Log4j config - different logs to different files - java

This might be a very easy question for some, but personally I find Log4j config to be nightmarishly difficult and that learning to perform brain surgery might be less challenging.
I am trying to lave multiple loggers logging into different files.
Here is what I have in my log4j.properties file:
# Root logger option
log4j.rootLogger=INFO, file, admin
# Direct log messages to a log file
log4j.appender.file=org.apache.log4j.RollingFileAppender
log4j.appender.file.File=/home/nick/logging/file.log
log4j.appender.file.MaxFileSize=1MB
log4j.appender.file.MaxBackupIndex=1
log4j.appender.file.layout=org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout
log4j.appender.file.layout.ConversionPattern=%d{yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss} %-5p %c{1} - %m%n
log4j.appender.admin=org.apache.log4j.RollingFileAppender
log4j.appender.admin.File=/home/nick/logging/admin.log
log4j.appender.admin.MaxFileSize=1MB
log4j.appender.admin.MaxBackupIndex=1
log4j.appender.admin.layout=org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout
log4j.appender.admin.layout.ConversionPattern=%d{yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss} %-5p %c{1} - %m%n
And here is my (very simple) Java app used to test the config:
public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
Properties resource = new Properties();
InputStream in = new FileInputStream("/home/nick/logging/log4j.properties");
resource.load(in);
PropertyConfigurator.configure(resource);
Logger admin = Logger.getLogger("admin");
Logger file = Logger.getLogger("file");
admin.info("hello admin");
file.info("hello file");
}
I have 2 problems:
One problem I always get an exception in the line PropertyConfigurator.configure(resource);:
java.io.FileNotFoundException: /home/nick/logging (Is a directory)
at java.io.FileOutputStream.open(Native Method)
at java.io.FileOutputStream.<init>(FileOutputStream.java:212)
at java.io.FileOutputStream.<init>(FileOutputStream.java:136)
at org.apache.log4j.FileAppender.setFile(FileAppender.java:289)
at org.apache.log4j.RollingFileAppender.setFile(RollingFileAppender.java:167)
at org.apache.log4j.FileAppender.activateOptions(FileAppender.java:163)
at org.apache.log4j.config.PropertySetter.activate(PropertySetter.java:256)
The 2nd problem is that both messages are written to both logs. Here is the actual result:
File admin:log:
2014-04-27 11:55:30 INFO admin - hello admin
2014-04-27 11:55:30 INFO file - hello file
File file.log:
2014-04-27 11:55:30 INFO admin - hello admin
2014-04-27 11:55:30 INFO file - hello file
Here is the required result:
File admin:log:
2014-04-27 11:55:30 INFO admin - hello admin
File file.log:
2014-04-27 11:55:30 INFO file - hello file
What is causing the exception, and how can I achieve the required result?

Log4J makes a distinction between loggers, which are responsible for generating log messages, and appenders, which are responsible for sending those messages somewhere (a file, the console, a database, etc.). Loggers form a hierarchy, the root logger is the parent of the logger named admin, which is the parent of admin.component1, etc., and you can attach appenders to any logger in the hierarchy. By default a logger will send messages to all appenders that are attached directly to it, or to any of its ancestors in the hierarchy (this is why loggers are conventionally named like Java classes, e.g. you can control logging for com.example.Class1 and com.example.subpkg.AnotherClass by configuring the com.example logger).
Loggers and appenders form separate namespaces and this is the source of your confusion - the logger named admin and the appender named admin are two separate entities.
The configuration you have given in the question defines one logger (the root logger) which sends all the messages it generates to two separate appenders, one for each of the two files. Your code then requests two different loggers and generates one log message with each logger. Both these loggers inherit the appender configuration from the root logger, so they both send their messages to both of the configured appenders.
Instead of attaching the two appenders to the root logger, you should attach the file appender to the file logger and the admin appender to the admin logger:
log4j.rootLogger=INFO
log4j.logger.file=INFO, file
log4j.logger.admin=INFO, admin
This way the file logger will send messages only to file.log, the admin logger only to admin.log, and all messages from other loggers will be silently discarded, as there are no appenders attached to the root.
The additivity flag is the exception to this rule - setting a logger's additivity to false essentially disconnects the arrow from a logger up to its parent, so messages generated by that logger (or flowing into it from one of its children) will not go any further up the tree, they will only go to appenders attached directly to the logger in question.

