633
634
635
636
637
638
639
640
641
642
643
644
645
646
647
648
649
650
651
652
653
654
655
656
657
658
659
660
661
662
663
664
665
666
667
668
669
670
671
672
673
674
675
676
677
678
679
680
681
682
683
684
685
686
687
688
689
690
691
692
693
694
695
696
697
698
699
700
701
702
703
704
705
706
707
708
709
710
711
712
713
714
715
716
717
718
719
720
721
722
723
724
725
726
727
728
729
730
731
732
733
734
735
736
737
738
739
740
741
742
743
744
745
746
747
748
749
750
751
752
753
754
755
756
757
758
759
760
761
762
763
764
765
766
767
768
769
770
771
772
773
774
775
776
777
778
779
780
781
782
783
784
785
786
787
788
789
790
791
792
793
794
795
796
797
798
799
800
801
802
803
804
805
806
807
808
809
810
811
812
813
814
815
816
817
818
819
820
821
822
823
824
825
826
827
828
829
830
831
832
833
834
835
836
837
838
839
840
841
842
843
844
845
846
847
848
849
850
851
852
853
854
855
856
857
858
859
860
861
862
863
864
865
866
867
868
869
870
871
872
873
874
875
876
877
878
879
880
881
882
883
884
885
886
887
888
889
890
891
892
893
894
895
896
897
898
899
900
901
902
903
904
905
906
907
908
909
910
911
912
913
914
915
916
917
918
919
920
921
922
923
924
925
926
927
928
929
930
931
932
933
934
935
936
937
938
939
940
941
942
943
944
945
946
947
948
949
950
951
952
953
954
955
956
957
958
959
960
961
962
963
964
965
966
967
968
969
970
971
972
973
|
<!--
<!DOCTYPE appendix PUBLIC "-//GNOME//DTD DocBook PNG Variant V1.1//EN">
-->
<appendix id="evolution-faq">
<title>Frequently Asked Questions About Ximian Evolution</title>
<para>
Here are some frequently asked questions about the
<application>Evolution</application> groupware suite from
Ximian. If you have a question that's not listed, you can
contact us at evolve@ximian.com.
</para>
<sect1 id="faq-features">
<title>Features</title>
<qandaset>
<qandaentry>
<question>
<para>
How can I use Evolution with Microsoft Exchange or Lotus Notes?
</para>
</question>
<answer>
<para>
If your server uses standard open protocols like IMAP,
LDAP, POP, and SMTP, you can use Evolution with it. You
can share addresses with vCards and calendar items with
iCal appointments.
</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question>
<para>
Can I use Evolution with KDE?
</para>
</question>
<answer>
<para>
Evolution will work fine in KDE. You will need to
install all of the GNOME libraries that it depends on.
Also, certain configuration options, such as default
fonts and the message editor keybinding behavior, must be
changed using the GNOME Control Center application (this
will also run from within KDE).
</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question>
<para>
How can I remove or rename a folder?
</para>
</question>
<answer>
<para>
Right-click on the folder and select the
<guimenuitem>Delete</guimenuitem> or
<guimenuitem>Rename</guimenuitem> items.
</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question>
<para>
Why doesn't drag and drop between folders seem to work?
</para>
</question>
<answer>
<para>
The implementation isn't finished, although it's nearly done.
</para>
<para>
In the meantime, right-click on the folders or messages
you want to move, and select the
<guimenuitem>Move</guimenuitem> or
<guimenuitem>Copy</guimenuitem> options.
</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question>
<para>
Can I read mail from a mailbox file created by some other
application (e.g. Mutt) without importing mail from it?
</para>
</question>
<answer>
<para>
No, but it's a planned feature.
</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question>
<para>
Can Evolution sync with my Palm OS (tm) device?
