NetBeans Support Weblog: Tips , Tricks, Techniques and more

The different log files the NetBeans user will need to assess an issue, and how to view them from within the IDE:

• The NetBeans IDE log file : To view the content of IDE log file go to Main Menu -> View -> IDE Log File (or directly $netbeans_userdir/var/log/messages.log) . The content appears in the output window, titled IDE Log file

• The Server log files: To view the contents of the Server Log files, switch to Services window, Expand Servers  node , right click the server instance node, and select 'View Server Log' . For example for Sun Java System  Application Server which comes with the NetBeans IDE install, in the Services window, expand Servers -> GlassFish V2  and right click . Select 'View Server Log' . The content appears in the output window under the tab titled  glassFish V2 .
  
• Note for a registered Tomcat Server, right clicking and selecting the "View Server Output", displays the server log as defined in the server.xml files. This menu is enabled when the server is running.