It will be faster and easier to help you if your e-mail includes all of the following information:
The version of Mac OS X that you are using
Click on the Apple menu and chooseAbout This Mac.
The version of SpamSieve that you are using
Click on the SpamSieve menu and chooseAbout SpamSieve. (Please do not say “the latest version,” as this is ambiguous.)
The name and version of your e-mail program
In your mail program, click on the application menu and chooseAbout <Mail Program Name>. (If you’re using Apple Mail, it’s not necessary to specify the version.)
Information about your e-mail setup
• Do you access your e-mail from multiple computers? If so, on how many of them is SpamSieve installed?
• If you are using SpamSieve with the same e-mail account on multiple Macs, which one of thefour approved setupsare you using?
• Do you access your e-mail from a mobile device such as an iPhone, iPad, iPod, or BlackBerry?
• Are you using SpamSieve with multiple e-mail accounts? If so, does the problem pertain to all of them?
Errors reported in Console
Please seeSending in an Error Report.
Additionally, for certain types of problems, please include the following information:
If you have spam messages in your inbox
Pleasedo not forward the problem messages using your mail program. Instead, make a new e-mail to
[email protected] and include the following items as attachments:
• SpamSieve’s log file (seeSending in the SpamSieve Log File).
• Screenshots (seeSending in Screenshots).
• Any applicable false negatives files (seeSending in False Negative Files).
If you have good messages in your Spam mailbox
Please also include:
• SpamSieve’s log file (seeSending in the SpamSieve Log File).
• Screenshots (seeSending in Screenshots).
• The sender address and subject for each good message that you’re referring to.
If SpamSieve or the mail program hangs, freezes, or is very slow
Please seeSending in a “Sample” Report.
If the mail program crashes
Please seeSending in Crash Log Files.
For other types of problems, please describe what you did, what happened, and what did you expect to happen instead. This will make it easier for us to understand the issue that you are reporting.
7.2.1 Sending in an Error Report
If an error window appeared on your screen, please include the exact text of the error message in your e-mail. (It may help to useCopyandPaste.)
Please also send in any errors that were reported in the system log:
1. Click on Finder in the Dock.
2. From theGomenu, chooseUtilities. 3. Double-click the Console application.
4. Click on All Messagesat the left of the window. (It may be necessary to first click theShow Log Listtoolbar button if you don’t seeAll Messagesat the left.)
5. If it shows any recent error messages, select them (or chooseEdit . Select All).
Note: You may need to click theEarlierbutton at the bottom of the window to find errors that did not occur recently.
6. ChooseFile . Save Selection As. . .and save the file as My Log.logon your desktop. 7. Drag this file into your e-mail message to include it as an attachment/enclosure.
7.2.2 Sending in the SpamSieve Log File
SpamSieve’slog file contains information about the incoming messages that it has processed as well as the messages that you’ve trained it with. If SpamSieve is not behaving the way that you expect, the log file can help pinpoint the source of the problem. The log file is stored at:
You cannot find the log file by searching your Mac because Spotlight does not index the folder the contains it. Instead, you can find the log file by following the instructions below:
To send in the log file:
1. Open your Libraryfolder, as described inHow can I open the Library folder?. 2. Inside theLibraryfolder, open theLogsfolder.
3. Inside theLogsfolder, open theSpamSievefolder.
4. Inside theSpamSievefolder, find theSpamSieve Log.logfile.
Note: In most cases, you can ignore old, dated log files, whose names end with.log.bz2. Just send theSpamSieve Log.log file.
5. Drag the SpamSieve Log.logfile into the message window in your e-mail program to attach it to your message. The file should be included as an attachment/enclosure, not as text in the body of the message.
7.2.3 Sending in Screenshots
To help troubleshoot problems in your mail program, please include screenshots of:
1. Any errors that were reported (if applicable). 2. The message list in your mail program.
3. The rule list in your mail program (including both regular rules and mailing list manager rules, if applicable).
4. The individual SpamSieve rule(s) that you created in the mail program.
To take a screenshot, hold down the Apple and Shift keys and press the number 4. Then use the mouse to select the area of the screen that you want to take a picture of. This will create a file calledPicture 1
on your desktop. Pressing the keys again will create Picture 2, etc. You can drag these into the e-mail window to attach them to your message. If you’re using Apple Mail, be sure to set theImage Sizepop-up menu at the bottom of the message window toActual Size.
