Email log comment vs actual behavior

[codesterribly]

Bug, or am I missing something?: Email Log Behavior Does Not Match Comment in backup_linux_plex.config

Summary

The comment in backup_linux_plex.config states that emailing logs “requires LogAll=yes,” but the backup script (Linux_Plex_Backup.sh) does not check LogAll before sending email. The actual behavior is: if both email fields are set, an email is always sent, regardless of LogAll. This creates inconsistent and misleading behavior.

Files Involved

1. backup_linux_plex.config (lines 18–25)

# Log all files backed up.
# Set LogAll= to yes or no. Blank is the same as no.
LogAll=no

# Email log. Requires LogAll=yes
# Uses msmtp to send the email.
to_email_address=
from_email_address=

Linux_Plex_Backup.sh (lines 162–166)

# Send log via email if both logging and emails are enabled
if [[ $to_email_address && $from_email_address ]]; then
    echo -e "\nSending email..."
    email_contents="email_contents.txt"
    send_email "$to_email_address" "$from_email_address" "$Backup_Directory" \

This condition does not reference LogAll.

Actual Behavior

If both to_email_address and from_email_address are set, an email is sent every time.

LogAll is ignored when deciding whether to send email.

Expected Behavior (based on config comments)

Log emails should only be sent when:

LogAll=yes

And both email fields are set

Impact

Users may receive unexpected email.

Documentation in the config file is misleading.

Behavior is unclear for new users trying to follow the documented meaning of LogAll.

Proposed Fixes
Option A: Update the configuration comment (simplest)

Replace this block in backup_linux_plex.config:

# Email log. Requires LogAll=yes
# Uses msmtp to send the email.

With this block:

# Email log. If both addresses are set, a log is emailed after each run.
# Uses msmtp to send the email.

No code changes required.

Option B: Update the script logic to match the comment

Modify this line in Linux_Plex_Backup.sh:

if [[ $to_email_address && $from_email_address ]]; then

To:

if [[ ${LogAll,,} == "yes" && $to_email_address && $from_email_address ]]; then

There is a clear mismatch between documentation and implementation. Either the comment in the configuration file or the condition in the script should be updated to ensure consistent and predictable behavior.

[007revad]

I think the "Requires LogAll=yes" was left over from an earlier version of the script.