add logging to a utility package - java

I'm creating a java open source utility package and I would like to know if it is ok to include logging (like log4j) into that package.
The dilemma is if I include log4j into my package, where will i output the log file, I wouldn't want the log file to be at a wrong place for the user, but i would still want to create logs for debugging.
As well there is the issue of the user wanting to integrate my logs into the project itself.
and how will he be able to do that.
What would you recommend is the best way of doing this?
Thanks.

I think the normal way to do it, is not include the Log4j Jar in the package and let the library user to decide which version of Log4j to use.
Also you don't have to worry about where to output the log file, since the user will have its own log4j.properties or log4j.xml configuration.
The library user can also decide which level of logging to use from your library or whether to suppress it. For instance with Amazon AWS libraries, I can tell that I only want warning messages or the output will be too verbose. In that case I add to my log4j.properties:
log4j.logger.com.amazonaws=WARN
Said that, I'd also remind you that a modern alternative to log4j is SL4J.

Related

java.util.logging stops working when I incorporate a library that uses Log4j 2

I have an existing application that logs messages using the java.util.logging API. As far as I can see, there are no configuration files for it in the framework, though there is some code to create a file appender. When I run the application, I get log messages to the console and to a file.
Now, I need to incorporate a library that uses Log4j 2. When I do so, I lose the console logging from the main application (though log messages still get written to the file appender that is created programmatically).
I imagine that, since the file appender is working in the original application, that I can solve my problem by also programmatically creating a console appender in the main application. However, I don't know if that's right or a kludge.
So, my question: is there anything general that I need to know about making java.util.logging and Log4j 2 interoperate? If the original application is not coded properly or according to best practices, I can change it.
Now, I need to incorporate a library that uses Log4j 2. When I do so, I lose the console logging from the main application (though log messages still get written to the file appender that is created programmatically).
The
Log4jBridgeHandler will remove handlers if the install method is called from code. You can always print the log tree to see what handlers are attached or attach a tool like JConsole to inspect the logger tree with and without the 3rd party lib.
I imagine that, since the file appender is working in the original application, that I can solve my problem by also programmatically creating a console appender in the main application. However, I don't know if that's right or a kludge.
Programmatic configuration of the logger tree should be done with the LogManager config option:
A property "config". This property is intended to allow arbitrary configuration code to be run. The property defines a whitespace or comma separated list of class names. A new instance will be created for each named class. The default constructor of each class may execute arbitrary code to update the logging configuration, such as setting logger levels, adding handlers, adding filters, etc.
Create a stand alone named class that just installs the handlers in the constructor.
Set the java.util.logging.config.class system parameter to the name of your class.
Otherwise if you have a logging.properties you set config to your class name.
So, my question: is there anything general that I need to know about making java.util.logging and Log4j 2 interoperate? If the original application is not coded properly or according to best practices, I can change it.
The java.util.logging.LogManager can only see classes on the system class loader. In that case log configuration in code is required to gain access to the correct classloader.
It might be easier to remove all JUL configuration and bridge to Log4j2. You can then leverage the configuration needed through that framework.

Java: How to Show Only System.out.print Calls?

I have built a console program in Java that uses external jars. I would like to observe my own System.out.println logs in the console, but they are being for the most part overwhelmed by messages on the console generated by some Logger (from the package org.slf4j;) which outputs massive amounts of text.
My issue is I cannot change the code that uses the Logger, because it is wrapped up in a jar and do not have its source. Is there a way to only show MY System.out.println calls? Or to otherwise quiet the messaged produced by this code I don't have source for?
Thanks!
There are a couple of approaches.
Change the log level or location. Unless it is set programatically, there is a configuration file for the SLF4j system. Modify the level so it displays only warn or only error. Alternatively, change the logger so that it goes to a file instead of stdout.
If you on a *nix system, and depending upon how you invoke the program, it is possible to do something akin to java PROGRAM | grep -v "org.slf4j" (or whatever the package is). This approach will remove any lines that match from the display.
It sounds like you're using a library that uses SLF4J for its logging, which is a fairly standard library. As helpful as it can be that there are all those libraries out there that do useful things, one of the challenges of using them is that one needs to integrate their logging into the one used by your application. SLF4J provides a standard logging interface that many libraries use, and allows them to bind to a standard logging implementation like Logback or log4j.
I would expect that most SLF4J-using libraries would depend on the slf4j-api only, and not have a specific logging implementation binding in their dependencies. By default, SLF4J uses the "no-op" logger, meaning that no logging is output (other than an initial warning that that's what it's doing). You could add the slf4j-nop library if that's what you want for your testing, to remove all logging.
But since you're actually seeing output, it seems that the library you're using is also for some reason including a binding to an actual logging framework. At that point, your options are:
Figure out how that binding and actual logging framework is getting into your classpath and remove it. (If you're using Maven to manage your dependencies, for example, you might add an <exclude> element for them.), or
Figure out what logging framework is being used (If you're using Maven, I find the dependency:tree output useful), essentially adopt using it for your application as well, and configure it to log the way you want, hiding the messages that you find irrelevant.
If we had more details on how you were getting this library's dependencies in your application (I've given information for Maven as it's what I'm most familiar with and it's rather standard), or what logging framework you thereby unwittingly added to your application, somebody may be able to direct you further.

