daily-notification-plugin/test-apps/ios-test-app/docs/CONSOLE_DEBUGGING.md

Console Debugging Guide for iOS Test App

Author: Matthew Raymer
Date: November 11, 2025
Version: 1.0.0

Overview

This guide explains how to view console logs from the iOS test app, including both JavaScript (WebView) and native Swift logs.

Method 1: Safari Web Inspector (JavaScript Console) ⭐ Recommended

This is the best way to see JavaScript console.log() messages and debug plugin calls.

Step 1: Enable Web Inspector on Simulator

1. Open Settings app on the iOS Simulator
2. Navigate to Safari → Advanced
3. Toggle "Web Inspector" to ON

Step 2: Enable Develop Menu in Safari (Mac)

1. Open Safari on your Mac
2. Go to Safari → Settings (or Preferences)
3. Click "Advanced" tab
4. Check "Show Develop menu in menu bar"

Step 3: Connect to Your App

1. Make sure your app is running in the simulator
2. In Safari menu bar: Develop → [Your Simulator Name] → [Your App Name]
   • Example: Develop → iPhone 17 Pro - iOS 26.0 → DailyNotification Test App
3. This opens the Web Inspector window

Step 4: View Console

1. Click the "Console" tab in Web Inspector
2. You'll see all JavaScript console.log(), console.error(), etc. messages
3. Filter by typing in the search box (e.g., "permission", "DNP", "error")

What You'll See

• 🔐 checkPermissions called
• 🔐 Plugin available: true/false
• 🔐 checkPermissionStatus method: function/undefined
• ✅ Permission status result: (if successful)
• ❌ Error: (if failed)

Method 2: Xcode Console (Native Swift Logs)

This shows native Swift print(), NSLog(), and os_log() messages.

Steps

1. Open Xcode
2. Go to Window → Devices and Simulators (or press Cmd+Shift+2)
3. Select your simulator from the left sidebar
4. Click "Open Console" button at the bottom
5. Filter by typing in the search box:
   • DNP-PLUGIN - All plugin logs
   • App - All app logs
   • permission - Permission-related logs

What You'll See

• DNP-PLUGIN: Checking permission status
• DNP-PLUGIN: Permission status: notifications=true, exactAlarm=true...
• DNP-PLUGIN: Requesting notification permissions

Method 3: Terminal (Command Line)

For quick log viewing without opening Xcode or Safari.

View All App Logs

xcrun simctl spawn booted log stream --predicate 'process == "App"' --level info

View Plugin Logs Only

xcrun simctl spawn booted log stream --predicate 'subsystem == "com.timesafari.dailynotification"' --level info

View Permission-Related Logs

xcrun simctl spawn booted log stream --predicate 'process == "App" OR subsystem == "com.timesafari.dailynotification"' --level info | grep -iE "DNP|permission|error|check"

View Recent Logs (Last 10 Minutes)

xcrun simctl spawn booted log show --predicate 'process == "App" OR subsystem == "com.timesafari.dailynotification"' --last 10m --style compact | grep -iE "DNP|permission"

Quick Reference

JavaScript Console (Safari Web Inspector)

• Best for: Debugging JavaScript/TypeScript code, plugin method calls
• Shows: console.log(), console.error(), promise results
• Access: Safari → Develop → [Simulator] → [App] → Console tab

Native Console (Xcode)

• Best for: Debugging Swift code, native plugin implementation
• Shows: print(), NSLog(), os_log() messages
• Access: Xcode → Window → Devices and Simulators → Open Console

Terminal Logs

• Best for: Quick checks, filtering, automation
• Shows: System logs, app logs, plugin logs
• Access: Terminal commands (see above)

Troubleshooting

"Develop menu not showing in Safari"

• Make sure you enabled "Show Develop menu in menu bar" in Safari settings
• Restart Safari if needed

"No devices in Develop menu"

• Make sure the simulator is running
• Make sure the app is running in the simulator
• Try restarting Safari

"Web Inspector shows blank console"

• Make sure Web Inspector is enabled in simulator Settings → Safari → Advanced
• Try refreshing the Web Inspector (close and reopen)
• Check that JavaScript is enabled in the app

"No logs in Xcode Console"

• Make sure you selected the correct simulator
• Check that the app is actually running
• Try filtering by process name or subsystem

Example Debugging Session

1. Open Safari Web Inspector (Method 1)
2. Click "Check Permissions" button in the app
3. Watch the Console tab for:

   🔐 checkPermissions called
   🔐 Plugin available: true
   🔐 checkPermissionStatus method: function
   🔐 Calling checkPermissionStatus...
   🔐 Promise returned: Promise {<pending>}
   ✅ Permission status result: {notificationsEnabled: false, ...}
   

4. If you see errors, check:
   • Is the plugin registered? (should see "Plugin available: true")
   • Is the method a function? (should see "function")
   • Does it return a promise? (should see "Promise")
   • What's the error message?

Next Steps

After checking the console:

• If you see "Plugin available: false" → Plugin registration issue
• If you see "checkPermissionStatus method: undefined" → Method not registered
• If you see "Permission check timed out" → Promise never resolved (check native logs)
• If you see error messages → Check the error details in console