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FileAppender.javaAPI DocApache log4j 1.2.159764Sat Aug 25 00:09:42 BST 2007org.apache.log4j

FileAppender

public class FileAppender extends WriterAppender
FileAppender appends log events to a file.

Support for java.io.Writer and console appending has been deprecated and then removed. See the replacement solutions: {@link WriterAppender} and {@link ConsoleAppender}.

author
Ceki Gülcü

Fields Summary
protected boolean
fileAppend
Controls file truncatation. The default value for this variable is true, meaning that by default a FileAppender will append to an existing file and not truncate it.

This option is meaningful only if the FileAppender opens the file.

protected String
fileName
The name of the log file.
protected boolean
bufferedIO
Do we do bufferedIO?
protected int
bufferSize
Determines the size of IO buffer be. Default is 8K.
Constructors Summary
public FileAppender()
The default constructor does not do anything.
public FileAppender(Layout layout, String filename, boolean append, boolean bufferedIO, int bufferSize)
Instantiate a FileAppender and open the file designated by filename. The opened filename will become the output destination for this appender.

If the append parameter is true, the file will be appended to. Otherwise, the file designated by filename will be truncated before being opened.

If the bufferedIO parameter is true, then buffered IO will be used to write to the output file.

    this.layout = layout;
    this.setFile(filename, append, bufferedIO, bufferSize);
public FileAppender(Layout layout, String filename, boolean append)
Instantiate a FileAppender and open the file designated by filename. The opened filename will become the output destination for this appender.

If the append parameter is true, the file will be appended to. Otherwise, the file designated by filename will be truncated before being opened.

    this.layout = layout;
    this.setFile(filename, append, false, bufferSize);
public FileAppender(Layout layout, String filename)
Instantiate a FileAppender and open the file designated by filename. The opened filename will become the output destination for this appender.

The file will be appended to.

    this(layout, filename, true);
Methods Summary
public voidactivateOptions()
If the value of File is not null, then {@link #setFile} is called with the values of File and Append properties.

since
0.8.1

    if(fileName != null) {
      try {
	setFile(fileName, fileAppend, bufferedIO, bufferSize);
      }
      catch(java.io.IOException e) {
	errorHandler.error("setFile("+fileName+","+fileAppend+") call failed.",
			   e, ErrorCode.FILE_OPEN_FAILURE);
      }
    } else {
      //LogLog.error("File option not set for appender ["+name+"].");
      LogLog.warn("File option not set for appender ["+name+"].");
      LogLog.warn("Are you using FileAppender instead of ConsoleAppender?");
    }
protected voidcloseFile()
Closes the previously opened file.

    if(this.qw != null) {
      try {
	this.qw.close();
      }
      catch(java.io.IOException e) {
	// Exceptionally, it does not make sense to delegate to an
	// ErrorHandler. Since a closed appender is basically dead.
	LogLog.error("Could not close " + qw, e);
      }
    }
public booleangetAppend()
Returns the value of the Append option.

    return fileAppend;
public intgetBufferSize()
Get the size of the IO buffer.

    return this.bufferSize;
public booleangetBufferedIO()
Get the value of the BufferedIO option.

BufferedIO will significatnly increase performance on heavily loaded systems.

    return this.bufferedIO;
public java.lang.StringgetFile()
Returns the value of the File option.

    return fileName;
protected voidreset()
Close any previously opened file and call the parent's reset.

    closeFile();
    this.fileName = null;
    super.reset();
public voidsetAppend(boolean flag)
The Append option takes a boolean value. It is set to true by default. If true, then File will be opened in append mode by {@link #setFile setFile} (see above). Otherwise, {@link #setFile setFile} will open File in truncate mode.

Note: Actual opening of the file is made when {@link #activateOptions} is called, not when the options are set.

    fileAppend = flag;
public voidsetBufferSize(int bufferSize)
Set the size of the IO buffer.

    this.bufferSize = bufferSize;
public voidsetBufferedIO(boolean bufferedIO)
The BufferedIO option takes a boolean value. It is set to false by default. If true, then File will be opened and the resulting {@link java.io.Writer} wrapped around a {@link BufferedWriter}. BufferedIO will significatnly increase performance on heavily loaded systems.

    this.bufferedIO = bufferedIO;
    if(bufferedIO) {
      immediateFlush = false;
    }
public synchronized voidsetFile(java.lang.String fileName, boolean append, boolean bufferedIO, int bufferSize)

Sets and opens the file where the log output will go. The specified file must be writable.

If there was already an opened file, then the previous file is closed first.

Do not use this method directly. To configure a FileAppender or one of its subclasses, set its properties one by one and then call activateOptions.

param
fileName The path to the log file.
param
append If true will append to fileName. Otherwise will truncate fileName.

    LogLog.debug("setFile called: "+fileName+", "+append);

    // It does not make sense to have immediate flush and bufferedIO.
    if(bufferedIO) {
      setImmediateFlush(false);
    }

    reset();
    FileOutputStream ostream = null;
    try {
          //
          //   attempt to create file
          //
          ostream = new FileOutputStream(fileName, append);
    } catch(FileNotFoundException ex) {
          //
          //   if parent directory does not exist then
          //      attempt to create it and try to create file
          //      see bug 9150
          //
          String parentName = new File(fileName).getParent();
          if (parentName != null) {
             File parentDir = new File(parentName);
             if(!parentDir.exists() && parentDir.mkdirs()) {
                ostream = new FileOutputStream(fileName, append);
             } else {
                throw ex;
             }
          } else {
             throw ex;
          }
    }
    Writer fw = createWriter(ostream);
    if(bufferedIO) {
      fw = new BufferedWriter(fw, bufferSize);
    }
    this.setQWForFiles(fw);
    this.fileName = fileName;
    this.fileAppend = append;
    this.bufferedIO = bufferedIO;
    this.bufferSize = bufferSize;
    writeHeader();
    LogLog.debug("setFile ended");
public voidsetFile(java.lang.String file)
The File property takes a string value which should be the name of the file to append to.

Note that the special values "System.out" or "System.err" are no longer honored.

Note: Actual opening of the file is made when {@link #activateOptions} is called, not when the options are set.

    // Trim spaces from both ends. The users probably does not want
    // trailing spaces in file names.
    String val = file.trim();
    fileName = val;
protected voidsetQWForFiles(java.io.Writer writer)
Sets the quiet writer being used. This method is overriden by {@link RollingFileAppender}.

     this.qw = new QuietWriter(writer, errorHandler);