logging frameworks and logback.xml

While creating an example using Java and the com.alvazan.orm.api library, the use of "System.out.println" is prohibited.
One of the first and most simple Java exercises learned is "Hello World", also using the
"System.out.println" (...also known as logging, or returned requested data found in the console?)
When using Eclipse, logging is turned off by modifying the logback.xml file (ctrl-shift-R and typing in logback.xml)
From there;
<logger name="com.alvazan.orm" level="WARN"/>
is the line to add to the logback.xml file so that only startup logs appear.
In addition, two more logs such as....
2012-09-14 22:05:08,067 com.alvazan.test.FactorySingleton createFactory
INFO: CREATING FACTORY FOR TESTS
2012-09-14 22:05:08,809 com.impetus.annovention.ClasspathDiscoverer processFile
INFO: adding folder to scan=file:/C:/AAROOT/workareas/area1/playorm/eclipsegen/
are used.
Just clarifying that all information is typed into the logback.xml file?
Is there a diffrent file to use(other than logback.xml)?
Or is the end-user to use, for instance, "com.alvazan.test.FactorySingleton createFactory"; and "com.impetus.annovention.ClasspathDiscoverer processFile"?
Finalizing this question, is the file path for the preceeding necessary?
Thanks for your time,
Ryan
In response to Brett, and additional information/questions,
How is your root logger configured? You are only setting WARN for com.alvazan.orm, so if your root logger is INFO, then com.alvazan.test INFO's will be logged.
Hey Brett, thanks for the reply...
As for the root logger configuration, I believe the value is set at "INFO".
That being said, I would want to set "INFO" to "WARN", to prevent the use of
"System.out.println"
Also in the previous question, I mentioned:
2012-09-14 22:05:08,067 com.alvazan.test.FactorySingleton createFactory
INFO: CREATING FACTORY FOR TESTS
2012-09-14 22:05:08,809 com.impetus.annovention.ClasspathDiscoverer processFile
INFO: adding folder to scan=file:/C:/AAROOT/workareas/area1/playorm/eclipsegen/
com.alvazan.test.FactorySingleton
and
com.impetus.annovention.ClasspathDiscoverer (diffrent package within same library)
Different locations found within the same library...
Do i need to do the logback process for the other files, or *package, or doing it one time within the same library, should suffice for all? Or do I adjust additional values?
Your first statement....
"While creating an example using Java and the com.alvazan.orm.api
library, the use of "System.out.println" is prohibited."
In general, no one uses in System.out.println. Hibernate does not, JBoss does not, tomcat does not. They all use a logging framework so you can configure each and every log in production and each company using tomcat or jboss or hibernate can configure it differently. If these programs use System.out.println, customers would have no control and your server would ALWAYS run slow as you NEVER want "all" logging and there is no way to turn System.out.println's off!!!!! they are always on. log.info can be turned off and on.
The most complete answer on configuring logback can be found in their documentation
http://logback.qos.ch/manual/configuration.html
Just clarifying that all information is typed into the logback.xml
file?
I am not sure what you mean by this question. logback.xml is the configuration for a logging library called logback which you can find at the link above.
Is there a diffrent file to use(other than logback.xml)?
logback has other options like a groovy file to configure it, but playOrm is using only logback.xml though any client can decide what configuration file they use since playOrm discards the logback.xml file that is checked in when delivering to other projects.
Or is the end-user to use, for instance, "com.alvazan.test.FactorySingleton createFactory";
and "com.impetus.annovention.ClasspathDiscoverer processFile"?
I am very confused by this question. The end user should not be using FactorySingleton(neither directly nor indirectly AND that class is not even in the jar because it's in the test package). The end-user will be using ClasspathDiscoverer only indirectly...in fact, end-user won't even know about these classes.
Finalizing this question, is the file path for the preceeding necessary?
Are you trying to ask is the file path in logback.xml necessary? If you want to know more about how logback works, you need to read alot of the documentation. Basically, you can do stuff like com.alvazan level=WARN to turn any classes in com.alvazan.** to warn level(This is recursive and applies to children, grandchildren, etc. etc.). The ROOT logger is always defined as well in logback.xml and is the level for ALL classes in a all packages unless overridden.
yes, the root logger in playorm is set to warn.
At the bottom of the picture you show(your picture is cut off so not in that picture), there is a "source" tab and you may want to click that to view the xml better and it would match up with logback's documentation better as well. Here is a link to the file I bet you are looking at..
https://github.com/deanhiller/playorm/blob/486079cfefbd2b4b79e99652b24c146572663dda/input/javasrc/logback.xml
root logger is clearly set to info and could be set to warn if you want.
So, what do you want. Do you want those two log statements to go away and be turned off? Do you want ALL log statements to be turned off except WARN?
If you want all to be turned off in ALL software libraries, just change the root logger to "WARN". If you want to turn just FactorySingleton off you can add this line
<logger name="com.alvazan.test.FactorySingleton" level=""WARN"/>
If you want all of com.alvazan logging turned off instead of just everything in com.alvazan.orm as you also want com.alvazan.test off as well, BUT you want all other libraries to still be on(BUT always want WARN on which you generally should want), then you could change this
<logger name="com.alvazan.orm" level=""WARN"/>
to the following instead
<logger name="com.alvazan" level=""WARN"/>
Your best bet to understand logback though is to read logback documentation.
How is your root logger configured? You are only setting WARN for com.alvazan.orm, so if your root logger is INFO, then com.alvazan.test INFO's will be logged.