</para>
</question>
<answer>
<para>
Yes. However, it is not yet stable enough for general
release and we do not yet ship Evolution with Palm
synchronization enabled default. Until we do, you will
need to compile this in yourself. Check the
<filename>README</filename> file for additional
information on the requirements. Full compatibility and
synchronization for calendar and addressbook applications
on Palm devices will be implemented and shipped soon.
</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question>
<para>
What is the difference between a virtual folder (vfolder)
and a regular folder?
</para>
</question>
<answer>
<para>
A virtual folder is like a saved search: it is a view of
your mail. Regular folders actually contain the mail
messages. You can have one message be in multiple virtual
folders, but only in one regular folder. See the section
in the Evolution manual about virtual folders for more
information.
</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question>
<para>
Can Evolution spell-check messages while I compose them?
</para>
</question>
<answer>
<para>
Yes. The Evolution composer is able to highlight
mis-spelled word on the fly as you type them, and also
give you suggestions for possible corrections. In order
for this to work you need the
<filename>gnome-spell</filename> component, which is not
shipped with Ximian GNOME yet.
</para>
<para>
If you are brave enough, you can check out module
<filename>gnome-spell</filename> from the GNOME CVS and
compile it yourself. Check out its README file for a list
of <filename>gnome-spell</filename>'s requirements for
compilation.
</para>
<para>
Note that you don't need to recompile Evolution after
installing <filename>gnome-spell</filename>; it will be
picked up automatically.
</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question>
<para>
Why can't I see the images that are contained in some HTML
mail messages.
</para>
</question>
<answer>
<para>
Evolution currently doesn't support this, but it's a
planned feature. It will be an option: many people like
to turn off the images because they use up bandwidth and can
be used to spy on your email reading habits.
</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question>
<para>
Can I change the font that Evolution uses to compose and
display mail messages?
</para>
</question>
<answer>
<para>
You have to change the GtkHTML settings for that: in the
GNOME Control Center, go to the "HTML Viewer"
configuration page, which is under the "Document Handlers"
category.
</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question>
<para>
How do I import my Outlook <filename>.pst</filename> files into Evolution?
</para>
</question>
<answer>
<para>
You cannot import these files directly into Evolution
because the <filename>.pst</filename> format is a
proprietary format. However, Mozilla Mail on Windows can
convert them into the <type>mbox</type> format, which can
then be imported by Evolution.
</para>
<para>
To start importing your Outlook mail to Evolution, run
Mozilla Mail on Windows and select the
<menuchoice><guimenu>File</guimenu><guimenuitem>Import...</guimenuitem></menuchoice>
to begin. Then select that you wish to import Mail from
Outlook. Once Mozilla has imported all your mail, reboot
your computer into Linux.
</para>
<para>
Mount your Windows partition in Linux and run Evolution to
begin importing your mail. Select
<menuchoice><guimenu>File</guimenu><guimenuitem>Import
File...</guimenuitem></menuchoice> to start importing. Set
the file type to MBox (mbox) and click on
<guibutton>Browse</guibutton> to select the mail you want
to import.
</para>
<para>
If you are the only user on Windows, the mail files will
be stored in <filename>/mnt/c/windows/Application
Data/Mozilla/Profiles/default/XXXX/Mail/imported.mail/</filename>
where <filename>/mnt/c/</filename> is your windows
partition mount point and XXXX is some collection of
numbers and digits ending in <filename>.slt</filename>.
</para>
<para>
If there is more than one user, the file will be in
<filename>/mnt/c/windows/Profiles/USERNAME/XXXX/Mail/imported.mail/</filename>
where USERNAME is your Windows username.
</para>
<para>
For each mail folder in Outlook, Mozilla will convert the
folder into one mbox file. To import all your mail, import
all the files without a <filename>.msf</filename>
extension.
</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question>
<para>
If Mozilla can import <filename>.pst</filename> files, why can't Evolution?
</para>
</question>
<answer>
<para>
Mozilla on Windows accesses the <filename>.pst</filename>
files through the <filename>MAPI.DLL</filename>, which is
only available on Windows. <filename>MAPI.DLL</filename>
is the only way to access <filename>.pst</filename> files
and Evolution cannot use this DLL in Linux.
