Getting Stack Traces

You probably got to this page because someone asked you for additional information in a bug report that you filed. This extra bit of information they asked for is a stack trace (also known as a backtrace), and it is important for developers that the stack trace you obtain contains certain details (called debugging symbols). Below are listed all the steps we would like you to take to provide us with the helpful information. It should only take 10-15 minutes of your time, and it will help us tremendously to improve the software you are using.

Installing debugging information packages

You need to install debug packages for the program that crashed. These debug packages are additional packages that do not affect your existing program, but provide extra information (debugging symbols) needed by developers. This makes it a lot easier to find the exact place in the program code where that problem occurs, and to fix it. We ask you to also install debug packages for some of the program's major dependencies. GNOME's main libraries are glib, gtk+ and gnome-vfs (note that distros often rename these to e.g. glib2, gtk2 and gnome-vfs2). Please install them in addition because most of the GNOME programs depend on those major libraries and make use of their functionality.

The steps to install vary by distro, so you'll need to read the section of GettingTraces/DistroSpecificInstructions corresponding to your distro to find out how.

Obtaining a new stack trace using Bug Buddy

After installing the relevant debugging information packages, just make the program crash again. If you cannot do so, please leave a comment and tell us. Bug Buddy should then pop up and gather all information for you. You should then copy-and-paste the trace from bug-buddy into your previously filed bug report. We ask you to add the information as an attachment, if possible. Please, avoid submitting duplicate reports. Do not make bug-buddy send it again.

Only if you are interested in additional details or have a more complicated case, you can see GettingTraces/Details for detailed expert information.