[x3d-public] Data logging support in X3Dv4

Fri Oct 18 12:08:32 PDT 2019

I received a mystery email from the Mantis tracker about being
assigned a Logger entry. The forwarded Mantis summary seems pretty
comprehensive. It focuses on a Logger node.

Another way to think about logging of events is as a browser feature
which can be enabled, parallel to a debugger. This is how I would
first think about logging. As a system feature, not as a scene content
feature. It seems counterproductive to have to modify/augment a scene
with extra nodes, scripts and routes to enable logging.

So my suggestions would be to turn this into a Browser Property or
Browser Option. Scene's could hint with a SAI script what level of
logging they allow, expecting the browser to respect the hint. Note
that a Logger node would not prevent browsers from unauthorized
logging if a browser really wanted to.

Is the main security concern that with logging an otherwise protected
scene (perhaps by encryption) would expose its data (geometry, raw
imagery) ?

Enabled logging would just log output events by nodes selected by
loglevel, always to the console (which may be recorded in a file
anyways), in a standard format as outlined in the Mantis summary.
Filtering can be applied by other tools. There are a lot of events
zipping around.

loglevels could be combinations of:
- ROUTES: only events which go through routes
- Sensors: events generated by any Sensor
- Scripts: events generated by Scripts
- Interpolators/Sequencers: events generated by those
- component: events generated by all nodes defined in a component ("Networking")
- all: deluge from all nodes
- none: no logging, default

I suppose one way to think about  this as a browser feature is to have
implicit Logger nodes and routes from all the nodes selected by
loglevels. The advantage from a spec. perspective that the mechanism
does not have to be explicitly prescribed, only the functionality.

So I think it boils down to:

a) What is the standard format of the logging output ? Perhaps easy to define.

b) What is logged ? output events of some or all nodes.

c) The browser service specification:

- it may be possible to piggy back on setBrowserOption which uses this
table: https://www.web3d.org/documents/specifications/19775-1/V3.3/Part01/components/networking.html#t-BrowserProperties
:
add a property:
Name: LogLevel
Description: allow logging of events to console
Range: see above
Default: None

And perhaps a header (meta?) entry 'maxLogLevel' in the Scene to limit
logging, by a Scene author:
https://www.web3d.org/documents/specifications/19775-1/V3.3/Part01/components/core.html#HeaderStatement.
Or allow resetting of the Browser Option by the Scene with an
initialize script.

I think once a more precise spec. language is provided, multiple
browser implementation could be quickly had.

Any feedback welcome.

-Andreas

On Wed, Oct 16, 2019 at 10:27 PM Andreas Plesch <andreasplesch at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> x_ite_dom can log all out events by adding a 'trace' attribute to the x3dcanvas element.
>
> x3dom does not have built-in logging . Instead, all web browsers have powerful debuggers which can be used to follow the event flow (and all internals). Chrome even lets you modify code and then continue, or restart.
>
> This also applies to x_ite.
>
> Andreas
>
> ---on the phone---
>
> On Wed, Oct 16, 2019, 6:40 PM <x3d-public-request at web3d.org> wrote:
>>
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>>    1. Re: Data logging support in X3Dv4 (Brutzman, Donald (Don) (CIV))
>>
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Message: 1
>> Date: Wed, 16 Oct 2019 15:31:25 +0000
>> From: "Brutzman, Donald (Don) (CIV)" <brutzman at nps.edu>
>> To: Michalis Kamburelis <michalis.kambi at gmail.com>
>> Cc: X3D Graphics public mailing list <x3d-public at web3d.org>, Feng Liu
>>         <LIU_F at mercer.edu>
>> Subject: Re: [x3d-public] Data logging support in X3Dv4
>> Message-ID: <2f511aa0-9a21-1fc6-7b36-3f43114186b1 at nps.edu>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>>
>> Thank you very much for this detailed information Michalis.
>>
>> I have created Mantis issue 1263 to track this.
>>
>> * https://www.web3d.org/member-only/mantis/view.php?id=1263
>>
>> Who would like to take charge of the issue:  Next steps include:
>>
>> - reconciling implementations X3DOM, Castle Game Engine and adding others (X_ITE, FreeWrl, etc.),
>> - one or two example scenes (with outputs) to confirm conformance,
>> - draft specification prose, including security considerations.
>>
>> We can all assist via the mailing list.  Having someone in charge will help.
>>
>> On 10/14/2019 11:58 PM, Michalis Kamburelis wrote:
>> > Hi,
>> >
>> > Instant Reality and Castle Game Engine implement a "Logger" node, that
>> > seems in line with your thinking :) It was indeed quite useful in some
>> > cases when I wasn't sure what/when events are generated by something.
>> >
>> > See:
>> > - https://doc.instantreality.org/documentation/nodetype/Logger/ ( note
>> > that the CSS of Instant Reality docs seems broken for me now, but the
>> > content is readable anyway)
>> > - https://castle-engine.io/x3d_extensions.php#section_ext_logger (
>> > it's a long page, look at section about "Logger" )
>> >
>> > The principle is simple: route *anything* to Logger's "write" field to
>> > output it to browser-specific log mechanism. A special type is
>> > invented here to allow an input event to receive any X3D field type:
>> > XFAny .
>> >
>> > I would say that adding it to X3D spec may be reasonable (but without
>> > the "logFile" field), in the "Event Utilities" component --
>> > implementing this node is rather easy, and the usefulness is real.
>> >
>> > Example in classic encoding:
>> >
>> > ```
>> > DEF MyLogger Logger {
>> >    level 3
>> > }
>> > DEF MyKeySensor KeySensor { }
>> > ROUTE MyKeySensor.keyPress TO MyLogger.write
>> > ```
>> >
>> > Complete example that works in view3dscene:
>> > https://github.com/castle-engine/demo-models/blob/master/x3d/castle_extensions/logger.x3dv
>> >
>> > Regards,
>> > Michalis
>> >
>> > pon., 14 pa? 2019 o 19:24 Brutzman, Donald (Don) (CIV)
>> > <brutzman at nps.edu> napisa?(a):
>> >>
>> >> [We explored several points such as this during today's Web3DUX User Experience teleconference.]
>> >>
>> >> Data logging is a common prerequisite for many types of measurement and assessment.
>> >>
>> >> Conventions for logging via HTML and also directly via X3D need to be considered. For example, numerous X3D sensor nodes include the ability to generate output events triggered by user navigation and interaction.  Common data formatting that identifies system parameters, event source, timestamp and data streams for a given scene can facilitate analysis.  Defining and adding a logging function to the X3D Browser object specification can enable secure recording of information.
>> >>
>> >> Question: do others think that logging is important also?  Am thinking that having such a capability is important for measurable improvements in X3Dv4.
>> >>
>> >> all the best, Don
>> >> --
>> >> Don Brutzman  Naval Postgraduate School, Code USW/Br       brutzman at nps.edu
>> >> Watkins 270,  MOVES Institute, Monterey CA 93943-5000 USA   +1.831.656.2149
>> >> X3D graphics, virtual worlds, navy robotics http://faculty.nps.edu/brutzman
>> >> _______________________________________________
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>>
>>
>> all the best, Don
>> --
>> Don Brutzman  Naval Postgraduate School, Code USW/Br       brutzman at nps.edu
>> Watkins 270,  MOVES Institute, Monterey CA 93943-5000 USA   +1.831.656.2149
>> X3D graphics, virtual worlds, navy robotics http://faculty.nps.edu/brutzman
>>
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-- 
Andreas Plesch
Waltham, MA 02453