</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question>
<para>
Will there be an Evolution server? How about a text-based or web-based front end?
</para>
</question>
<answer>
<para>
Of course, we can't comment on unannounced future product
plans, but Evolution's architecture would permit the
existence of that kind of software. If there is enough
demand for such software we will consider moving in that
direction.
</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question>
<para>
Will Evolution make a good mocha?
</para>
</question>
<answer>
<para>
Only espresso is planned, but you can easily plug in a chocolate component.
</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
</qandaset>
</sect1>
<!-- Section: Getting and compiling -->
<sect1 id="faq-get-and-compile">
<title>
Getting and Compiling Evolution
</title>
<qandaset>
<qandaentry>
<question>
<para>
Where can I get the latest Evolution release?
</para>
</question>
<answer>
<para>
There are two ways to install the latest Evolution
release:
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
If you have Ximian GNOME installed, you can start
Red Carpet, Ximian's software updating system, and
subscribe to the Evolution channel. This will let
you install a binary for the latest release, and
will also warn you when a new version has been made
available.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
If you want to compile from source, you can
download the latest official Evolution tarball
from:
</para>
<para>
<ulink url="ftp://ftp.gnome.org/pub/GNOME/unstable/sources/evolution">
ftp://ftp.gnome.org/pub/GNOME/unstable/sources/evolution</ulink>
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question>
<para>
Are binary snapshots available?
</para>
</question>
<answer>
<para>
Yes, if you have Ximian GNOME installed. Just run Red
Carpet and subscribe to the Evolution Snapshot channel.
</para>
<para>
You can check the status of snapshots at
<ulink url="http://primates.ximian.com/~snapshot">http://primates.ximian.com/~snapshot</ulink>.
</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question>
<para>
Why isn't a new snapshot available today?
</para>
</question>
<answer>
<para>
Sometimes the build might fail because of problems with
the source on CVS. In this case, just wait for next day's
snapshot.
</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question>
<para>
How do I get Evolution from CVS?
</para>
</question>
<answer>
<para>
If you already have
<ulink url="http://cvs.gnome.org">GNOME CVS</ulink> access,
simply check out the following modules: evolution,
gtkhtml, gal.
</para>
<para>
If you don't have a CVS account, you can use anoncvs
instead. Bear in mind that anoncvs is only synchronized once
a day, and code received from anoncvs may not be latest
version available.
</para>
<para>
Before using the anoncvs server, you have to log into it.
This only needs to be done once. Use this command:
</para>
<programlisting>
cvs -z3 -d :pserver:anonymous@anoncvs.gnome.org:/cvs/gnome login
</programlisting>
<para>
Then you can retrieve the modules needed to compile Evolution
using the following command:
</para>
<programlisting>
cvs -z3 -d :pserver:anonymous@anoncvs.gnome.org:/cvs/gnome co evolution gtkhtml gal
</programlisting>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question>
<para>
How should I compile Evolution avoiding conflicts with my
existing GNOME installation?
</para>
</question>
<answer>
<para>
The best way is to install Evolution into a separate prefix.
In order to specify a non-default installation prefix, you
can pass the <parameter>--prefix</parameter> option to
<filename>configure</filename> or
<filename>autogen.sh</filename>. For example:
</para>
<programlisting>
cd /cvs/evolution
./autogen.sh --prefix=/opt/gnome
</programlisting>
<para>
If you install Evolution and the Evolution libraries in a
non-standard prefix, make sure you set the appropriate
environment variables in the startup script for Evolution:
</para>
<programlisting>
export PATH=/opt/gnome:$PATH
export GNOME_PATH=/opt/gnome:/usr
</programlisting>
<para>
You may also need to add <filename>$prefix/lib</filename>
(e.g. <filename>/opt/gnome/lib</filename>) to your
<filename>/etc/ld.so.conf</filename>. Of course, this will
not work for systems which do not use ld.so.conf, such as
HP-UX.
