You can view the results of a trace in one of two formats. The default is as a simple text file, or you can create a compressed
binary file, which can be viewed using the CTF Viewer.
Text format trace files have the advantage that you can view them in a text editor, but there are a number of disadvantages:
- Trace files can get very large very quickly.
- The trace record format needs to be specified before tracing begins (e.g. when tracing a multi-threaded application, the $(THREAD)
pseudo-variable needs to be specified to ensure that the thread id appears in each trace record).
- Trace events are meaningless to nearly everyone except the developer who trace-enabled the application/component.
Binary format trace files cannot be viewed in a text editor, but they provide the following advantages:
- Compressed format. Usually at least 50% the size of an equivalent text-format trace file.
- No record format needs to be specified before tracing begins. All relevant information about a trace event is recorded, such
as the process id, thread id, date, time, component id, event id, trace data and so on.