--- a/openide.util/apichanges.xml	Wed Sep 01 15:32:15 2010 +0200
+++ a/openide.util/apichanges.xml	Wed Sep 01 17:13:43 2010 +0200
@@ -51,6 +51,23 @@ 
     <apidef name="actions">Actions API</apidef>
 </apidefs>
 <changes>
+    <change id="Exceptions.attachSeverity">
+        <api name="util"/>
+        <summary>Supress logging of not important exceptions</summary>
+        <version major="8" minor="8"/>
+        <date day="8" month="9" year="2010"/>
+        <author login="jtulach"/>
+        <compatibility addition="yes"/>
+        <description>
+            <p>
+                New method <code>Exceptions.attachSeverity</code> allows 
+                everyone to thrown an exception, which later will not be 
+                logged.
+            </p>
+        </description>
+        <class package="org.openide.util" name="Exceptions"/>
+        <issue number="190079"/>
+    </change>
     <change id="RequestProcessorForClass">
         <api name="util"/>
         <summary>Simplified constructor for RequestProcessor</summary>
--- a/openide.util/manifest.mf	Wed Sep 01 15:32:15 2010 +0200
+++ a/openide.util/manifest.mf	Wed Sep 01 17:13:43 2010 +0200
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@ 
 Manifest-Version: 1.0
 OpenIDE-Module: org.openide.util
 OpenIDE-Module-Localizing-Bundle: org/openide/util/Bundle.properties
-OpenIDE-Module-Specification-Version: 8.7
+OpenIDE-Module-Specification-Version: 8.8
 
--- a/openide.util/src/org/openide/util/Exceptions.java	Wed Sep 01 15:32:15 2010 +0200
+++ a/openide.util/src/org/openide/util/Exceptions.java	Wed Sep 01 17:13:43 2010 +0200
@@ -115,6 +115,23 @@ 
         ae.addRecord(rec);
         return e;
     }
+    
+    /**
+     * Attaches a given severity to the exception. When the exception is
+     * later passed to {@link #printStackTrace} method, the level is
+     * then used as a level for reported {@link LogRecord}. This allows
+     * those who report exceptions to annotate them as unimportant,
+     * expected.
+     * 
+     * @param e exception to assign severity to
+     * @param severity the severity
+     * @since 8.8
+     */
+    public static <E extends Throwable> E attachSeverity(E e, Level severity) {
+        AnnException ae = AnnException.findOrCreate(e, true);
+        ae.addRecord(new LogRecord(severity, null));
+        return e;
+    }
 
     /** Extracts previously attached localized message for a given throwable.
      * Complements {@link #attachLocalizedMessage}.
@@ -171,12 +188,25 @@ 
      * @param t the exception to notify
      */
     public static void printStackTrace(Throwable t) {
+        AnnException ae = AnnException.findOrCreate(t, false);
+        Level level = null;
+        if (ae != null) {
+            for (LogRecord r : ae.records) {
+                if (r.getLevel() != Level.ALL) {
+                    level = r.getLevel();
+                    break;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        if (level == null) {
+            level = OwnLevel.UNKNOWN;
+        }
         AnnException extra = AnnException.extras.get(t);
         if (extra != null) {
             assert t == extra.getCause();
             t = extra;
         }
-        LOG.log(OwnLevel.UNKNOWN, null, t);
+        LOG.log(level, null, t);
     }
 
     /** An exception that has a log record associated with itself, so
@@ -213,6 +243,9 @@ 
         private static Map<Throwable, AnnException> extras = new WeakHashMap<Throwable, AnnException>();
 
         static AnnException findOrCreate(Throwable t, boolean create) {
+            if (t == null) {
+                return null;
+            }
             if (t instanceof AnnException) {
                 return (AnnException)t;
             }
--- a/openide.util/test/unit/src/org/openide/util/ExceptionsTest.java	Wed Sep 01 15:32:15 2010 +0200
+++ a/openide.util/test/unit/src/org/openide/util/ExceptionsTest.java	Wed Sep 01 17:13:43 2010 +0200
@@ -44,9 +44,13 @@ 
 
 package org.openide.util;
 
+import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.PrintWriter;
 import java.io.StringWriter;
+import java.util.logging.Handler;
 import java.util.logging.Level;
+import java.util.logging.LogRecord;
+import java.util.logging.Logger;
 import junit.framework.TestCase;
 import org.netbeans.junit.Log;
 
@@ -108,6 +112,42 @@ 
 
         assertCleanStackTrace(e);
     }
+    
+    public void testLogLevel() {
+        Exception e = new IOException("Help");
+        
+        Exception result = Exceptions.attachSeverity(e, Level.FINE);
+        assertSame(e, result);
+
+        class H extends Handler {
+            int cnt;
+            
+            @Override
+            public void publish(LogRecord record) {
+                assertEquals("Fine is the level", Level.FINE, record.getLevel());
+                cnt++;
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void flush() {
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void close() throws SecurityException {
+            }
+            
+        }
+        
+        H h = new H();
+        h.setLevel(Level.ALL);
+        Logger L = Logger.getLogger("");
+        L.setLevel(Level.ALL);
+        L.addHandler(h);
+        
+        Exceptions.printStackTrace(e);
+        L.removeHandler(h);
+        assertEquals("Called once", 1, h.cnt);
+    }
 
     public void testAttachLocalizedMessage() {
         Exception e = new Exception("Help");