</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question>
<para>
I get the error message: <computeroutput>make: *** No rule
to make target
`all-no-@BUILD_INCLUDED_LIBINTL@'</computeroutput>
</para>
</question>
<answer>
<para>
You probably have <filename>gettext</filename> 0.10.36 or
later installed. Try downgrading to 0.10.35;
unfortunately, 0.10.36 introduced some incompatibilities
with the current <filename>xml-i18n-tools</filename>.
</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
</qandaset>
</sect1>
<sect1 id="faq-trouble">
<title>Troubleshooting</title>
<qandaset>
<qandaentry>
<question>
<para>
I get <computeroutput>Cannot initialize the Evolution
shell</computeroutput>.
</para>
</question>
<answer>
<para>
There are a number of things that can cause this error.
Check that:
</para>
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
<filename>oafd</filename> is listed in your <envar>PATH</envar>
environment variable.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
<filename>GNOME_Evolution_Shell.oaf</filename> and
the other
<filename>GNOME_Evolution_*.oaf</filename> files are
readable and installed in
<filename>$prefix/share/oaf</filename>, where
<filename>$prefix</filename> is one of the prefixes
listed in <envar>GNOME_PATH</envar> or
<envar>OAF_INFO_PATH</envar>. (These variables are
supposed to contain $PATH-like colon-separated lists of
paths. If the installation prefix for Evolution is
different from that). Run `oaf-slay' once before running
`evolution' again if you change $GNOME_PATH or
$OAF_INFO_PATH.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
<filename>evolution</filename>,
<filename>evolution-mail</filename> and the other
<filename>evolution-*</filename> executables are in your
$PATH.
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question>
<para>
I get <computeroutput>Cannot open composer window</computeroutput>.
</para>
</question>
<answer>
<para>
This actually means that Evolution cannot activate the HTML
editor component from GtkHTML. The comments in the previous
answer still apply; also make sure that
<command>gnome-gtkhtml-editor</command> is in your
<envar>PATH</envar>.
</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question>
<para>
The address suggestion list steals focus from the "To:"
entry box when I'm typing. How can I make it keep focus?
</para>
</question>
<answer>
<para>
This is a bug in GTK version 1.2.10. To avoid it, downgrade
to GTK version 1.2.9, or install the Ximian version of GTK
1.2.10.
</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question>
<para>
I updated Evolution and now my addressbook information is gone!
What should I do?
</para>
</question>
<answer>
<para>
Evolution uses the <filename>libdb</filename> library to
handle the addressbook database. Two versions of
<filename>libdb</filename> can be used with Evolution: version
1.88 and version 2.
</para>
<para>
Unfortunately, an Evolution executable that is linked against
a certain version of <filename>libdb</filename> will only be
able to read addressbook files written by another Evolution
executable that is linked with the same version of the
library. If your addressbook is not readable by Evolution
anymore, it probably means that you used to have Evolution
linked with a certain version of <filename>libdb</filename>,
but now it gets linked to a different version.
</para>
<para>
Because of the way <filename>libdb</filename> is designed, it
is not easy for Evolution to automatically do the conversion
between the two formats. But, if your Evolution used to be
linked against version 1.85 and now is linked to version 2,
there is a very simple way to convert the database and recover
your data.
</para>
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
First of all, check the format of the database using the
<command>file</command> command:
</para>
<programlisting>
file ~/evolution/local/Contacts/addressbook.db
</programlisting>
<para>
You want version 1.85 there. If your version is 2, then
your current Evolution is probably linked against
version 1.85 and you cannot convert the database to the
old format. To do that, follow these instructions:
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Quit Evolution.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Make a copy of the addressbook database for backup
purposes, then move the original out of the way.
