Sending Us Your Java Console Log (Windows)

If you are having problems with one or all of our Java-based tools - e.g., ChartNotes, PerfCharts, MarketCarpets, etc. - we may ask you to send us the "Java Console Log" so that we can see what the problem is. Here are the steps for doing that if you are using Windows.  (Note: Click here if you use a Mac.)

Note: These steps assume you are using Java version 6. If you are using an older version of Java, please visit http://java.com and upgrade to the latest version. The screen shots in this tutorial are from Windows XP. The steps for Windows Vista users are the same, the screen images will look slightly different however.

Open the Windows Control Panel

Click on "Start" (#1) then click on "Control Panel" (#2) to open the Windows Control Panel.

Open the Java Control Panel

Find the Java "Coffee Cup" item (red box) and double-click it to open the Java Control Panel.

Open the Advanced Tab

Click on the "Advanced" tab (red box) to view the Advanced options.

Open the "Java console" Settings

Click on the "+" symbol next to "Java console" (red box) to open the Java console settings.

Change the Java Console Settings to "Show console"

Click the circle to the left of "Show console" to set that option, then click the "OK" button to close the Java Control Panel.

Congratulations! You will now see the Java Console window appear anytime you visit a web page with a Java program on it.

(Note: If that console becomes annoying later, just repeat the above steps and select "Hide console" to turn it back off.)

Test the new Java Console Setting

Open a browser window and enter http://stockcharts.com/charts/performance/USMarkets.html into the address bar, then press "Enter". When the page appears, you should also see the "Java Console" window pop up looking very similar to this:

The actual text inside the console might be different but this is what the Java Console looks like in general.

(Note: If the console window doesn't appear, look to see if it is listed down in your Task Bar at the bottom of the screen. If it is not there, shutdown and restart your computer and try again. If that doesn't cause the console to appear, go back to the Java Control Panel and check your settings again.)

Now, Go Reproduce Your Problem

Do whatever it was that caused the original problem that you wrote to us about. Make sure that the Java Console is open while you are recreating the problem. Once the problem occurs, hopefully the Java Console window will look similar to the example above (which is what happens when ChartNotes runs out of memory).

Regardless of what information is in the console, click the "Copy" button (red box) to copy all of that information onto the Windows Clipboard.

Paste the Console Log into an Email Message

Using your email program, "Reply" to our message and then use "Edit/Paste" to insert the Java Console Log into the message. Add any additional comments that you want and then Send the message to us. Thanks! The Java Console Log usually helps us get to the bottom of things pretty quickly.