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Best way of logging errors?

Joel Bennett · 2002-08-15T01:04:27

For my 4 Elements contest entry, I was logging my errors to a file using the simple class that I had created: In the header file: //----------------------------------------// // logfile.h - header for error logging // //----------------------------------------// //ifndef it so it doesn''t get included more than once #ifndef _LOGFILE_H_ #define _LOGFILE_H_ //includ the necessary files for the input/output #include <iostream.h> //input/output stuff #include <fstream.h> //more i/o stuff //return types for the scripting const int LOGFILE_OK = 0; const int LOGFILE_BAD = 1; //the logfile class - creates a file and logs all the information on //how the program behaves to it class LOGFILE { public: ~LOGFILE(); ofstream outfile; int CreateLogFile(const char* FileName); int LogtoFile(char Outputstring[256]); void CloseLogFile(); }; #endif //for _LOGFILE_H_ In the cpp file: //----------------------------------------// // logfile.cpp - main file for error logging // //----------------------------------------// //do the usual... #include "logfile.h" //--------------------------------------------------// // Name: ~LOGFILE() // Desc: destructor that closes the logfile //--------------------------------------------------// LOGFILE::~LOGFILE() { //close the file outfile.close(); } //--------------------------------------------------// // Name: CreateLogFile() // Desc: function that creates a file for logging //--------------------------------------------------// int LOGFILE::CreateLogFile(const char* FileName) { //create the file and test if it was made ok outfile.open(FileName); if(!outfile) { return LOGFILE_BAD; } //return ok return LOGFILE_OK; }; //--------------------------------------------------// // Name: LogtoFile() // Desc: function that puts a string to the file //--------------------------------------------------// int LOGFILE::LogtoFile(char OutputString[256]) { //output it to the file and flush it so it doesn''t //get lost if the program messes up outfile<<OutputString; outfile.flush(); //return ok return LOGFILE_OK; } //--------------------------------------------------// // Name: CloseLogFile() // Desc: closes down the logfile, if it hasn''t been already. // Note: If this function doesn''t get called, the destructor will handle things //--------------------------------------------------// void LOGFILE::CloseLogFile() { //close the file outfile.close(); } Now to post something in the logfile, I would do something like: logfile.LogtoFile("D3D - Unable to find a supported backbuffer format \n"); This is all find and dandy, and it works just fine, but it doesn''t seem like a very good way of logging errors. It seems to take quite a bit just to say one little thing to the logfile. Not only that, but my output strings are limited to 256 characters (I could increase that, but it just seems inefficient to me). Is there a better way to log errors to a file? How do you other people do it? Moe''s site

General and Gameplay Programming Programming

Started by Moe August 13, 2002 04:31 PM

10 comments, last by Moe 21 years, 8 months ago

DerekSaw

243

August 14, 2002 09:43 PM

quote:Original post by shurcool
flush does exactly that.

I don''t think the ''flush'' really do an actual write to the disk. The OS cached it all and decides when to do it. Unless you are calling a low-level flush (is it _commit()?)... I guess.

"after many years of singularity, i'm still searching on the event horizon"

Zipster

2,420

August 15, 2002 01:04 AM

flush writes to the file the contents of the stream. So yes, if the program were to abnormally terminate without closing the stream, you''d still have your log data. However, in the fflush() documentation, it says you can link with COMMODE.OBJ to skip the operating system''s buffering and write directly to the file without the flush.

Best way of logging errors?

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Best way of logging errors?

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