# Using logging or messages from a plugin? **URL:** \ **Category:** Support\ **Tags:** windows, console, logs\ **Created:** [July 4, 2025, 7:32pm UTC](https://forums.synfig.org/t/using-logging-or-messages-from-a-plugin/16634 "2025-07-04T19:32:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![walter](https://forums.synfig.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/w/85e7bf/32.png) [@walter](https://forums.synfig.org/u/walter)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2025, 7:32pm UTC](https://forums.synfig.org/t/using-logging-or-messages-from-a-plugin/16634/1 "2025-07-04T19:32:41Z")
Exploring developing a plugin. Wanting to log information for debugging in the Python plugin script. Documentation for the plugin.xml suggests you can direct stdout and stderr to the SynFig log or a message presented to the user. Does this work? I’m trying to direct log messages to either using Python “print” statements. No message is displayed to me. And I’m not sure where the SynFig log file is located. Any insight appreciated… Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![BobSynfig](https://forums.synfig.org/user_avatar/forums.synfig.org/bobsynfig/32/175_2.png) [@BobSynfig](https://forums.synfig.org/u/BobSynfig)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2025, 8:47pm UTC](https://forums.synfig.org/t/using-logging-or-messages-from-a-plugin/16634/2 "2025-07-05T20:47:54Z")
As written in [Plugins — Synfig User Manual 1.5.1 documentation](https://synfig.readthedocs.io/en/latest/plugins.html#exec) > stdout > > What to do with the script standard output: > > - **ignore** output is discarded > - **log** the output is shown in the Synfig log > - **message** an error message is shown to the user > > stderr > > Same as above, but for standard error > > Example: > > `myscript.py` > > Changing stream behaviour: > > `myscript.py` So you should set “log” for both stdout and stderr and start Synfig from a terminal/console to see the log. If you are under Windows, you should use “synfigstudio.exe --console” to start it. ---
**Author:** ![walter](https://forums.synfig.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/w/85e7bf/32.png) [@walter](https://forums.synfig.org/u/walter)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2025, 2:43pm UTC](https://forums.synfig.org/t/using-logging-or-messages-from-a-plugin/16634/3 "2025-07-10T14:43:41Z")
> [@BobSynfig](#): > > synfigstudio.exe Thanks for the info. I was not aware there is a console available. So I launched a copy of synfigstudio.exe with the --console parameter. Synfig came up but I’m not sure where the console is. Also, is this documented and I just missed it? ---
**Author:** ![BobSynfig](https://forums.synfig.org/user_avatar/forums.synfig.org/bobsynfig/32/175_2.png) [@BobSynfig](https://forums.synfig.org/u/BobSynfig)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2025, 3:43pm UTC](https://forums.synfig.org/t/using-logging-or-messages-from-a-plugin/16634/4 "2025-07-10T15:43:13Z")
It exists since 1.0 > [@Synfig Studio 1.0 - Release Candidate #4](https://forums.synfig.org/t/synfig-studio-1-0-release-candidate-4/3386): > > The fourth release candidate of Synfig Studio 1.0 is available for download and testing! We would like to give a special thanks to the people who [supported](http://www.synfig.org/cms/en/donate) Synfig Studio development in this period. Much thanks to: Ksenija Kuzjaeva, Patrick Hlavac-Winsor, Ricardo Tanaka, Michael Thanem, Boudewijn Rempt, Joslyn Greenard. With this update we deliver a dozen of important fixes and some usability improvements. Please check the full list of changes below. [image] List of changes: Show warning wh… > [@Two Background Audio Files](https://forums.synfig.org/t/two-background-audio-files/14006/2): > > Hello, VivekC. You can’t hear the SFX even without the voiceover audio? Maybe the audio spec is not supported. If you use Linux or macOS, launch SYnfig Studio from console/terminal to get the log. If on Windows, enable the console window by adding --console switch in the .bat file of the portable version. I can’t remember the full filename now. > [@Synfig Crashes when using Color Picker](https://forums.synfig.org/t/synfig-crashes-when-using-color-picker/12377/12): > > I just tried it here and it works fine confused Sadly, on Windows, GUI apps does not have any stdout/stdin/cerr/cout/cin/cerr. He should edit the .bat launch file in Notepad to launch with --console. He could do it by changing this line: start “” “%~dp0\bin\synfigstudio.exe” to start “” “%~dp0\bin\synfigstudio.exe” --console Or even on Github > > > \*\*Synfig version & platform\*\*: > master branch, commit 2b0a8874afafb0881a466e595d…99cad74d2fafdd > > \*\*Issue description\*\*: > Steps to reproduce: > 1. Start Synfig Studio with "--console" parameter: > !\[screenshot\_005\](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/332868/87956703-8a95ab80-cad9-11ea-8050-e41b29932da2.png) > 2. Open any file and try to launch any plugin. You'll get an error: > !\[screenshot\_006\](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/332868/87956830-aef18800-cad9-11ea-9c0e-c4bd06ecf5e4.png) > > The bug doesn't reproducible if started without "--console" parameter. Everywhere where we talk about to obtain logs to solve an issue … Note that this parameter is specific to Windows, which is not the primary target for development. Starting SynfigStudio from the terminal in Linux displays everything.