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Articles / desktop / WPF

LogViewer Control for WinForms, WPF, and Avalonia in C# & VB

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11 Sep 2023CPOL33 min read 52.9K   3.6K  
.NET Core LogViewer Control for WinForms, WPF, and Avalonia using the ILogger Framework with Microsoft Logger, Serilog, NLog, and Log4Net in C# & VB on Windows, Mac OS, and Linux
WinForms, WPF, and Avalonia LogViewer controls for live viewing of ILogger entries with full colorization support, and more for C# and VB on Windows, MacOS and Linux using Microsoft Logger, Serilog, NLog, and Log4Net + Logging Demystified

Introduction

I was working on a solution that required a Viewer for Logger entries in the app itself for live viewing of what was happening behind the scene.

I wanted something prettier than the console output and something that could be added to a Winforms, WPF, or Avalonia application that felt part of the application, and possibly something that a user may need to view - i.e., User Friendly, not the following:

Image 1

The requirements for the LoggerViewer are:

  • Defined as a control that could be added or injected via dependency injection
  • Native for WinForms, WPF, and Avalonia applications
  • Support multiple Operating Systems - Windows, MacOS, Linux
  • Support multiple Logging Frameworks - Microsoft (default), Serilog, and NLog
  • Support colorization (custom colors as a bonus)
  • Dependency Injection (DI) and non-DI usage
  • MVVM (Model View ViewModel design pattern) and non-MVVM usage
  • History viewable in any list control, a ListView / DataGrid control
  • Selectable auto-scrolling to keep the latest entry visible
  • AppSettings.Json file support for configurable logging
  • Capture framework API logging
  • Work in parallel with other Loggers

We will be looking into Logging - how it works and look at the framework code that makes it work.

As we will be covering WPF, WinForms, and Avalonia project types, Microsoft and Serilog loggers, and also using / not using Dependency Injection, this article will be a bit lengthy.

If you are not interested in how it all works, then see the animations in the Preview section below, download the code, and run the application(s) that are applicable to your use case in the language that you work in.

Preview

Before we get started, let's look at what we want to achieve. The WPF, WinForms, and Avalonia versions of the LogViewerControl look almost identical and work the same for both the C# & VB versions.

Here is a GIF with default colorization for the WinForms version in C#, using Dependency Injection and data-binding:

Image 2

Here is a GIF with custom colorization for the WPF version, minimal implementation in VB, no Dependency injection, three lines of code:

Image 3

Lastly, here is proof that you can develop an application for Mac OS using VB, yes Visual Basic, using the Avalonia Framework! Whilst VB is not supported out-of-the-box, as there are no included Application, Class, or Control library templates with the exception of a Github repository that is not complete, I will cover how to get VB to use the Avalonia framework for both application and control project types.

Image 4

Note: The three animated GIFs may take a moment to load...

Contents

Prerequisites

The code that accompanies this article is for .NET Core only. Version 7.03 was used and Nullable is enabled. However, if required, it can be modified to support .NET 3.1 or later.

The solution was built using Visual Studio 2022 v17.4.5 and fully tested with Rider 2022.3.2.

The Nuget Packages that were used for this article are listed in the Nuget Packages reference section at the end of this article.

The AppSettings helper class was used to simplify reading the configuration settings from the appsettings*.json files. There is an article that deep-dives into how this works: .NET App Settings Demystified (C# & VB | CodeProject).

If you are not familiar with Logging, then take a moment to read this Logging in .NET | Microsoft Learn which covers the fundamentals.

As we are implementing a Custom Logger and Provider, and you're not familiar with creating a custom logger and provider, please take a moment to read Implement a custom logging provider in .NET | Microsoft Learn.

We will also be covering Dependency Injection (DI). I provide solutions that use and do not use DI, so DI is not essential. If you are interested in learning more, please read this: Dependency injection in .NET | Microsoft Learn.

Lastly, we will be covering MVVM (Model View ViewModel design pattern). I provide solutions that use and do not use MVVM, so MVVM is not essential. If you are interested in learning more, please read this: Model-View-ViewModel (MVVM) | Microsoft Learn.

Solution Setup

As we are covering 3 project types, the structure of the solution attempts to minimize duplication of code. Also, the projects are broken into 4 parts: Application, Controls, Core, and Background Service:

  1. The application demonstrates how to implement in your own applications.
  2. Controls are what you add to your own applications for the UI component.
  3. Core contains common code, application type-specific code, and custom logger implementations. The custom logger implementations are independent of the controls, and choose which one or roll your own for another logger framework.
  4. The Background Service is simply a dummy service to simulate the generation of logging messages. The Service is common to all application types.