To answer my own question, this is what I needed:
log4j.logger.file=DEBUG, fileAppender
log4j.logger.admin=DEBUG, adminAppender
log4j.additivity.file=false
log4j.additivity.admin=false
log4j.appender.fileAppender=org.apache.log4j.RollingFileAppender
log4j.appender.fileAppender.File=/home/nick/logging/file.log
log4j.appender.fileAppender.MaxFileSize=1MB
log4j.appender.fileAppender.MaxBackupIndex=1
log4j.appender.fileAppender.layout=org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout
log4j.appender.fileAppender.layout.ConversionPattern=%d{yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss} %-5p %c{1} - %m%n
log4j.appender.adminAppender=org.apache.log4j.RollingFileAppender
log4j.appender.adminAppender.File=/home/nick/logging/admin.log
log4j.appender.adminAppender.MaxFileSize=1MB
log4j.appender.adminAppender.MaxBackupIndex=1
log4j.appender.adminAppender.layout=org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout
log4j.appender.adminAppender.layout.ConversionPattern=%d{yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss} %-5p %c{1} - %m%n

You don't need to load the properties file. Just place it inside the src folder that will automatically added in class path.
Sample code:
public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
Logger admin = Logger.getLogger("admin");
Logger file = Logger.getLogger("file");
admin.info("hello admin");
file.info("hello file");
}

First: log4j recommands to use xml format file for properties.
Second: its better to load the properties file in the classloader.
Third: there is inheritance in logger, but you can cut it with additivity property see log4j.properties file - multiple loggers in same class

Related

how to make Log4j configuration properly

I am new to the Log4j framework and after reading some stuff i got some fare idea about logging mechanism, but still
i have some doubt about the following properties.
log4j.category.com.cloud.sample=INFO, file, C
log4j.additivity.com.cloud.sample=true
log4j.appender.C=org.apache.log4j.ConsoleAppender
log4j.appender.C.Target=System.out
log4j.appender.C.ImmediateFlush=true
log4j.appender.C.layout=org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout
log4j.appender.C.layout.ConversionPattern=%-5p %d [%t] %m%n
#log4j.rootLogger=INFO, A1
log4j.appender.A1=org.apache.log4j.ConsoleAppender
log4j.appender.A1.layout=org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout
log4j.appender.A1.layout.ConversionPattern=%d [%t] %-5p %c - %m%n
### direct messages to file ###
log4j.appender.file=org.apache.log4j.RollingFileAppender
log4j.appender.file.File=${catalina.home}/var/basic/logs/sample.log
log4j.appender.file.Append=true
log4j.appender.file.MaxFileSize=10MB
# mylog.log.10 \u307e\u3067\u4fdd\u6301
log4j.appender.file.MaxBackupIndex=50
log4j.appender.file.layout=org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout
log4j.appender.file.layout.ConversionPattern=%d %5p [%t] %c{1} - %m%n
log4j.rootLogger=INFO, C, file
In the first line of the above code contains two appenders(file, C) after that we will be having appender for both file and C. So as per my understanding logs will of category will be stored to Console and sample.log. Please let me know if i am wrong.
log4j.rootLogger=INFO, A1 and respective properties are not used right?
log4j.rootLogger=INFO, C, file: This line is about root logger, I think in my case it is not useful, because it is defined at the last line and there is no properties defined over here.
Please could any body confirm my understanding and suggest me if any changes required in the above configuration
The root logger resides at the top of the logger hierarchy. It is exceptional in three ways:
it always exists,
its level cannot be set to null
it cannot be retrieved by name.
The rootLogger is the father of all appenders. Each enabled logging request for a given logger will be forwarded to all the appenders in that logger as well as the appenders higher in the hierarchy (including rootLogger).

