[Analog/ReportMagic Logo] Web Log File Analysis on your PC: an easy approach

- Overview -


Assumption: Your Webspace-Provider enables the logfiles for a FTP download, probably in a compressed format.

Three possibilities to analyse the logfiles are common thru' the different ISPs:

If you are not satisfied by one of these solutions, you're qualified and welcomed to check the following!
If you have already downloaded logfiles on your PC you can continue to use them.

Please pay attention: if you already use a program to download the logfiles, which checks date and time of the last downloaded logfile, and set the period for the new download, you should continue to use this. Otherwise the logfiles may overlap so that the accesses may counted twice. Analog recognizes this and will warn you - but will duplicate some entries!

How does the statistics look-a-like ?
See these examples:



You will need the following programs:

1. a FTP programm
to download the logfiles from the server of your ISP to your PC.
2. gzip
to unpack compressed logfiles.
3. Analog
to analyse the logfiles. It's possible to read compressed data.
4. ReportMagic
to prepare nice graphics.
Details:
  1. FTP Programm
    I assume that every webmaster possesses already a suited program. If not: I recommend WS-FTP, you can find at http://www.wsftp.com.

  2. gzip Logogzip
    A widely used program to compress and unpack data. The compressionrate is greater 90% for logfiles! You will find it at http://www.gzip.org (please use the windows version you'll find under »Executables« (supports long filenames!).

  3. Analog LogoAnalog
    The core for the analysis! This freeware is avalaible at http://www.analog.cx.

  4. ReportMagic LogoReport Magic
    If you do not like the Analog-look-a-like you may want to use ReportMagic to enhance the output. You will find a lot of sites using and publishing this statistics. Everything related to ReportMagic you will find at http://www.reportmagic.org.

Having downloaded all these archives, you can switch off-line and continue to work disconnected on your PC. The following procedure applies:
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last changed: 07.08.2002
© 2002 Andreas Schmidt