Log4Net config in external file does not work

Robert_Wagner_10784 0
Viewed 81208

We are using log4net and want to specify it's configuration in an external config file (as we have done with other sections). To do this we have changed the log4net section in the App.config to:

...
<section name="log4net" 
     type="log4net.Config.Log4NetConfigurationSectionHandler, log4net"/>
...
<log4net configSource="Log.config" />
...

And in the Log.Config file (same directory as the App.config) we have:

<log4net>
  <appender name="General" type="log4net.Appender.FileAppender">
    <file value="myapp.log" />
    <layout type="log4net.Layout.SimpleLayout" />
  </appender>
  <root>
    <appender-ref ref="General" />
  </root>
</log4net>

However, when we run the app, no log file is created (and no logging done). There are no error messages output to the console.

If we move the contents of the Log.config file back into the App.config (replacing the first code line above), it works as expected. Any idea why it is not working in an external file?

external log4net logging configuration file
13 Answers

Do you have the following attribute in your AssemblyInfo.cs file: 

[assembly: log4net.Config.XmlConfigurator(ConfigFile = "Log4Net.config", Watch = true)]

and code like this at the start of each class that requires logging functionality:

private static readonly ILog log = 
LogManager.GetLogger(System.Reflection.MethodBase.GetCurrentMethod().DeclaringType);

I have a blog post containing this and other info here.

user_160760

  1. add following to AssemblyInfo.cs

    [assembly: log4net.Config.XmlConfigurator(ConfigFile = "Log4Net.config")]

  2. Make sure log4net.config is included in project

  3. In properties of log4net.config

change CopyToOutputDirctory tag to CopyIfNewer tag

  1. Double check log level level value="ALL"
user_9765030

@Mitch, It turns out there is a file with the [assembly:...] declaration, but it did not have the ConfigFile property.

Once I added it and pointed it to Log.config, it started working. I would have thought that it would work like all the other config sections (ie AppSettings) and accept external config files with no modification.

We don't have the second statement you mentioned, as we wrap it in a global static log provider.

Robert_Wagner_107840

It's also worth pointing out that in a web app it looks in the root directory, not the bin folder, so make sure that's where you put the config file.

user_2736050
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