"A transfer is in progress" - when no transfer was started, no transfer shows in logs

GetBetter

I am connecting to my other machine, same house, different rooms (other machine is in garage connected to some things)

I see the remote machine is beachballing (frozen on mac) when I try to connect, I can move the remote cursor but it looks like TeamViewer itself is causing it, not any other client app on the remote machine.

I close the teamviewer connection and it says "there is a file transfer in progress" 

Spoiler

WHAT?

I have never, will never, transfer files over TeamViewer. So why is this showing up?

I go to my local ~/Library/Logs/TeamViewer/*some random uncodumented files*, (that's where documentation ends on checking logs) - I open them all, ctrl-f file, transfer etc. nothing in there. for that. I scan, don't see anything. WHAT am I supposed to see to show a file transfer initiated?

I go to the remote machine, there is no ~/Library/Logs/TeamViewer folder on that machine..

How is it showing there's a file transfer in progress? This is the third time I've seen this. Why is there nothing in the logs?

How is it possible to spend time on writing documentation that tells you how to get to ~/Library - but not have a menu item / button that just shows file transfers or some indicator, some visibility of system state - ANYTHING. Show the user some indicator that there is a file transfer, was a file transfer - don't allow silent file transfers? Where is the option to allow file transfers?

Considering how many people become victims of this software, how can visibility of system state not be some common moral imperative, if not obligation? That aside, I cannot fathom how you can say there's a file transfer in progress but the logs don't show anything.

Can anyone shed any light on this?

(2 hours)

Addendum: I was looking how to block all file transfers - and I thought - what a crazy idea - blocking file transfers. Why aren't we _allowing_ file transfers?

Bonus: just since I'm here and I spent 2 hours on this now - and I don't want to spend 20 minutes trying it out - the host machine can, in default settings (if anyone is confused by what default means), connect back to the connecting machine?

 

TL;DR teamviewer is busy on remote machine, when I disconnect it says there's a file transfer, which is alarming to say the least.

GetBetter

Summary:

1. What to look for in logs to see a file transfer - are logs created on initiating file transfer or completing?
2. Why does TeamViewer say there's a file transfer in progress - when:
   1. there isn't
   2. there's no indication there's a file transfer before you try to close (?!!!!)
   3. i never enabled file transfers*
3. How is there no ~/Library/Logs/TeamViewer folder on my other machine? Is this to be expected?
4. How much access to the connecting machine does the host machine have, by default**

* however it works, it should work thru enabling and visibility of system state

** default means default

GetBetter

Going to add this as well:

You have 1098 acres of white space in your application. Your app version numbers are 4 digits. "version" is 7. That's 11.

I can see at least 3 places you could put "version 12.3.4" on your interface. It's a network tool.

I've never written a consumer network tool, or even thought about it, but in 10 seconds my first decision would be to put the version number on the interface.

Second would be to not say "there's a new version do you want to install it" but "there's a new version, btw this version should be installed as any version prior to it is compromised"

How is this a consumer network tool that has no update management? Or shows the version on the interface?

I've never done this, and with 10 seconds of thinking, they're the first two ideas I have.

 

... still, I'd like to know how it says there's a file transfer in progress and answer to the other issues (about connectivity backwards)