Logging Flow

We can simplify the design concept with the diagram below:

Image 5

The logic flow, as per the diagram above, is as follows:

  1. Application logs an event (Trace, Debug, Information, Warning, Error, or Critical) with the appropriate information.
  2. The Logger Framework passes the Log Event to all registered Loggers, including our custom logger(s).
  3. The Loggers store the Log Event in the DataStore.
  4. The LogViewer control receives a data-binding notification and displays the Log Event.

Application Architecture

The application architecture is the same for all application types:

Image 6

NOTES

  • Application, Controls, and Common parts are UI & application type dependant.
  • Logger Providers are Logging Framework specific.
  • Controls and Common parts are application type specific.
  • Logger Providers, Random Logging Service, and Controls are all independent of each other.

Solution Architecture

Both VB and C# solutions are included and have identical layouts. The only difference is the VB version has VB at the end of the project name.

Image 7

NOTES

  • The application project names are made up of 3 parts: [Application Type][Logger][Implementation]
    1. Application Type: Avalonia, WinForms, Wpf
    2. Logger: Logger (Default .NET Implementation) or Serilog
    3. Implementation: DI = Dependency Injection; NoDI = Manual / No Dependency Injection
  • For supporting Projects, the Name Suffix identifies the project type:
    1. .Core for common code
    2. .Avalonia, .WinForms, .Wpf for application-specific types

How Does Logging Work?

Before we dig into the solutions, let us quickly look at how the .NET Logging Framework works.

There are three parts:

  1. Logger
  2. Registering Loggers
  3. Processing Log Entries

We will be using the Microsoft Logger Framework. This will allow us to not only capture the application's logging but all .NET Framework and 3rd-party library logging.

The implementation in this article will be using a singleton DataStore for storage, Custom Logger, and Logging Provider. There is also a Configuration class for custom options, like custom colorization.

This is just a brief summation and look at the internal code. If you require more information, please see the links provided above and in the Reference section at the end of this article.

Logger Internals

Loggers are made up of four parts:

  1. Logger - logging implementation
  2. LoggingProvider - generates the Logger instance
  3. Processor / Storage - where the logger outputs the logging to
  4. Configuration (optional) - parameters for generating output

Image 8

Every time the LoggingFactory creates a Logger instance, the LoggingFactory will cycle through all of the registered Logger Providers and generate internal Logger instances for the returned concrete Logger. All calls to the Log method on the concrete Logger will cycle through all of the internal Logger instances.

Image 9

To understand this better, let's look at the code in the .NET Framework LoggerFactory class that creates the Logger instance that we use:

C#
public ILogger CreateLogger(string categoryName)
{
    if (CheckDisposed())
    {
        throw new ObjectDisposedException(nameof(LoggerFactory));
    }

    lock (_sync)
    {
        if (!_loggers.TryGetValue(categoryName, out Logger? logger))
        {
            logger = new Logger(CreateLoggers(categoryName));

            (logger.MessageLoggers, logger.ScopeLoggers) = ApplyFilters(logger.Loggers);

            _loggers[categoryName] = logger;
        }

        return logger;
    }
}

private LoggerInformation[] CreateLoggers(string categoryName)
{
    var loggers = new LoggerInformation[_providerRegistrations.Count];
    for (int i = 0; i < _providerRegistrations.Count; i++)
    {
        loggers[i] = new LoggerInformation(_providerRegistrations[i].Provider, 
                     categoryName);
    }
    return loggers;
}

internal readonly struct LoggerInformation
{
    public LoggerInformation(ILoggerProvider provider, string category) : this()
    {
        ProviderType = provider.GetType();
        Logger = provider.CreateLogger(category);
        Category = category;
        ExternalScope = provider is ISupportExternalScope;
    }

    public ILogger Logger { get; }

    public string Category { get; }

    public Type ProviderType { get; }

    public bool ExternalScope { get; }
}

Here, we see everything being wired up, including the LoggerProvier generating the internal Loggers via the CreateLoggers method.

Then, every time we Log an entry via our Logger, the information is passed to every internal Logger.