How to log from core libraries

I am uisng log4j in one of my applications, the code is as follows;
log=/var/lib/openshift/5372745b4382ec49cb0000d5/app-root/runtime/dependencies/jbossas/deployments/Logs/AppName.log
org.apache.commons.logging.Log=org.apache.commons.logging.impl.Log4JLogger
log4j.rootLogger=DEBUG, FILE
log4j.appender.FILE=org.apache.log4j.FileAppender
log4j.appender.FILE.append=true log4j.appender.FILE.file=${log}
log4j.appender.FILE.threshold=DEBUG
log4j.appender.FILE.layout=org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout
log4j.appender.FILE.layout.ConversionPattern=%d %-5p %c - %m%n
This application also will use some core application code which is shared between various apps - How do i therefore log from this core code base as it will be shared amongst many applications - this means i can't provide a concrete log= value
Would something like this suffice?
log=/var/lib/openshift/5372745b4382ec49cb0000d5/app-root/runtime/dependencies/jbossas/deployments/Logs/*.log
One approach would be to
have different File appenders for each appplication
Load those appeanders in the respective Application Logger.
protected static final Logger LOGGER = Logger.getLogger(X.class);
static
{
if (null == LOGGER.getAppender("TEST_LOG_APPENDER"))
{
RollingFileAppender fa = new RollingFileAppender();
fa.setName("TEST_LOG_APPENDER");
fa.setFile("/test-output/" + "App_1.log");
fa.setLayout(new PatternLayout("%d %-5p [%c{1}] %m%n"));
fa.setThreshold(Level.DEBUG);
fa.setAppend(true);
fa.setMaxFileSize("10MB");
fa.activateOptions();
LOGGER.addAppender(fa);
}
}
Note that here you need not to create new appender, rather remove others and use only one.
Also this will work if you have a common app level logger.
Not sure if this is a right way of doing it. But just a thought.

disable output to log4j.rootLogger

I am having problem that even though I specify the property log4j.additivity=false ,still log messages are getting displayed in both logs (Root log and intended log).
But I want to log only in intended log file how can I achieve it through configuration in properties file.
I am not a log4j expert so any help is appreciated.
my log file looks like this
#==============================================
# RIPNET Logger (..//logs everything under the sun)
#==============================================
log4j.rootLogger=INFO, RIPNETappender
log4j.appender.RIPNETappender=org.apache.log4j.DailyRollingFileAppender
log4j.appender.RIPNETappender.layout=org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout
log4j.appender.RIPNETappender.layout.ConversionPattern=%d %p [%t:%c] - <%m>%n
log4j.appender.RIPNETappender.File=..//logs//RIPNET.log
#====================================
# WorkOrder Logger
#====================================
log4j.logger.com.reino.ripnet.servlet.alarm=INFO, WorkOrderAppender
log4j.appender.WorkOrderAppender=org.apache.log4j.DailyRollingFileAppender
log4j.additivity.com.reino.ripnet.servlet.alarm=false
log4j.appender.WorkOrderAppender.File=..//logs//WorkOrder.xml.log
log4j.appender.WorkOrderAppender.layout=org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout
log4j.appender.WorkOrderAppender.layout.ConversionPattern=%d %p [%t:%c] - <%m>%n
though i set the value
log4j.additivity.com.reino.ripnet.servlet.alarm=false
the log messages are still getting logged in root log
i even tried setting
log4j.additivity.WorkOrderAppender=false
in the code i call the logger by
Logger logger = Logger.getLogger("WorkOrderAppender");
i also tried using
Logger logger = Logger.getLogger(getClass());
but still no use
You are mixing Loggers and appenders. Additivity can be configured on a logger, and the Logger takes the <severity level> and an <appender name> as argument. Look closely at how I renamed your WorkOrder* names (* = {Appender, Logger}).
Thus, the combination of
log4j.logger.WorkOrderLogger=INFO, WorkOrderAppender
log4j.additivity.WorkOrderLogger=false
and
Logger logger = Logger.getLogger("WorkOrderLogger");
should work.

Log4j Logging to multiple files

In my Java console app, I want to log certain events to a log file and certain others to console. This is what I've got now
log4j.rootLogger=error, stdout
log4j.appender.stdout=org.apache.log4j.ConsoleAppender
log4j.appender.stdout.Target=System.out
log4j.appender.stdout.layout=org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout
log4j.appender.stdout.layout.ConversionPattern=%d{ABSOLUTE} %5p %c{1}:%L - %m%n
log4j.appender.L1=org.apache.log4j.FileAppender
log4j.appender.L1.layout=org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout
log4j.appender.L1.layout.ConversionPattern=%-22d{dd/MMM/yyyy HH:mm:ss} – %m%n
log4j.appender.L1.file=failedtoaddusers.log
In my Java app, I instantiate two log instances using
private static Logger log = Logger.getLogger(ActiveDirectoryManage.class);
private static Logger failedToAddUsersLogger = Logger.getLogger("FailedToAddUsersLogging");
My issue is that failedToAddUsersLogger.warn("xyz") also writes to the console in addition to the log file failedtoaddusers.log.
I just want it to write to the log file and not to the console.
How do I accomplish that?
You need to set additivity to "false" (read more on logger additivity in the Appenders and Layouts section of the log4j manual):
log4j.additivity.FailedToAddUsersLogging=false
log4j.logger.FailedToAddUsersLogging = your level, L1
Also, make sure you have one of new versions of log4j, "additivity" setting was not available from beginning.

