Updated September 8, 2005

Logging is a testing and diagnostic technique that lies somewhere between automated testing and debugging. It can help you understand what your application is doing, especially in cases where there is some non-determinism because of threading, or when running in an environment where debuggers are not an option (such as on a customer’s machine). This article is an attempt at defining good logging style. There are lots of things already written about the technical aspects of using a particular logger, like Log4J, but not so much about how to use logging effectively. Read the rest of this entry »