Logs & event tracking

Use logs and event tracking to understand Octoparse task runs, troubleshoot failures, and monitor extraction behavior.

Logs and event tracking help you understand what happened during a task run. Use them to troubleshoot failed runs, incomplete data, unexpected stops, pagination issues, login problems, or cloud extraction behavior.

What logs are for

Logs can help answer questions such as:

• Did the task start successfully?
• Which step failed?
• Did the page load correctly?
• Did pagination continue as expected?
• Was a login or cookie state missing?
• Did the task extract records?
• Why did the cloud run stop?

When to check logs

Check logs when:

Situation	Why logs help
A task fails	Identify the step or page where it failed
Data is missing	Check whether extraction fields were reached
Fewer records than expected	Review pagination, loops, or stopping conditions
Cloud runs behave differently	Compare cloud behavior with local tests
A scheduled task stops	Check run history and failure timing

Troubleshooting workflow

1. Find the failed or incomplete run

   Open the task’s run history and select the run you want to inspect.

2. Review the timeline

   Look for the first warning, failed action, or unexpected stop.

3. Compare with the workflow

   Match the log event to the corresponding action in the task.

4. Adjust the task

   Update waits, selectors, pagination, login, cookies, proxy, or extraction settings as needed.

5. Run a sample again

   Test the updated workflow before scheduling or scaling the task.

Common causes of run issues

• Page structure changed
• Element selector no longer matches
• Content loaded too slowly
• Login session expired
• CAPTCHA or blocking appeared
• Pagination did not continue
• Cloud environment differs from local testing
• The task stopped before reaching all pages

Best practices

• Review logs after major task changes.
• Keep a successful run as a comparison point.
• Test locally when you need to observe page behavior directly.
• Use cloud logs when scheduled or unattended runs fail.
• Combine logs with data count and export status to confirm task health.

Logs show what happened during a run, but they may not always explain why a website behaved differently. For complex sites, compare local tests, cloud logs, and the target page structure together.