{= include("docs.util"); start_docs_page(docs.technical_manual.page_titles.using); =}
This page provides some instructions and guidelines for using $(PRODUCT_NAME). It describes and discusses the most common uses with examples.
When you create a profile $PRODUCT_NAME will ask you for the log source. The log data can come from a file, a collection of files, or from the output of an arbitrary command (this last option is available only on UNIX and Windows). The files can be local, or $PRODUCT_NAME can download them from an FTP site. To use an FTP site, you can use a standard FTP URL to specify the location of the files; click Show Examples on the "Where is the log data" page to see examples of FTP URLs. They can also come from a single file downloaded by HTTP. $PRODUCT_NAME supports and automatically detects a wide range of log formats.
Once you have told $PRODUCT_NAME where your log data is, $PRODUCT_NAME will create a profile for you using reasonable values for all the options. You can then click "Show Reports" to see the reports -- $PRODUCT_NAME will read and process the log data to build its database, and then will display the reports. You could also click "Show Config" to customize any of the profile settings. $PRODUCT_NAME's options can be confusing at first because there are so many of them, but you don't need to change any of them if you don't want to. A good way to start is to leave them at their default settings at first, and just look at the reports. Once you're familiar with your statistics using the default settings, you can go back and start changing them if necessary. Options you may eventually decide to change are the Log Filters, which let you include or exclude log data from your database (see {=docs_chapter_link('filters')=}) and the Reports, which lets you customize existing reports and create new ones. For performance tuning, you may also want to edit the cross-references or the database fields (see {=docs_chapter_link('xref')=}).
You can use the Log Filter Options to specify a complex set of filters to control exactly which log entries you are interested in, and which you are not. Some common filters, for instance, those that categorize image files as hits for web server logs are pre-defined, but you may want to enhance the pre-defined filter set with your own filters, or you may want to remove pre-defined filters. See {=docs_chapter_link('filters')=} for more information and examples.
You can view reports at any time by clicking Show Reports next to the name of a profile in the administrative profile list. You can also switch to the reports when you're editing the profile options by clicking the Reports link in the upper left. For information on using and navigating the statistics pages, see {=docs_chapter_link('reports')=}.
$PRODUCT_EXECUTABLE_DOCS -p profilename -a udThis command line updates the database for the profile
profilename
.
See {=docs_chapter_link('poweruse')=} for more examples of command line usage.
{= end_docs_page() =}