django-better500s is a library that makes 500 errors more user-friendly, and more developer-friendly. It logs the full error traceback (as if it were in DEBUG mode), as well as a user's description of what they were trying to do.

Pull requests are quite welcome!

1. pip install django-better500s

2. Edit your settings.py:

   INSTALLED_APPS += ("better500s",)
   
   # If you have other exception-processing middleware, you should
   # pay attention to what order you put middleware in. "At the end"
   # should work fine for Better500s, though.
   MIDDLEWARE_CLASSES += ("better500s.middleware.Better500s",)
   
   # Set any optional settings (below)
   BETTER_500_DEFAULT_RETURN_URL_NAME = "home_page"
   BETTER_500_LOG_DIR = join(PROJECT_ROOT, 'logs', 'better_500')
   BETTER_500_FROM_EMAIL = "foo@example.com"
   BETTER_500_TO_EMAILS = ["bar@example.com",]
   BETTER_500_UNCAUGHT_DIR = "Uncaught Logs"
   
   

3. Add in the urls:

   urlpatterns += patterns('',          
   	url(r'better500s/',   include('better500s.urls',  namespace="better500s",  app_name='better500s') ),
   )
   

4. Enjoy better error reports.

• BETTER_500_LOG_DIR - Where the full log traces should be stored (on default_storage, or failing that, locally). Defaults to "PROJECT_ROOT/logs/better500s".

• BETTER_500_FROM_EMAIL - The email that notifications should be sent from. Defaults to settings.DEFAULT_FROM_EMAIL.

• BETTER_500_TO_EMAILS - The set of email that notifications should be sent to. Defaults to settings.ADMINS.

• BETTER_500_UNCAUGHT_DIR - Where to store log traces in which the 500 handling page crashed, or the user's browser crashed. Defaults to "UNCAUGHT".

• BETTER_500_AJAX_URL - URL for ajax callback, that saves the log, and sends off an email. Defaults to "better-500-callback/".

• BETTER_500_POST_URL - URL for user crash report posting. Defaults to "better-500-saved/".

• BETTER_500_DEFAULT_RETURN_URL_NAME - The url name that the "Go Home" button should link to. If none, the button is hidden. Defaults to None.

1. 500 errors (only) are caught.
2. Full debug page traceback is generated, and saved to the UNCAUGHT_DIR.
3. A "We're sorry / Tell us what you were doing" page loads.
4. On load, that page ajax pings the server.
5. On ping, the view files the log into a date-organized folder, and emails the TO_EMAILs with a link.
6. If the user submits a report, that report is saved to the database, tied to the log file. A second email is sent, with the user's report.
7. An admin can click the view link, and see the full traceback, and the user's report.

• 500_handler.html - This template is what users see when a 500 occurs, and where they can submit their report.

• feedback_saved.html - If a user submits a report, this page is what they see. Links to the page that produced the error, and optionally, home.

• view_error.html - Developer-side template for viewing captured 500s

• admin_email.txt - Template for the 500 error email.

• error_with_notes_email.txt - Template for the user bug report email.

By default, django-better500s uses the default_backend to store error logs. If that fails, it falls back local file storage.

django-better500s was written by Steven Skoczen for Aquameta.