How to write to log files in java?

I have made a java application and wants to generate log files so whenever my client would encounter some problem, he can deliver me those log files so that I can correct my code accordingly.
Kindly provide me a small sample program that writes a statement to a log file. Kindly mention the .class files you are using with their full import statements.
The application is multi-threaded so Is it better to generate separate log files for each thread or not?
Is it better to clear all previous log files before starting the program?
macleojw is correct: You should try writing the code yourself.
Here is an overview of the Java logging framework that ships with the JDK. You may wish to check out Commons Logging and Log4J.
Regarding the second part of your question (which was editted out for some reason) I would recommend having all threads log to the same file but logging the thread name along with the log message allowing you to grep the file for a specific thread if required. Also, with most logging frameworks you can configure them to maintain a rolling window of the last N log files rather than explicitly deleting old files when an application starts.
Apache Log4j does everything you require. I hope that you can figure out how to use it on your own.
Take a look at Log4j, and specifically this set of step-by-step examples. It's pretty trivial.

log4j.xml in client jars

I have some jar files that will be distributed to clients that are using log4j for logging. My question is should I include a log4j.xml configuration in the jar file or have the client provide one if they want logging?
My feeling is to leave the log4j.xml configuration file out of the client jars, since the apache jar files all come with log4j logging, but sans log4j.xml.
Yes, leave it out. It's an utter nuisance when your log4j configuration file is ignored because one of the 60 third-party libraries of your app contains its own.
The good thing about log4j in your case is that your jar really shouldn't have to worry about it. The basic use case of log4j is:
Obtain a logger object for the current class
Call one of the methods on that logger, such as debug("some message");
If the jars you are shipping are to be used by a larger application, then ideally your code will only do the two steps listed above. In this way, your code will simply obtain logger objects from the already-configured log4j instance in the client's application. Your production code is then decoupled from having to know how to configure log4j.
Any logging you need to see for your development of the jars can be accomplished by configuring a log4j instance in unit test setUp() methods or something similar that won't get bundled with the production code going to the client.
I would put a default log4j configuration that you expect will be useful to your clients in the documentation. This way interested people can see what logging options you have (usually certain classes have more interesting log messages, from the user's perspective). I find it annoying when I have a third-party lib using log4j and it has no documentation, and there are log messages filling my screen and I have to try to figure out how to enable or suppress certain log messages.
If you are using log4j in your application then you include it in your project. If you are not, then why would you put it in there? What if client A wants log4j version 1.2 and client B wants log4j version 1.3.
Let them decide what they need for their projects and worry about what you need for yours.
I would add the configuration xml and load it up with instruction for the user showing different configuration and options. This will make it easier for either them or support to enable addition logging.

Categories

Resources