[boost] Re: logging lib, v1.3

From: Johan Nilsson (johan.nilsson_at_[hidden])
Date: 2004-10-29 08:50:18

Hi John,

"John Torjo" <john.lists_at_[hidden]> wrote in message news:41812C6E.10903_at_torjo.com...
> Dear boosters,
> 
> 
> Finally, have had some time to update the logging lib.
> Get it from: http://www.torjo.com/
> (of course, it comes packed with docs)
> 

[snip]

> 
> Still to do:
> - docs: write about log managers
> - cyclic logs
> 
> Looking forward to your feedback!

Disclaimer: I haven't used the library (yet), just read the documentation and peeked at the code. As I (as well as nearly everyone else in the world) have been using/implementing logging stuff, I'm very interested in a logging library. Having a logging library in boost would simplify dependency management for me personally, as boost is the single dependency that I add to the SCM system (almost without thinking) when starting out some new C++ development. As these comments come after a first read-through only, they're probably not very complete.

I feel a bit ambivalent about the library, on the one side:

- I like the syntax, e.g. BOOST_LOG(x) << "log a message". Really smooth to use, especially when adding ad-hoc logging.
- I also like the ability to use decorators (i.e. "modifiers") - prepend_time et al
- The option to manage logs using wildcards also looks really nice
- In general, looks really easy to use and setup.
- The usage of TSS in the thread-safe stuff is neat, great idea.

On the other side:

- Message formatting always takes place in the caller's context. In ~99% of the time I'd like the messages to be formatted and written to their destination in a low-priority (idle) background thread, that does not interfere with any other parts of my application. This holds true even when I don't use any threads in the application.  The only time when I would not want do it this way is when the platform does not support threads. (I deliberately do not suggest any specific implementation here.)
- I miss priority/severity levels :-(
- I get the feeling that the logging entity always knows where the log messages are destined. I'd like (I think) a single logging "sink" where the messages can be sorted at the back-end ("appenders") to provide some looser coupling (read the comment at the bottom of this posting though).
- This opinion is probably not shared with others, but I'd prefer the library to be independent from the Boost Thread library. The dependency feels kind of the wrong way around.
- Tests?

And a question:

- Did you consider the possibility to integrate with syslog / NT event log?

Many of these points probably originate from me not really getting the feeling for the usage of the multiple, hierarchical logs. Would you (or someone else) take a shot at explaining what the differences/benefits are compared to using e.g. severities? 

// Johan