BugSplat

Crash and error reporting built for busy developers.

MyDotnetCrasher

A sample .NET application for generating various types of crash reports and testing BugSplat crash reporting integration.

Overview

MyDotnetCrasher is a demonstration application that simulates different types of .NET exceptions and crashes, automatically capturing them with BugSplat's crash reporting service. This project is useful for:

• Testing BugSplat integration in .NET applications
• Demonstrating various crash types and stack traces
• Learning about exception handling and crash reporting workflows
• Validating symbol upload and crash analysis features

Prerequisites

• .NET 8.0 SDK or later
• A BugSplat account
• Windows operating system (for symbol uploads)

Getting Started

1. Clone the Project

git clone https://github.com/BugSplat-Git/my-dotnet-crasher.git
cd my-dotnet-crasher

2. Configure BugSplat Settings

You need to update the BugSplat database credentials in two files:

Program.cs

Open Program.cs and update the Reporter initialization with your BugSplat credentials:

private static Reporter reporter = new Reporter("your-database", "MyDotnetCrasher", "1.0.0");

Replace:

• "your-database" - Your BugSplat database name
• "MyDotnetCrasher" - Your application name (can be customized)
• "1.0.0" - Your application version

MyDotnetCrasher.csproj

Open MyDotnetCrasher.csproj and update the symbol upload configuration in the UploadSymbols target:

<Exec Command=".\Tools\symbol-upload-windows.exe -b your-database -a MyDotnetCrasher -v 1.0.0 -u [email protected] -p your-password -f &quot;**/*.{pdb,exe,dll}&quot; -d &quot;./bin&quot;"/>

Replace:

• -b your-database - Your BugSplat database name
• -a MyDotnetCrasher - Your application name (should match Program.cs)
• -v 1.0.0 - Your application version (should match Program.cs)
• -u [email protected] - Your BugSplat login email
• -p your-password - Your BugSplat password

Note: The symbol upload step automatically runs after each build to ensure your crash reports include file names and line numbers.

3. Build the Project

Build the application using the .NET CLI:

dotnet build

This will:

1. Restore NuGet packages (including BugSplatDotNetStandard)
2. Compile the application
3. Automatically upload debug symbols (PDB files) to BugSplat

The executable will be located at: bin\Debug\net8.0\MyDotnetCrasher.exe

Generating Crash Reports

The application supports multiple crash types that can be triggered via command-line arguments.

Available Crash Types

Run the application with one of the following crash type arguments:

# Generic exception (default if no argument provided)
dotnet run exception

# Null reference exception
dotnet run nullref

# Divide by zero exception
dotnet run divzero

# Index out of range exception
dotnet run index

# Aggregate exception (multiple errors)
dotnet run aggregate

# Unobserved task exception (async exception not awaited)
dotnet run unobserved

Or run the compiled executable directly:

.\bin\Debug\net8.0\MyDotnetCrasher.exe nullref

What Happens During a Crash

When a crash occurs, the application will:

1. Catch the exception using global exception handlers
2. Print exception details to the console
3. Generate a Windows minidump file
4. Upload the crash report and minidump to BugSplat
5. Exit with error code 1

Viewing Crashes on BugSplat

After generating crash reports, you can view and analyze them on the BugSplat dashboard:

1. Access the Dashboard

1. Log in to your BugSplat account
2. Select your database from the dropdown menu

2. View Crash Reports

Navigate to the Crashes page to see all reported crashes. You'll see:

• Crash ID - Unique identifier for each crash
• Application - "MyDotnetCrasher"
• Version - The version you configured (e.g., "1.0.0")
• Exception Type - The type of exception that occurred
• Date/Time - When the crash occurred
• User - User identifier (if configured)

3. Analyze Individual Crashes

Click on the ID of any crash to view detailed information:

• Call Stack - Full stack trace with file names and line numbers (thanks to uploaded symbols)
• Exception Message - The error message from the exception
• Minidump - Download the native minidump for advanced debugging
• System Information - OS version, .NET version, etc.
• Custom Metadata - Any additional data attached to the crash

4. Group Similar Crashes

BugSplat automatically groups similar crashes together, making it easy to:

• Identify which crashes affect the most users
• Track crash trends over time
• Prioritize bug fixes based on impact

Project Structure

my-dotnet-crasher/
├── Program.cs                      # Main application entry point and crash simulation
├── Reporter.cs                     # BugSplat integration and crash reporting logic
├── MyDotnetCrasher.csproj          # Project configuration and symbol upload
├── Tools/
│   └── symbol-upload-windows.exe   # BugSplat symbol upload utility
└── bin/
    └── Debug/
        └── net8.0/                 # Build output and executable

Key Features

• Multiple Crash Types - Demonstrates 6 different exception scenarios including unobserved task exceptions
• Automatic Symbol Upload - PDB files uploaded on every build
• Minidump Generation - Creates native Windows minidumps for detailed debugging
• Comprehensive Exception Handling - Catches both synchronous and asynchronous unhandled exceptions
• Nested Call Stack - Simulates realistic application structure for better stack traces

Troubleshooting

Symbols Not Appearing in Stack Traces

• Verify the symbol upload completed successfully during build
• Check that database name, application name, and version match between Program.cs and MyDotnetCrasher.csproj
• Ensure you're using the correct BugSplat credentials

Crashes Not Appearing in Dashboard

• Verify your BugSplat credentials are correct
• Check your internet connection
• Look for error messages in the console output
• Ensure the database name is correct

Symbol Upload Fails

• Verify the Tools\symbol-upload-windows.exe file exists
• Check that your BugSplat login credentials are correct
• Ensure you have an active internet connection

Learn More

• BugSplat Documentation
• BugSplat .NET SDK
• Symbol Upload Guide

License

This is a sample application provided for demonstration purposes.