log files should be placed in $XDG_DATA_HOME

[pmattern]

According to both the specification and the habits of many other applications user-specific log files should be placed in $XDG_DATA_HOME instead of $XDG_CONFIG_HOME, probably best at a path like ~/.local/share/meteo-qt/meteo-qt.log.

[ozky]

This would be good idea but as meteo-qt have only two files inside settings folder,i see no point to use two folders with one file inside both folders.

[dglent]

Hello,
On the one hand is good to keep the standards, on the other hand maybe is worst as Otto says
Actually, i am in movement period, i will see this better later but tell me also your suggestions

Thanks

Dimitrios Glentadakis

[pmattern]

The idea is that looking for certain kinds of files should be intuitive.
If a problem comes up, it's just convenient to know where to look for the logs. If on the other hand applications make exceptions / implement own concepts things get more complicated as it's hardly possible to memorize many exceptions of different programs.
Of course it may look strange to create two directories each comprising a single file only. But creating a directory isn't a big deal and all in all I still think the advantages would outweigh any eventual disadvantages.

On a side note in the meantime I realized that some software like Openbox place their log files in $XDG_CACHE_HOME but I don't think that this makes really sense either.

[dglent]

The standard:
"$XDG_CACHE_HOME defines the base directory relative to which user specific non-essential data files should be stored. If $XDG_CACHE_HOME is either not set or empty, a default equal to $HOME/.cache should be used."
On my system the $XDG_CACHE_HOME is not defined
According this:
"$XDG_CACHE_HOME defines the base directory relative to which user specific non-essential data files should be stored. If $XDG_CACHE_HOME is either not set or empty, a default equal to $HOME/.cache should be used."
i looked in the ~/.cache directory, and i found only two log files: Openbox and Simplescan.
All other log files in home directory at situated in the config or the ~/.APPDIR/ or in ~/.local/share/data

I am a little confused, ok a log file contains non essential data, but maybe not ?
For example, you can delete the cache files of a database regularly but is the same for a log file ?

[pmattern]

I agree definitions and common practice aren't exactly concise. Comparing with the system-wide directories in / a real counterpart to /var/log doesn't exist at all. But considering $XDG_CACHE_HOME and $XDG_DATA_HOME/applications I'd tend to say the latter is more suitable.
Is writing to systemd journal eventually an option, too?

[dglent]

it seems acceptable to have the log and the configuration file at the same place