The current document is directed to a virtual-log-file system that provides a browser-like display interface to users, enabling users to view the contents of log files. The virtual-log-file system assembles a virtual log file from the contents of one or more physical log files, applying filters and other processing to physical-log-file entries in order to generate the virtual-log-file entries logically contained within the virtual log file. The virtual-log-file system allows users to navigate, by scrolling, through the entries of the virtual log file, with additional virtual-log-file entries obtained from physical log files by the virtual-log-file system to support logical infinite scrolling in either direction. In addition, the virtual-log-file system provides for user selection of particular virtual-log-file entries as anchors that represent positions within the sequence of virtual-file-log entries, allowing a user to mark the anchor entries to facilitate visual recognition and to quickly navigate back to anchor entries after scrolling away from the anchor entries.