In android, where can I find log files, espacialy those of the default contact app when it crashes ? Why does my contact app crashes?

Question

Trying to sync contact of an egroupware instance with an android v4 using CardDAV Sync, the "contact" app crash if I try to add/change a contact of the CardDAV group.

CardDAV Sync include a login system, which give me the follwing result :

20140313T130816Z V org.dmfs.syncadapter.SyncAdapter background data setting: null background data value:true
20140313T130816Z V org.dmfs.syncadapter.SyncAdapter network type: 1 newtork subtype: 0 is connected: true is available: true
20140313T130816Z V org.dmfs.syncadapter.SyncAdapter starting sync ...
20140313T130816Z I org.dmfs.carddav.syncadapter.SyncAdapter using synctoken: null
20140313T130816Z V org.dmfs.contacts.GroupManager performed group updates in: 4ms
20140313T130816Z V org.dmfs.carddav.authenticator.Authenticator org.dmfs.carddav.account
20140313T130817Z V org.dmfs.carddav.syncadapter.SyncAdapter Syncing http://127.0.0.1/egroupware/groupdav.php/addressbook/ admin
20140313T130817Z V org.dmfs.dav.methods.DavOptions Code : 200
20140313T130817Z D org.dmfs.dav.CardDav supported report: addressbook-multiget
20140313T130817Z D org.dmfs.dav.CardDav supported report: addressbook-query
20140313T130817Z D org.dmfs.dav.CardDav getctag: 1394602977
20140313T130817Z D org.dmfs.dav.CardDav found privilege unbind
20140313T130817Z D org.dmfs.dav.CardDav found privilege read
20140313T130817Z D org.dmfs.dav.CardDav found privilege read-current-user-privilege-set
20140313T130817Z D org.dmfs.dav.CardDav found privilege bind
20140313T130817Z D org.dmfs.dav.CardDav found privilege write-properties
20140313T130817Z D org.dmfs.dav.CardDav found privilege write-content
20140313T130817Z V org.dmfs.dav.CardDav sync-collection not supported - falling back to full sync
20140313T130817Z I org.dmfs.dav.CardDav ignoring non-contact result http://127.0.0.1/egroupware/groupdav.php/addressbook/ with content-type: httpd/unix-directory
20140313T130817Z V org.dmfs.dav.CardDav found item: 1.vcf 0 1:0 text/vcard
20140313T130817Z V org.dmfs.dav.CardDav found item: 2.vcf 0 2:0 text/vcard
20140313T130817Z V org.dmfs.dav.CardDav found item: 3.vcf 0 3:0 text/vcard
20140313T130817Z V org.dmfs.dav.CardDav found item: 4.vcf 0 4:0 text/vcard
20140313T130817Z V org.dmfs.dav.CardDav found item: 5.vcf 0 5:0 text/vcard
20140313T130817Z V org.dmfs.dav.CardDav found item: 6.vcf 0 6:1 text/vcard
20140313T130817Z V org.dmfs.dav.CardDav found item: 7.vcf 0 7:0 text/vcard
20140313T130817Z V org.dmfs.dav.CardDav found item: 571799f8-a9f5-4f52-bc95-1472bdb65f63.vcf 0 8:1 text/vcard
20140313T130817Z V org.dmfs.dav.CardDav received 8 items
20140313T130817Z V org.dmfs.carddav.authenticator.Authenticator org.dmfs.carddav.account
20140313T130817Z V org.dmfs.carddav.authenticator.Authenticator org.dmfs.carddav.account
20140313T130817Z V org.dmfs.contacts.ContactsManager time to update uids: 29 ms
20140313T130817Z V org.dmfs.sync.Synchronator pairing entities
20140313T130817Z V org.dmfs.sync.Synchronator sorting 8 pairs
20140313T130817Z I org.dmfs.sync.Synchronator r/u/n: 0/0/8
20140313T130817Z V org.dmfs.vcardadapter.VCardSource preloading 8 entities
20140313T130817Z V org.dmfs.dav.CardDav multiget called
20140313T130817Z V org.dmfs.sync.Synchronator conflicts: 0
20140313T130817Z V org.dmfs.contacts.ContactEditor create in db 1.vcf
20140313T130817Z V org.dmfs.contacts.ContactEditor create in db 3.vcf
20140313T130817Z V org.dmfs.contacts.ContactEditor create in db 2.vcf
20140313T130817Z V org.dmfs.contacts.ContactEditor create in db 7.vcf
20140313T130817Z V org.dmfs.contacts.ContactEditor create in db 4.vcf
20140313T130817Z V org.dmfs.contacts.ContactEditor create in db 5.vcf
20140313T130817Z V org.dmfs.contacts.ContactEditor create in db 6.vcf
20140313T130817Z V org.dmfs.contacts.ContactEditor create in db 571799f8-a9f5-4f52-bc95-1472bdb65f63.vcf
20140313T130817Z I org.dmfs.carddav.syncadapter.BatchOperations executing 23 database operations
20140313T130818Z V org.dmfs.carddav.syncadapter.BatchOperations execution finished
20140313T130818Z V org.dmfs.contacts.GroupManager trigger memberships
20140313T130818Z V PendingMembershipProvider writing memberships
20140313T130818Z V PendingMembershipProvider writing memberships execute
20140313T130818Z V PendingMembershipProvider writing memberships done in 21 ms
20140313T130818Z I org.dmfs.carddav.syncadapter.SyncAdapter storing synctoken: 1394602977
20140313T130818Z V org.dmfs.syncadapter.SyncAdapter sync complete
App: org.dmfs.carddav.sync
App version: 0.4.5
OS version: 15
OS Info: samsung/GT-I9100P/GT-I9100P:4.0.3/IML74K/BVLP8:user/release-keys
Date: Thu Mar 13 14:13:57 HNEC 2014

I can't find a problem in this logs though. So I wonder if the contact app write logs which could provide me more information.

Note that I didn't meet the problem on an other phone using Android v.2. On the problematic phone I tried both with the free and paying versions of CardDAV Sync.

Answer 1

Your device runs Android 4.0.3 (SDK Level 15), so you can use an app like CatLog without root privileges: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nolanlawson.logcat

Answer 2

From API 16 on, you cannot read log files of other applications. You have access to ONLY log records issued from your own app.

    ArrayList<String> commandLine = new ArrayList<String>();
    commandLine.add("logcat");//$NON-NLS-1$
    commandLine.add("-d");//$NON-NLS-1$
    ArrayList<String> arguments = ((params != null) && (params.length > 0)) ? params[0] : null;

    if (null != arguments){
         commandLine.addAll(arguments);
    }

    Process process = Runtime.getRuntime().exec(commandLine.toArray(new String[0]));
    BufferedReader bufferedReader = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(process.getInputStream()));

    String line;
    while ((line = bufferedReader.readLine()) != null){ 
         log.append(line);
         log.append(App.LINE_SEPARATOR); 
    }