When things needs further investigation
Enabling logging is the simplest method to find the cause of a problem. The logging levels run from 1 (least) to 5 (most).
Note: Higher logging levels may contain private data. Be careful before showing anyone.
Start NeoMutt with some logging:
neomutt -d 2
By default, NeoMutt will log to the file: ~/.neomuttdebug0
The file will be rotated each time NeoMutt is run.
The filename can be overridden on the command line with the -l option.
The logging can be enabled in the config file with:
set debug_level = 2
set debug_file = neolog
You can compile NeoMutt with debugging information. Follow the guidelines on how to compile NeoMutt according to your distribution, and when executing make, pass extra flags:
make EXTRA_CFLAGS="-g -O0"
A good choice of debugger is cgdb (the curses front-end to gdb).
Alternatively, you can use the Text User Interface (TUI) of gdb -tui
Note: When you run the debugger, it might suggest that you install development and debugging libraries. This is a good idea!
NeoMutt is a curses app which makes it tricky to debug. A simple solution is to use two windows.
In the first window, find out the device and sleep for ages.
This window is where NeoMutt will appear.
Yours will be different (make a note).
tty
sleep 10000
/dev/pts/5
In the second window, we’ll run the debugger, e.g. cgdb
cgdb neomutt
# Inside cdgb, set up the windows
tty /dev/pts/5
handle SIGPIPE noprint nostop
# set the default parameters for neomutt
set args -d 2
Now we’re ready to debug, so run neomutt:
run
You’ll see neomutt start up in the first window.
You can use it as normal.
Next, in the second window, hit Ctrl-C
The debugger will stop and you can…
# Get a backtrace
bt
# Set a breakpoint
b mutt_getch
# Examine a variable
p Incoming->path
# Continue running
c
If NeoMutt is already running, you can attach a debugger to it
ps ux | grep "neomutt"
cgdb --pid 1234
Once attached, you can:
# Get a backtrace
bt
# Set a breakpoint
b mutt_getch
# Examine a variable
p Incoming->path
# Continue running
c
If NeoMutt crashes, it may leave a coredump (an image of the program at the time it crashed). The location of this file depends on your OS and your account settings.
cgdb neomutt coredump
Then in cgdb, get a backtrace:
bt
