Monday, December 19, 2011

Valhalla Koan: Logging Without Logging

OK, this isn't really a koan, because there is an answer.  The more mundane version of the question is, how do you make log statements to diagnose why your favorite logging framework isn't working.

Just as parents can learn from their children, those close to mastery can learn from the neophytes, System.out.println is usually acceptable (you're web-container may vary).

If you're using WebLogic 11g, their logging documentation can be just as confusing as a koan.  Fortunately, as a part-time hipster I'm really into their earlier work (i.e. their prior documentation actually makes sense).

So, to get to the point, if you want to use the WebLogic logging before you initialize your favorite like (like Log4j) you can:

  1. Use the simpler WebLogic APIs for logging until your main logger is working.
  2. You may have to have your WebLogic server use more logging statements (mine was set to only WARNs and above but all of my logging statements were INFO until I changed it).  You can do that by:
    1. Logging into the WebLogic Console.
    2. Going to Environment -> Servers.
    3. Select the server you want.
    4. Click on the Logging tab.
    5. Expand the Advanced section.
    6. Turning everything to DEBUG or TRACE. 
    7. Save your changes.
    8. Restart the server.
    9. Finally, redeploy your application.
  3. Then you can trigger the early logging statements and view them in the WebLogic Server Administration Console.
If you're familiar with Oracle and WebLogic products, you appreciate how this is as simple and straightforward as it gets.

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