I use a logging middleware in all my apps that use ReSwift. I love to see the event log. It makes me think the app is healthy when it tells me what’s going on.

All this happens when I start the knowledge management app I’m working on in about half a second (reformatted a bit to make reading easier):

> ReSwiftInit()
> Routing(route: .launch)
> ChangingArchiveConfiguration(
    configuration: Optional(ArchiveConfiguration(folder=Folder(path="/Users/ctm/Pending/Zettelkasten-App/testdata"), 
    extensions=PlainTextExtensions())))
> InitializingArchive.started
TODO: show loading indicator
> Routing(route: .mainWindow(MainRoute(
    state=State(
        searchResults: ArchiveContents([], []), 
        noteText: nil, 
        showSettings: false), 
    components=Components(
        search: Search(archive=Archive(<InMemoryZettelFinder>), lastState=nil), 
        display: DisplayNote(), 
        indexing: Indexing(), 
        writing: WriteFileChanges())))
> SearchingNotes(query: Query("", context=[]))
> SearchingNotesFinished(ArchiveContents([§id2, §id], []))
> DisplayingNoteFinished.displayNone
> InitializingArchive.successful
TODO: close loading indicator
error indexing: noNote(file:///Users/ctm/Pending/Zettelkasten-App/testdata/.DS_Store)
> ReloadingResults(trigger: note changed in repository (§201201301230))
> SearchingNotesFinished(ArchiveContents([§id2, §id, §201201301230], []))
> ReloadingResults(trigger: note changed in repository (¿this is a proto zettel?))
> SearchingNotesFinished(ArchiveContents([§id2, §201202011545, §201202011557, §201202092218, §201202011633, §201202011636, §201201311533, §201202011539, §201202011536, §201202011542, §201202011602, §201202092225, §201202101433, §201202101439, §201201301230, §id, §201202011550, §201202011607, §201202011623, §201201311302, §201201311311, §201612241053], [¿this is a proto zettel?]))

The bottom part tells me the initial note indexing sends ReloadingResults events correctly. It is throttled already to fire only every 0.2 seconds, but that still means it will fire at least twice: once in the beginning (that’s the first note with the ID “201201301230”) and later when it’s done. Maybe I’ll get rid of a live-updating list of files when a lot of work is performed.

TableFlip’s log looks similar. Here’s what happens when TableFlip launches with 2 windows open. You can see that in /tmp/tableflip.log, too, if you run the app:

> ReSwiftInit()
> ReSwiftInit()
> ChangeLock(isLocked: false)
> ChangeLicenseInformationAction(
    licenseInformation: TrialLicense.LicenseInformation.registered(
        TrialLicense.License(name: xxxx, licenseCode: xxxx)))
> ChangeLock(isLocked: false)
> ReSwiftInit()
> ReSwiftInit()
> ChangeLock(isLocked: false)
> Undone with SelectTable(tableIndex: 0)
> ChangeLicenseInformationAction(
    licenseInformation: TrialLicense.LicenseInformation.registered(
        TrialLicense.License(name: xxxx, licenseCode: xxxx)))
> ChangeLock(isLocked: false)

That, in turn, tells me I can save a few cycles by optimizing the locking/unlocking of documents based on license information. Undone with SelectTable(tableIndex: 0) is an artifact of resetting the NSDocument to display the initial table data properly by making sure the first table in the document is selected. “Undone” here indicates it’s not an action that is undoable. (See my Undo middleware.)

This is what happens when you move the cursor twice to the right in TableFlip:

> selectCell(Selection(1, 1)) @ 0
> selectCell(Selection(2, 1)) @ 0
> selectCell(Selection(3, 1)) @ 0

Then type something and hit return, triggering an autosave in the process:

> changeCell((#3, #1), 'hello!') @ 0
> selectCell(Selection(3, 2)) @ 0
Determining write operation for net.daringfireball.markdown
Changed document type to canonical Optional("net.daringfireball.markdown")
Requesting data of type net.daringfireball.markdown for document of Optional(TableFlip.DocumentType.markdown)

I hate dealing with file types, by the way.

Here’s the logging middleware, in case you want to have as much fun as I:

import Foundation
import ReSwift

let formatter: DateFormatter = {
    let formatter = DateFormatter()
    formatter.dateFormat = "HH':'mm':'ss'.'SSSS"
    return formatter
}()

func log(_ text: String) {
    let time = formatter.string(from: Date())
    print("\(time) \(text)")
}

let loggingMiddleware: Middleware = { dispatch, getState in
    return { next in
        return { action in
            log("> \(action)")
            return next(action)
        }
    }
}