3. Trace Tool Builder

3 Trace Tool Builder

3.1 Introduction

Trace Tool Builder is a base for building trace tools for single node or distributed Erlang systems. It requires the Runtime_Tools application to be available on the traced node.

The following are the main features of Trace Tool Builder:

• Start tracing to file ports on many nodes with one function call.
• Write more information to a trace information file, which is read during formatting.
• Restore previous configuration by maintaining a history buffer and handling configuration files.
• Provide some simple support for sequential tracing.
• Format binary trace logs and merge logs from multiple nodes.

The intention of Trace Tool Builder is to serve as a base for tailor-made trace tools, but it can also be used directly from the Erlang shell (it can mimic dbg behaviour while still providing useful additions, such as