Caller ID Log Viewer

A simple web-based Caller ID log viewer that reads cidcall.log from NCID (Network Caller ID) and displays it in a user-friendly table format. The current implementation uses JavaScript to fetch and parse the log file, formatting the date and time for better readability, providing a lookup for unknown numbers, and offering features like log downloads and adjustable call history display.

Features

• Displays caller information (Date, Time, Number, Name)
• Formats dates into UK format (DD/MM/YYYY) and recognizes 'Today' and 'Yesterday'
• Live updates every 5 seconds (only updates if new entries appear)
• Number lookup for unknown callers via who-called.co.uk
• Option to change history length (Last 10, 20, 50, or All calls)
• Download log file as cidcall.log
• Audio notification when a new call appears
• Mobile responsive design
• Cache-busting technique to ensure the latest log is always fetched

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Installation & Setup

Prerequisites

Ensure you have NCID (ncid) installed and running - https://ncid.sourceforge.io/index.html.

The log file is typically stored in:

/var/log/ncid/cidcall.log

Step 1: Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/allanstevens/PhoneLog.git
cd caller-id-log-viewer

Or just download the files from here.

Step 2: Set Up Symbolic Link

Since JavaScript in a browser cannot access system log files directly, you need to create a symbolic link in your web server's www directory:

ln -s /var/log/ncid/cidcall.log /var/www/html/cidcall.log

Make sure the web server has permission to read the log file:

chmod 644 /var/log/ncid/cidcall.log

Step 3: Deploy to Web Server

Copy the index.html file to your web server directory:

cp index.html /var/www/html/

Restart the web server if needed:

systemctl restart apache2  # For Apache
systemctl restart nginx    # For Nginx

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Usage

• Open the web page in a browser: http://yourserver/PhoneLog
• Adjust the call log display using the dropdown menu
• Click Download Log to save a copy of the log file
• Unknown numbers can be clicked to search who-called.co.uk
• A beep sound will play when new calls are detected

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Future Improvements & Later Versions

The current JavaScript-based version is simple but can be improved significantly. Here are some potential enhancements:

PHP-based Solution

Instead of using JavaScript to fetch the log file, a PHP script can read the file and serve it dynamically. This would:

• Remove the need for a symbolic link (ln -s)
• Allow real-time updates without needing a full reload accessed via seeking at the end or using tail, which would be more efficient then downlading the whole file via javascript
• Improve security by restricting direct access to the log file

Authentication & Access Control

• Restrict log access using user authentication (e.g., login system)
• Log and monitor access to caller history

Alternative Solutions

While this setup works well for simple cases, other solutions might be better. Check out the ncid.sourceforge.io website for other solutions.

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Troubleshooting

Log File Not Updating

1. Ensure NCID is running and logging calls:

   tail -f /var/log/ncid/cidcall.log

2. Verify web server permissions:

   ls -l /var/log/ncid/cidcall.log

3. Check JavaScript errors in the browser console (F12 > Console)

Log File Not Found in Web Page

• Make sure the symbolic link exists and is accessible by the web server:

  ls -l /var/www/html/cidcall.log

• Try using chmod 644 /var/log/ncid/cidcall.log to fix permissions

New Calls Not Detected

• Ensure the browser is not caching old logs (Shift + Refresh)
• Try opening the log file manually and verifying new calls are recorded

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

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Contributing

Pull requests and feature suggestions are welcome! If you'd like to contribute, fork the repo and submit a PR with improvements.

Happy coding! 🚀