Different Logger in the same class using Log4J

I want specific messages generated from within the same class to be logged separately. So, how can I create 2 different types of loggers within the same class. Currently, the Properties file looks like
log4j.rootCategory=DEBUG, O
# Stdout
log4j.appender.O=org.apache.log4j.ConsoleAppender
log4j.appender.O.layout=org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout
log4j.appender.O.layout.ConversionPattern=[%d{ISO8601}]%5p%6.6r[%t]%x - %C.%M(%F:%L) - %m%n
# File
log4j.appender.MESSAGE=org.apache.log4j.RollingFileAppender
log4j.appender.MESSAGE.File=target/logs/messages.log
# Control the maximum log file size
log4j.appender.MESSAGE.MaxFileSize=1000KB
# Archive log files (one backup file here)
log4j.appender.MESSAGE.MaxBackupIndex=100
log4j.appender.MESSAGE.layout=org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout
log4j.appender.MESSAGE.layout.ConversionPattern=[%d{ISO8601}]%5p%6.6r[%t]%x - %C.%M (% F:% L) - %m%n
log4j.appender.MESSAGE.
log4j.category.failedMessagesLog=INFO, MESSAGE
I'm using the logging in my code as: –
/** Logger. */
Logger logger = Logger.getLogger(MyClass.class);
Logger msgLogger = Logger.getLogger("MESSAGE");
Upon testing, I get an empty log file (messages.log) created.
Any suggestions??
Create two loggers with different names. You can configure them on a per name basis.
A simple way to do this is to add a suffix to you class name. e.g.
Log log1 = LogFactory.getLog(getClass().getName()+".log1");
Log log2 = LogFactory.getLog(getClass().getName()+".log2");
in your properties file.
log4j.category.mypackage.myclass.log1=INFO, MESSAGE1
log4j.category.mypackage.myclass.log2=INFO, MESSAGE2
log4j.rootCategory=DEBUG, O
log4j.appender.O=org.apache.log4j.ConsoleAppender
log4j.appender.O.layout=org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout
log4j.appender.O.layout.ConversionPattern=[%d{ISO8601}]%5p%6.6r[%t]%x - %C.%M(%F:%L) - %m%n
log4j.appender.MESSAGE=org.apache.log4j.RollingFileAppender
log4j.appender.MESSAGE.File=target/logs/messages.log
log4j.appender.MESSAGE.MaxFileSize=1000KB
log4j.appender.MESSAGE.MaxBackupIndex=100
log4j.appender.MESSAGE.layout=org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout
log4j.appender.MESSAGE.layout.ConversionPattern=[%d{ISO8601}]%5p%6.6r[%t]%x - %C.%M
log4j.appender.**MESSAGE2**=org.apache.log4j.RollingFileAppender
log4j.appender.**MESSAGE2**.File=target/logs/**messages2**.log
log4j.appender.**MESSAGE2**.MaxFileSize=1000KB
log4j.appender.**MESSAGE2**.MaxBackupIndex=100
log4j.appender.**MESSAGE2**.layout=org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout
log4j.appender.**MESSAGE2**.layout.ConversionPattern=[%d{ISO8601}]%5p%6.6r[%t]%x - %C.%M
log4j.category.failedMessagesLog=INFO, MESSAGE , **MESSAGE2**
"failedMessagesLog" is the java file to which appender (INFO,MESSAGE, MESSAGE1) is applied.
I have just reused existing RollingFileAppender. you can use any other appender ( like fileAppender).
You should use the right Class name Logger logger = Logger.getLogger(MyClass.class)
should be changed to private static final Logger log = Logger.getLogger( **failedMessagesLog.class** );
Make sure you are using log4j's logging ie
import **org.apache.log4j.Logger**;

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