.NET Logging Library

The .NET Logging Library is the cutting edge of logging. It is more powerful than Log4Net, NLog, or SmartInspect and yet easier to use.

Of course it has all the usual logging capabilities of the other guys including; a wide variety of targets, log levels, filtering, real time monitoring, binary file logging with attachments, and compatibility with log viewers like Chainsaw, Log4View, YALV, LogExpert, and YourLog4Net Viewer.

Say goodbye to editing complex logging XML configuration files. The .NET Logging Library has a GUI configuration editor that can edit external config files and your app.config or web.config files. Setup is literally a minute, versus a half an hour of searching for an appender format and then hoping you didn't make a typo.

We know that you have high maintenance users that cause things to happen in your application that make you scratch your head. That is why the .NET Logging Library can do things like automatically increasing the logging level when an exception occurs. Have a problem user? You can create a logging target for a that specific user by simply re-deploying a new configuration file. If needed, the configuration can be overriden at runtime by your application and then saved. You could easily create an admin page in your application to change the configuration. No other framework does that.

Here are some other differences that will make your life easier. When a junior developer creates an infinite loop and there are thousands of duplicate messages logged, the .NET Logging Library can be configured to ignore duplicate messages. By default, file targets automatically discard older messages after reaching 10,000 entries. When logging to a database, it will automatically create the logging table and the corresponding stored procedure to log to the database and roll database entries. No other framework can roll when logging to a database.

The .NET Logging Libary is so easy to use, you can log with a single line of code using the default configuration:
Log.Debug(“This is a test”)

It supports all .NET project types including .NET Framework .NET Core, Mono, Xamarin iOS, Xamarin Mac, Xamarin Android, UWP, Unity, .NET 5, and .NET 6. The logger can be used with any .NET language including VB.NET and C#. Download the full list of features.

While it can be purchased separately, this product is also included in the Gold Suite. Gold Suite subscribers receive all product updates and all new products as part of a yearly subscription. It is the best value in the industry.

Features

How does the .NET Logging Library stack up against the competition?

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• Full working version
• Includes technical support
• Compatible with Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android and Docker.
• Compatible with .NET Framework 3.5 and higher, .NET Core 2.0 and higher, Mono 5.4 and higher, Xamarin.iOS 10.14 and higher, Xamarin.Mac 3.8 and higher, Xamarin.Android 8.0 and higher, Universal Windows Platform 10.0.16299 and higher, Unity 2018.1 and higher, .NET 5, and .NET 6.

Download Options

• Download Full Installer
• Download Zip No Installer
• Download NuGet Package
• Online Help

In order to use the .NET Logging Library, you must meet the following system requirements.

• Compatible with Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android and Docker.
• Compatible with .NET Framework 3.5 and higher, .NET Core 2.0 and higher, Mono 5.4 and higher, Xamarin.iOS 10.14 and higher, Xamarin.Mac 3.8 and higher, Xamarin.Android 8.0 and higher, Universal Windows Platform 10.0.16299 and higher, Unity 2018.1 and higher, .NET 5, and .NET 6.

Using the .NET Logging Library is super easy. To automatically start logging to a file and to the console simply add a reference to the KellermanSoftware.NET-Logging-Library.dll in your Visual Studio project and enter this single line of code:
Log.Debug("I am logging with only one line of code!")

Quick Start

Step 1: Configure the logger

You can configure the logger using runtime properties or using the config editor. The config editor is an easy to use GUI. The config editor has the ability to create an external log.config which is an XML file or can edit your app.config/web.config file. The two most important properties to know are the MessageFormat and the DateFormat.

Example run time property configuration:

//Clear all configuration
Log.ResetConfiguration();

//Add a New Target
FileTarget fileTarget = new FileTarget("log.txt");
Log.Config.Targets.Add(fileTarget);

//Example saving to Log.Config XML file
Log.SaveConfigurationToXmlFile("log.config");

//Example saving to app.config or web.config
Log.SaveConfigurationToAppConfigOrWebConfig("web.config);

Step 2: Start Logging

The configuration is loaded automatically when first used. It will look for the log.config in the current directory then it will look in the app.config or web.config

//Licensed Mode
//Log.UserName = "User Name From Receipt";
//Log.LicenseKey = "LicenseKey From Receipt";

//Option 1: Use built in static logger
Log.Debug("This is a test");

//Option 2: Create a concrete implementation
ConcreteLog logger = new ConcreteLog()
logger.Debug("This is a test");

For more information, take a look at the help file.

Q: How do I use my license key?
Log.UserName = "John Smith";
Log.LicenseKey = "asiuraweruiawer==";

Q: I lost my license key how do I retrieve it?
A: Go to your account

Q: I lost my software how do I retrieve it?
A: Go to downloads

Q: Where can I download the latest version of my software?
A: Click the download tab.

Q: How does the licensing work?
A: Each developer that uses the logging library must have a license. You may distribute your application to end users royalty free or use it on an unlimited number of servers. A site license is for all the developers in a single building. An enterprise license would be for numerous developers in multiple buildings.

Q: Does the logging library work with ASP.NET?
A: Yes, the .NET Logging Library works with any .NET project type.

Q: What happens when the trial expires?
A: All messages that are logged will say the trial is expired.

Q: Is there a list of all the variables that can be used in the log format?
A: Yes, see the help file under the log format property.

Q: How do I get the thread name instead of the thread id to print out in the log?
A: In the first line of your application put: System.Threading.Thread.CurrentThread.Name = "MyThreadName"; The Logger will pick up this information automatically.

Q: How accurate are the performance metrics?
A: It will be relative to the performance of your machine. On our test machine which is 3Ghz, the performance metrics are accurate to within 1ms.

Q: Do you provide a .sql file that I can use to create the table structure required for logging to SQL Server/Oracle?
A: The table creation and stored procedure creation is totally automatic. Set the connection string for the database you want to log to and turn on the logging for the database. When the first entry is logged, it will create the table and the stored proc automatically.