</para>
<programlisting>
cd ~/evolution/local/Contacts
cp addressbook.db addressbook.db.backup
mv addressbook.db addressbook.db.tmp
</programlisting>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Convert the contacts to the new format using
<command>db_dump185</command> and
<command>db_load</command>:
</para>
<programlisting>
db_dump185 addressbook.db.tmp | db_load ~/evolution/local/Contacts/addressbook.db
</programlisting>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Restart Evolution.
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question>
<para>
Evolution reported an error when trying to retrieve from my
local spool in <filename>/var/spool/mail/username</filename>. Why?
</para>
</question>
<answer>
<para>
Evolution doesn't have an external helper for moving mail,
so <filename>/var/spool/mail/</filename> must be writable
by you. Try this:
</para>
<programlisting>
chmod 1777 /var/spool/mail
</programlisting>
<para>
We're working on a solution to this problem now.
</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question>
<para>
Evolution crashes reporting that it couldn't allocate N
billion bytes; how do I fix this?
</para>
</question>
<answer>
<para>
This usually happens when a component tries talking a
certain version of a CORBA interface to another component
that supports a different version. For example, this can
happen when you recompile and install a single component
without recompiling/installing the rest of Evolution.
</para>
<para>
If you run into this problem, make sure all the components
are compiled and installed at the same time. This also
applies to GtkHTML upgrades; after upgrading and
installing a newer GtkHTML, always re-compile and
re-install Evolution against it.
</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question>
<para>
What is <command>killev</command> and why do I need to use it?
</para>
</question>
<answer>
<para>
Evolution is actually made up of several components that run
as separate processes. Evolution's shell is not very good
at cleaning up stale processes, so it is possible that
sometimes already-running components cause unexpected and/or
broken behavior.
</para>
<para>
It's always a good idea to run <command>killev</command>
after a crash in Evolution, especially if the Evolution
shell itself crashed. (If a component crashes instead, you
should try to exit the shell cleanly first, so you give a
chance to the other components to clean things up properly.)
</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question>
<para>
What is <command>oaf-slay</command> and why do I need to use it?
</para>
</question>
<answer>
<para>
<command>oaf-slay</command> is an utility which comes with
OAF, the Object Activation Framework that is used in the
GNOME Desktop to activate components. It will kill the
object activation daemon (<command>oafd</command>) as well
as all the active components on the system.
</para>
<para>
Using <command>oaf-slay</command>
<command>oaf-slay</command> is quite drastic and can cause
problems with other programs that use oaf, especially with
<application>Nautilus</application>. To avoid problems, do
not run <command>oaf-slay</command> while you are in GNOME.
</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
</qandaset>
</sect1>
<sect1 id="faq-debugging">
<title>Questions about Bugs and Debugging</title>
<para>
Find a bug? Here's how to help us fix it!
</para>
<qandaset>
<qandaentry>
<question>
<para>
Where should I report bugs for Evolution?
</para>
</question>
<answer>
<para>
You can use the GNOME Bug Report Tool
(<command>bug-buddy</command>), or report bugs to the
Ximian bug reporting system (Bugzilla), located at <ulink
url="http://bugzilla.ximian.com">http://bugzilla.ximian.com</ulink>.
</para>
<para>
Please use the query function to check if a bug has been
submitted already, so that we avoid duplicate reports.
</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question>
<para>
What is a stack trace (backtrace) and how do I get one?
</para>
</question>
<answer>
<para>
A stack trace is a list of the chain of function calls
that lead to some point in the program. Typically, you
want to get a stack trace when Evolution crashes or
hangs and you want to try to figure out where in the
code that happened and why. For this reason, stack
traces are extremely useful for the Evolution
developers, so it's important that you learn how to get
them, and include them in crash reports. The
<application>bug-buddy</application> tool can get and
submit a stack trace for you. If you want to do it by
yourself, here's how:
</para>
<para>
First of all, in order to get a stack trace, your
executable (and possibly the libraries) must be compiled
with debugging symbols. Debugging symbols are created by
default if you compile from CVS, and are included in the
snapshot builds. If you decide to compile by yourself
with some custom CFLAGS value, make sure -g is included
in them.
