Simple way to perform error logging?

Question

I\'ve created a small C# winforms application, as an added feature I was considering adding some form of error logging into it. Anyone have any suggestions for good ways to go a

Answer 1

I wouldn't dig too much on external libraries since your logging needs are simple.

.NET Framework already ships with this feature in the namespace System.Diagnostics, you could write all the logging you need there by simply calling methods under the Trace class:

Trace.TraceInformation("Your Information");
Trace.TraceError("Your Error");
Trace.TraceWarning("Your Warning");

And then configure all the trace listeners that fit your needs on your app.config file:

<configuration>
  // other config
  <system.diagnostics>
    <trace autoflush="true" indentsize="4">
      <listeners>
        <add name="consoleListener" type="System.Diagnostics.ConsoleTraceListener"/>
        <add name="textWriterListener" type="System.Diagnostics.TextWriterTraceListener" initializeData="YourLogFile.txt"/>
        <add name="eventLogListener" type="System.Diagnostics.EventLogTraceListener" initializeData="YourEventLogSource" />
        <remove name="Default"/>
      </listeners>
    </trace>
  </system.diagnostics>
  // other config
</configuration>

or if you prefer, you can also configure your listeners in your application, without depending on a config file:

Trace.Listeners.Add(new TextWriterTraceListener("MyTextFile.log"));

Remember to set the Trace.AutoFlush property to true, for the Text log to work properly.

Answer 2

Well log4net works like a brick. It may be a bit hard to configure, but its worth it. It also allows you to configure file locking of those log files etc.

http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/140911/log4net-Tutorial

Answer 3

After reading the suggestions here, I ended up using the following:

private void LogSystemError(string message)
{
    EventLog.WriteEntry("YourAppName", message, EventLogEntryType.Error);
}

The EventLog class is available using System.Diagnostics.

I avoided the options of logging into files (e.g. "yourLogFile.txt") to avoid issues of concurrency of multiple threads logging errors, location of the file and access security, and the possible issues of having a file that grows too large.