Should there be this much overhead? When I see all this repeated code, I don't like it. This adds 4 lines to each program (not a big deal) but it also adds 4 lines to each .t script (?!?!) and 2 lines to module...surely it shouldn't require this much repeated code?

Log::Log4perl can be used in different ways, just pick the one that suits you:

For simple scripts, people like using :easy mode. This approach is also discussed in this FAQ and uses

• a simplified init method without a configuration file and
• logging functions instead of objects/method calls

Here's an example:

    use Log::Log4perl qw(:easy);

    Log::Log4perl->easy_init( 
        { level   => $DEBUG,
          file    => ">>test.log" } );

    DEBUG("Debug this!");
[download]

Calling DEBUG() instead of obtaining a logger reference via get_logger($category) and then calling $logger->debug() is what Log4perl calls using stealth loggers. Stealth loggers are also recommended to be used in modules, just say

package MyPackage;
use Log::Log4perl qw(:easy);
sub method {
    DEBUG "Doing something!";
}
[download]

and you've got full-fledged logging in place. Stealth loggers use Log4perl categories equal to the current package. Performance stays the same.

The main program is responsible for calling init() or easy_init(). If it doesn't, Log::Log4perl will keep sleeping.

As for spreading like Kudzu through your application, that's a common issue with logging systems. Log::Log4perl reduces the exposure by not requiring to pass a handler around, but provides a singleton mechanism.

However, ideally, logging would be completely orthogonal to your application logic. You may have heard of aspect oriented programming (AOP), that's how it's done. Log4perl might provide a way to do that in the future.

---

---

• Are you posting in the right place? Check out Where do I post X? to know for sure.
• Posts may use any of the Perl Monks Approved HTML tags. Currently these include the following:

  <code> <a> <b> <big> <blockquote> <br /> <dd> <dl> <dt> <em> <font> <h1> <h2> <h3> <h4> <h5> <h6> <hr /> <i> <li> <nbsp> <ol> <p> <small> <strike> <strong> <sub> <sup> <table> <td> <th> <tr> <tt> <u> <ul>

• Snippets of code should be wrapped in <code> tags not <pre> tags. In fact, <pre> tags should generally be avoided. If they must be used, extreme care should be taken to ensure that their contents do not have long lines (<70 chars), in order to prevent horizontal scrolling (and possible janitor intervention).
• Want more info? How to link or How to display code and escape characters are good places to start.