</para>
<para>
Finally, you must put the component that crashes through
<application>gdb</application>, the GNU debugging tool.
To do so, make sure all the components are dead (exit
Evolution and run <command>killev</command>), then run the
following command:
<programlisting>
<command>gdb name-of-component</command>
</programlisting>
Where "name-of-component" is the name of the component that
crashed.
</para>
<para>
Then, at the gdb prompt, type r (for "run") and wait a
few seconds to make sure the component has registered
with the name service. Then start
<application>Evolution</application> normally from a
different terminal.
</para>
<para>
When you have started
<application>Evolution</application>, reproduce the
crash, and go back to the terminal where you ran gdb. If
the component crashed, you should have a prompt there;
otherwise, just hit Control+C. At the prompt, type
<command>info threads</command>. This will give you a
screen that looks like this:
</para>
<para>
<programlisting>
(gdb) info threads
8 Thread 6151 (LWP 14908) 0x409778fe in sigsuspend () from /lib/libc.so.6
7 Thread 5126 (LWP 14907) 0x409778fe in sigsuspend () from /lib/libc.so.6
6 Thread 4101 (LWP 1007) 0x409778fe in sigsuspend () from /lib/libc.so.6
5 Thread 3076 (LWP 1006) 0x409778fe in sigsuspend () from /lib/libc.so.6
4 Thread 2051 (LWP 1005) 0x409778fe in sigsuspend () from /lib/libc.so.6
3 Thread 1026 (LWP 1004) 0x409778fe in sigsuspend () from /lib/libc.so.6
2 Thread 2049 (LWP 1003) 0x40a10d90 in poll () from /lib/libc.so.6
1 Thread 1024 (LWP 995) 0x40a10d90 in poll () from /lib/libc.so.6
</programlisting>
For the most part, only
<application>evolution-mail</application> will have more
than one thread.
</para>
<para>
Now, for each of the threads listed, type the following commands:
<programlisting>
thread N
bt
</programlisting>
Where 'N' is the number of the thread (in this example, 1
through 8).
</para>
<para>
Cut and paste all the output gdb gives you into a text
file. You can quit gdb by typing
<userinput>quit</userinput>
</para>
<para>
If you prefer, you can start gdb while a process is
running. You'll want to do this right after a crash dialog
appears, but before hitting "OK" or "Submit bug report".
Start <application>gdb</application> as above, but instead
of using <userinput>r</userinput>, type <userinput>attach
PID</userinput> where PID is the process ID of the
component you want to debug.
</para>
<para>
If that sounds too complicated, you can always use
<command>bug-buddy</command> to get and submit the stack
trace.
</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question>
<para>
A component of evolution crashed, but since the rest of
evolution stayed up, I couldn't use bug-buddy to get a
stack trace. How can I use gdb to get a stack trace of
the component?
</para>
</question>
<answer>
<para>
To trace a failing component (in this example, evolution-mail):
<orderedlist numeration="arabic">
<listitem>
<para>
Open two terminals.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
In one, type <command>gdb evolution-mail</command>
. Replace "evolution-mail" with the name of the
component that is crashing: evolution-addressbook,
evolution-calendar, etc.)
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Once gdb starts, type <userinput>r</userinput> and
hit enter. Give it a few seconds, to make sure it
starts up completely.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
In the second terminal, type
<command>evolution</command>. Do whatever you did
to cause the crash in the component you used in
step two.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
When the crash occurs, type 'bt' in the first
terminal.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Cut and paste the output into your bug report.
</para>
</listitem>
</orderedlist>
</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
</qandaset>
</sect1>
</appendix>
<!-- Local Variables: --> <!-- indent-tabs-mode:nil --> <!-- End: -->
|