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Log4net configuration from assembly attribute does not load configuration file

Asked 2010-10-19T18:02:41.827
34

I have the following file Log4net.config in my bin directory:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<log4net xmlns="urn:log4net">
    <appender name="FileAppender" type="log4net.Appender.FileAppender">
        <param name="file" value="MyLogFile.log"/>
        <param name="appendToFile" value="false"/>
        <layout type="log4net.Layout.PatternLayout">
            <param name="ConversionPattern" value="%date (%logger) [%5level] - %message" />
        </layout>
    </appender>
    <appender name="ConsoleAppender" type="log4net.Appender.ConsoleAppender">
        <layout type="log4net.Layout.PatternLayout">
            <param name="ConversionPattern" value="%date (%logger) [%5level] - %message" />
        </layout>
    </appender>
    <root>
        <level value="DEBUG" />
        <appender-ref ref="FileAppender" />
        <appender-ref ref="ConsoleAppender"/>
    </root>
    <logger name="NHibernate" additivity="false">
        <level value="WARN"/>
    </logger>
</log4net>

And the following code in my AssemblyInfo.cs file:

using System.Reflection;
using System.Runtime.CompilerServices;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;

[assembly: AssemblyVersion("1.0.0.0")]
[assembly: AssemblyTitle("My Project")]
[assembly: log4net.Config.XmlConfigurator(ConfigFile = "Log4net.config", Watch = true)]

When I run the program, I get the following log4net debug output:

log4net: log4net assembly [log4net, Version=1.2.10.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=1b44e1d426115821]. Loaded from [D:\Data\Projects\Active\Clients\MyProject\src\MyProject.Importer\bin\Debug\log4net.dll]. (.NET Runtime [4.0.30319.1] on Microsoft Windows NT 6.1.7600.0)
log4net: DefaultRepositorySelector: defaultReposit
log4net log4net-configuration
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1 Answer

44

I also have trouble with this method of boostrapping log4net. The documentation says you have to make a call very early in your application startup

if you use configuration attributes you must invoke log4net to allow it to read the attributes. A simple call to LogManager.GetLogger will cause the attributes on the calling assembly to be read and processed. Therefore it is imperative to make a logging call as early as possible during the application start-up, and certainly before any external assemblies have been loaded and invoked.

Try placing a logger in the same class that starts your application (program.cs, app.xaml, whatever). For example

private static readonly ILog Log = LogManager.GetLogger(typeof(Program));

And for kicks, make any call to the log (even one that is filtered or evaluated out of the append process, it should force log4net to evaluate your repository/heirarchy).

static Program()
{
    Log.Debug("Application loaded.");
}
answered 2011-06-15T04:37:08.523

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