7.2.4 Sending in False Negative Files
In theAdvancedtab of SpamSieve’sPreferenceswindow, make sure thatSave false negatives to diskis checked. When you train a message as spam that SpamSieve thought was good, it will save that message as a file. Click theShowbutton in thePreferenceswindow to open the folder. You can then drag the folder (or particular files in it) into the message window in your e-mail program. You can use Quick Look to view the message files to help find the ones that you want.
If a spam message gets through and isnot saved in theFalse Negativesfolder, this likely means that there is a setup problem and that SpamSieve was not given an opportunity to filter that message. Please see the
7.2.5 Sending in a “Sample” Report
If a program is slow, hangs (e.g. with a spinning beachball), or freezes, a “sample” report can record what your Mac was doing in order to locate the source of the problem.
1. Click on Finder in the Dock.
2. From theGomenu, chooseUtilities. 3. Double-click the Activity Monitor program.
4. Select SpamSieve in theActivity Monitorwindow.
5. Do whatever it is in SpamSieve that causes the slowness, hang, or freeze. Immediately,click on Activity Monitor in the Dock and chooseSample Processfrom theView menu.
6. After Activity Monitor has finished taking the sample, click the Save. . .button in the “Sample of SpamSieve” window. Save the file to your desktop and then include it in your e-mail message as an attachment. (Please do not copy and paste the text from the Activity Monitor window.)
(If you aren’t sure whether the problem pertains to SpamSieve or the mail program, please repeat steps 4–6 for both SpamSieve and the mail program.)
7.2.6 Sending in Crash Log Files
If SpamSieve itself crashes, theSpamSieve Crash Reporterwindow should automatically come up. Make sure that you enter a valid e-mail address and then click theSend Reportbutton.
If your mail program (or a helper process such as spamsieve-reader) crashes, you’ll need to send in the crash log file manually. Crash logs are stored in the folder:
/Users/<username>/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/
• On Mac OS X 10.7 through 10.11, first click on the Finder in the Dock, then click on theGomenu, and hold down the Option key as you chooseLibrary. Open theLogs folder, thenDiagnosticReports.
• On Mac OS X 10.6, first click on the Finder in the Dock, then click on the Go menu, and choose
Home. Open theLibraryfolder. Then open theLogsfolder, thenDiagnosticReports.
Once you’ve opened theDiagnosticReportsfolder, find the most most recent crash log file for the program that crashed and add it to your e-mail message as an attachment.
Note: You may be able to temporarily stop crashes in Apple Mail by removing all of the.mailbundlefiles from the folder:
7.2.7 Sending in Apple Mail Rules
If there is a problem setting up your rules in Mail, please send in the rules file(s):
• On Mac OS X 10.11, the files are stored at:
/Users/<username>/Library/Containers/com.apple.mail/Data/Library/Mail/V3/MailData/RulesActiveState.plist /Users/<username>/Library/Containers/com.apple.mail/Data/Library/Mail/V3/MailData/SyncedRules.plist /Users/<username>/Library/Containers/com.apple.mail/Data/Library/Mail/V3/MailData/UnsyncedRules.plist
1. Click on the Finder in the Dock.
2. Click on theGomenu at the top of the screen, hold down the Option key, and then choose
Library.
3. Open the Containers folder, thencom.apple.mail, then Data, then Library, then Mail, then V3, then MailData to find the RulesActiveState.plist, SyncedRules.plist, and
UnsyncedRules.plistfiles.
• On Mac OS X 10.8 through 10.10, the files are stored at:
/Users/<username>/Library/Containers/com.apple.mail/Data/Library/Mail/V2/MailData/RulesActiveState.plist /Users/<username>/Library/Containers/com.apple.mail/Data/Library/Mail/V2/MailData/SyncedRules.plist /Users/<username>/Library/Containers/com.apple.mail/Data/Library/Mail/V2/MailData/UnsyncedRules.plist
1. Click on the Finder in the Dock.
2. Click on theGomenu at the top of the screen, hold down the Option key, and then choose
Library.
3. Open the Containers folder, thencom.apple.mail, then Data, then Library, then Mail, then V2, then MailData to find the RulesActiveState.plist, SyncedRules.plist, and
UnsyncedRules.plistfiles.
• On Mac OS X 10.7, the file is stored at:
/Users/<username>/Library/Mail/V2/MailData/MessageRules.plist 1. Click on the Finder in the Dock.
2. Click on theGomenu at the top of the screen, hold down the Option key, and then choose
Library.
3. Open theMail folder, thenV2, then MailDatato find theMessageRules.plistfile.
• On Mac OS X 10.6, the file is stored at:
/Users/<username>/Library/Mail/MessageRules.plist 1. Click on the Finder in the Dock.
2. Click on theGomenu and chooseHome.