Log::Report::Dispatcher::File(3pm)

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.

$class->new($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|\@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";

  Attributes
Extends "Attributes" 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 "Attributes" in Log::Report::Dispatcher

$obj->mode()
    Inherited, see "Attributes" in Log::Report::Dispatcher

$obj->name()
    Inherited, see "Attributes" in Log::Report::Dispatcher

$obj->needs( [$reason] )
    Inherited, see "Attributes" 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 "Attributes" 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

$obj->close()
    Only when initiated with a FILENAME, the file will be closed. In any other case, nothing will be done. Improves base, 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(\%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(\%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 1.46, built on June 16, 2026. Website: http://perl.overmeer.net/CPAN/

LICENSE
For contributors see file ChangeLog.

This software is copyright (c) 2007-2026 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.