When you want to analyze connection problems or track the delivery of single mails by comparing send logs with mail server logs, it can sometimes be useful to have a complete SMTP dialogue dump in a log-file.
For this reason BulkMailer has a trace-log function implemented.
You may also find this useful, when you are technically interested in what BulkMailer finally sends and how the different encodings in a typical mime message (multipart, header encodings, quoted-printable, line length and line-breaks in UTF-8 encoded emails, challenge-response with authentication, etc.) are performed.
BulkMailer has it's very own SMTP and MIME implementation developed by Kroll-Software and not influenced by any other library. It was built up from the ground by strictly following the relevant RFCs. This might be one reason for BulkMailer's success: It complies better with RFC standards than most other mailers do.
1. Activate the trace log
In the send dialog window, just before you click on "Start" to start sending, press the keys <Ctrl-t>. A message box should open and ask for confirmation.
2. Send some mails
Click on the [ Start ] button to send some emails.
3. Analyze the trace log
You can find the file 'trace.log' in the BulkMailer data directory.
To know what your current data directory is, open menu "Extras->Set data directory". You can see the full path in the first input-box. Close this dialog without doing any changes by "Cancel".
Open the trace-log file with any text editor.
Share this trace-log with the administrator of the mail-server, so that he can help to analyze problems. But don't give it to others, because it could contain secret passwords.
Limitations
Log files can become quite big and can exceed the 2,4 gig file size limit with ease.
This trace-log function always appends to the file. Errors are not handled. It was designed to analyze certain problems and is not meant to be used for general every-day logging. If you want to start a new log, simply delete the trace.log file before doing the next trace.