log4perl-devel

[log4perl-devel] Enhanced DateFormat to match default Apache Log format

[Jonathan M. <jma...@al...>]

Hello,

I wanted to set a DateFormat to match the default Apache Log format - 
ie: [Wed Mar 16 16:51:13 2005] [notice] Apache/2.0.52 ...

This will help Log4perl messages from my mod_perl app blend in with the 
rest of the server log.

But the 3 digit forms for Weekday and Month don't seem to work.

( As a side note, the docs say:
     DATE     "dd MMM yyyy HH:mm:ss,SSS" "06 Nov 1994 15:49:37,459"
While using that format 'Nov' actually appears with the full month name... )

Based on the log4j description (but not the examples) I think it should be:
E = W
EE = We
EEE = Wed
EEEE+ = Wednesday

M = 3
MM = 03
MMM = Mar
MMMM+ = March

Attached are two patches. The first to enable the short forms, and the 
second to add a predefined APACHE format. (the second is optional, feel 
free to ignore it).

Feedback is welcome, (but please cc me as I'm not currently subscribed)

~Jonathan

Re: [log4perl-devel] Enhanced DateFormat to match default Apache Log format

[Mike S. <m...@pe...>]

On Wed, 16 Mar 2005, Jonathan Manning wrote:

> I wanted to set a DateFormat to match the default Apache Log format -
> ie: [Wed Mar 16 16:51:13 2005] [notice] Apache/2.0.52 ...
>
> This will help Log4perl messages from my mod_perl app blend in with the
> rest of the server log.
>
> But the 3 digit forms for Weekday and Month don't seem to work.
>
> ( As a side note, the docs say:
>      DATE     "dd MMM yyyy HH:mm:ss,SSS" "06 Nov 1994 15:49:37,459"
> While using that format 'Nov' actually appears with the full month name... )

Think you're right.

> Based on the log4j description (but not the examples) I think it should be:
> E = W
> EE = We
> EEE = Wed
> EEEE+ = Wednesday

Not sure about this one, though. In

     http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/docs/api/java/text/SimpleDateFormat.html

it just says that an abbreviated form is used if it's available, I can't find any reference
that E=W and EE=We. Isn't it E=Wed and EE=Wed instead?

If we can clarify this, I'll apply your patch in 0.52. Thanks!

-- Mike

Mike Schilli
m...@pe...

Re: [log4perl-devel] Enhanced DateFormat to match default Apache Log format

[Jonathan M. <jma...@al...>]

Mike Schilli wrote:
>Jonathan Manning wrote:
>>Based on the log4j description (but not the examples) I think it
should be:
>>E = W
>>EE = We
>>EEE = Wed
>>EEEE+ = Wednesday
>
> Not sure about this one, though.
> ...
> Isn't it E=Wed and EE=Wed instead?

That's fine. My thinking was that it would make it more consistent with
number fields -- the width of the placeholder == the width of the
replacement string.

But the spec says nothing about that. It just says less than 4 letters
means use a 'short form', if available.

I suppose that limiting it to the 3 char short version makes text-only
fields more consistent with text and number fields (like month) - where
1 and 2 letter placeholders are used for the numerical version.

Just adding the 3-letter versions for both weekday and month will help
get log4perl closer to that log4j spec (and make the example work as
advertised), and is fine with me (since it fixes my apache log usage).

Thanks!,

~J