/ 
Log-Report-1.41
River stage two • 37 direct dependents • 88 total dependents
/ Log::Report::Dispatcher::File

NAME

Log::Report::Dispatcher::File - send messages to a file or file-handle

INHERITANCE

Log::Report::Dispatcher::File
  is a Log::Report::Dispatcher

SYNOPSIS

dispatcher Log::Report::Dispatcher::File => 'stderr',
  to => \*STDERR, accept => 'NOTICE-';

# close a dispatcher
dispatcher close => 'stderr';

# let dispatcher open and close the file
dispatcher FILE => 'mylog', to => '/var/log/mylog',
  charset => 'utf-8';
...
dispatcher close => 'mylog';  # will close file

# open yourself, then also close yourself
open OUT, ">:encoding('iso-8859-1')", '/var/log/mylog'
    or fault "...";
dispatcher FILE => 'mylog', to => \*OUT;
...
dispatcher close => 'mylog';
close OUT;

# dispatch into a scalar
my $output = '';
open $outfile, '>', \$output;
dispatcher FILE => 'into-scalar', to => \$outfile;
...
dispatcher close => 'into-scalar';
print $output;

DESCRIPTION

This basic file logger accepts an file-handle or filename as destination.

[1.00] writing to the file protected by a lock, so multiple processes can write to the same file.

Extends "DESCRIPTION" in Log::Report::Dispatcher.

METHODS

Extends "METHODS" in Log::Report::Dispatcher.

Constructors

Extends "Constructors" in Log::Report::Dispatcher.

$obj->close()

Only when initiated with a FILENAME, the file will be closed. In any other case, nothing will be done. Improves base, see "Constructors" in Log::Report::Dispatcher

$class->new($type, $name, %options)

Inherited, see "Constructors" in Log::Report::Dispatcher

-Option       --Defined in             --Default
 accept         Log::Report::Dispatcher  depend on mode
 charset        Log::Report::Dispatcher  LC_CTYPE
 format                                  <adds timestamp>
 format_reason  Log::Report::Dispatcher  'LOWERCASE'
 locale         Log::Report::Dispatcher  <system locale>
 mode           Log::Report::Dispatcher  'NORMAL'
 replace                                 false
 to                                      <required>
accept => REASONS
charset => CHARSET
format => CODE|'LONG'

[1.00] process each printed line. By default, this adds a timestamp, but you may want to add hostname, process number, or more.

format => sub { '['.localtime().'] '.$_[0] }
format => sub { shift }   # no timestamp
format => 'LONG'

The first parameter to format is the string to print; it is already translated and trailed by a newline. The second parameter is the text-domain (if known).

[1.10] As third parameter, you get the message raw object as well (maybe you want to use the message context?)

[1.19] After the three positional parameters, there may be a list of pairs providing additional facts about the exception. It may contain location information.

The "LONG" format is equivalent to:

my $t = strftime "%FT%T", gmtime;
"[$t $$] $_[1] $_[0]"

Use of context:

format => sub { my ($msgstr, $domain, $msg, %more) = @_;
   my $host = $msg->context->{host};
   "$host $msgstr";
}
format_reason => 'UPPERCASE'|'LOWERCASE'|'UCFIRST'|'IGNORE'|CODE
locale => LOCALE
mode => 'NORMAL'|'VERBOSE'|'ASSERT'|'DEBUG'|0..3
replace => BOOLEAN

Only used in combination with a to filename: throw away the old file if it exists. Probably you wish to append to existing information.

Use the locale setting by default, which is LC_CTYPE or LC_ALL or LANG (in that order). If these contain a character-set which Perl understands, then that is used, otherwise silently ignored.

to => $file|$fh|OBJECT|CODE

You can either specify a $file by name, which is opened in append mode with autoflush on. Or pass any kind of file handle $fh, or some OBJECT which implements a print() method. You probably want to have autoflush enabled on your file-handles.

When cleaning-up the dispatcher, the file will only be closed in case of a named $file.

[1.10] When you pass a CODE, then for each log message the function is called with two arguments: this dispatcher object and the message object. In some way (maybe via the message context) you have to determine the log filename. This means that probably many log-files are open at the same time.

# configuration time
dispatcher FILE => 'logfile', to =>
   sub { my ($disp, $msg) = @_; $msg->context->{logfile} };

# whenever you want to change the logfile
textdomain->updateContext(logfile => '/var/log/app');
(textdomain 'mydomain')->setContext(logfile => '/var/log/app');

# or
error __x"help", _context => {logfile => '/dev/tty'};
error __x"help", _context => "logfile=/dev/tty";

Accessors

Extends "Accessors" in Log::Report::Dispatcher.

$obj->filename()

Returns the name of the opened file, or undef in case this dispatcher was started from a file-handle or file-object.

$obj->format()

$obj->isDisabled()

Inherited, see "Accessors" in Log::Report::Dispatcher

$obj->mode()

Inherited, see "Accessors" in Log::Report::Dispatcher

$obj->name()

Inherited, see "Accessors" in Log::Report::Dispatcher

$obj->needs( [$reason] )

Inherited, see "Accessors" in Log::Report::Dispatcher

$obj->output($msg)

Returns the file-handle to write the log lines to. [1.10] This may depend on the $msg (especially message context)

$obj->type()

Inherited, see "Accessors" in Log::Report::Dispatcher

File maintenance

$obj->rotate($filename|CODE)

[1.00] Move the current file to $filename, and start a new file.

Logging

Extends "Logging" in Log::Report::Dispatcher.

$any->addSkipStack(@CODE)

Inherited, see "Logging" in Log::Report::Dispatcher

$any->collectLocation()

Inherited, see "Logging" in Log::Report::Dispatcher

$any->collectStack( [$maxdepth] )

Inherited, see "Logging" in Log::Report::Dispatcher

$obj->log(HASH-$of-%options, $reason, $message, $domain)

Inherited, see "Logging" in Log::Report::Dispatcher

$obj->skipStack()

Inherited, see "Logging" in Log::Report::Dispatcher

$any->stackTraceLine(%options)

Inherited, see "Logging" in Log::Report::Dispatcher

$obj->translate(HASH-$of-%options, $reason, $message)

Inherited, see "Logging" in Log::Report::Dispatcher

DETAILS

Extends "DETAILS" in Log::Report::Dispatcher.

DIAGNOSTICS

Error: cannot rotate log file which was opened as file-handle

Cast by rotate()

Fault: cannot write log into $file: $!

Cast by rotate()

Error: dispatcher $name needs parameter 'to'

Cast by new()

Fault: unable to rotate logfile $fn to $oldfn: $!

Cast by rotate()

Error: unknown format parameter `$what'

Cast by new()

SEE ALSO

This module is part of Log-Report version 1.41, built on September 11, 2025. Website: http://perl.overmeer.net/CPAN/

LICENSE

For contributors see file ChangeLog.

This software is copyright (c) 2007-2025 by Mark Overmeer.

This is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as the Perl 5 programming language system itself.