Here is the concrete .NET Framework internal Logger that is substantiated by the LoggerFactory. We will look specifically at the Log method:

C#
internal sealed class Logger : ILogger
{
     public void Log<TState>(LogLevel logLevel, EventId eventId, TState state,
                             Exception? exception, Func<TState, Exception?,
                             string> formatter)
    {
        MessageLogger[]? loggers = MessageLoggers;
        if (loggers == null)
        {
            return;
        }

        List<Exception>? exceptions = null;
        for (int i = 0; i < loggers.Length; i++)
        {
            ref readonly MessageLogger loggerInfo = ref loggers[i];
            if (!loggerInfo.IsEnabled(logLevel))
            {
                continue;
            }

            LoggerLog(logLevel, eventId, loggerInfo.Logger, exception,
                      formatter, ref exceptions, state);
        }

        if (exceptions != null && exceptions.Count > 0)
        {
            ThrowLoggingError(exceptions);
        }

        static void LoggerLog(LogLevel logLevel, EventId eventId, ILogger logger,
                              Exception? exception, Func<TState,
                              Exception?, string> formatter,
                              ref List<Exception>? exceptions, in TState state)
        {
            try
            {
                logger.Log(logLevel, eventId, state, exception, formatter);
            }
            catch (Exception ex)
            {
                exceptions ??= new List<Exception>();
                exceptions.Add(ex);
            }
        }
    }
    // trimmed
}

Here, we can see it passes the information to all registered internal Loggers.

Custom Loggers

The .NET Framework has a default Microsoft Logger Framework that can be used. There are also many 3rd-party Logging Framework. This article will look at two (2) Logging Frameworks:

  1. Microsoft Logger Framework (built-in)
  2. Serilog Logger Framework for structured logging

The LogViewerControl uses the built-in logging framework. For Serilog, we will look at how to create a custom sink (logger) and hook into the built-in logging framework.

Shared Logging Data

Before we look at implementing custom loggers, we need to set up log entry storage and logger configuration.

Storage - LogDataStore and LogModel classes

C#
public interface ILogDataStore
{
    ObservableCollection<LogModel> Entries { get; }
    void AddEntry(LogModel logModel);
}

public class LogDataStore : ILogDataStore
{
    #region Fields

    private static readonly SemaphoreSlim _semaphore = new(initialCount: 1);

    #endregion

    #region Properties

    public ObservableCollection<LogModel> Entries { get; } = new();

    #endregion

    #region Methods

    public virtual void AddEntry(LogModel logModel)
    {
        // ensure only one operation at time from multiple threads
        _semaphore.Wait();

        Entries.Add(logModel);

        _semaphore.Release();
    }

    #endregion
}
VB.NET
Public Interface ILogDataStore

  ReadOnly Property Entries As ObservableCollection(Of LogModel)

  Sub AddEntry(logModel As LogModel)

End Interface

Public Class LogDataStore : Implements ILogDataStore

#Region "Fields"
   Private Shared ReadOnly _semaphore = New SemaphoreSlim(initialCount:=1)

#End Region

#Region "Properties"
   Public ReadOnly Property Entries As ObservableCollection(Of LogModel) _
    = New ObservableCollection(Of LogModel) _
    Implements ILogDataStore.Entries

#End Region

#Region "Methods"
   Public Overridable Sub AddEntry(logModel As LogModel) _
         Implements ILogDataStore.AddEntry

    ' ensure only one operation at time from multiple threads
    _semaphore.Wait()

    Entries.Add(logModel)

    _semaphore.Release()

  End Sub

#End Region

End Class

The data model to hold each log entry:

C#
public class LogModel
{
    #region Properties

    public DateTime Timestamp { get; set; }

    public LogLevel LogLevel { get; set; }

    public EventId EventId { get; set; }

    public object? State { get; set; }

    public string? Exception { get; set; }

    public LogEntryColor? Color { get; set; }

    #endregion
}
VB.NET
Public Class LogModel

#Region "Properties"
     Public Property Timestamp As Date

    Public Property LogLevel As LogLevel

    Public Property EventId As EventId

    Public Property State As Object

    Public Property Exception As String

    Public Property Color As LogEntryColor

#End Region

End Class

NOTES: The LogDataStore class is initialized as a singleton. To process any entries added to the LogDataStore class, an ObservableCollection<T> is used. For the application to process entries, all that is required is listening to the CollectionChanged event for this collection. This will be covered later in the article in the section ???.

Configuration - DataStoreLoggerConfiguration class and LogEntryColor class

The DataStoreLoggerConfiguration class is for optional customization.

C#
public class DataStoreLoggerConfiguration
{
    #region Properties
    
    public EventId EventId { get; set; }

    public Dictionary<LogLevel, LogEntryColor> Colors { get; } = new()
    {
        [LogLevel.Trace] = new() { Foreground = Color.DarkGray },
        [LogLevel.Debug] = new() { Foreground = Color.Gray },
        [LogLevel.Information] = new(),
        [LogLevel.Warning] = new() { Foreground = Color.Orange},
        [LogLevel.Error] = new() 
        { Foreground = Color.White, Background = Color.OrangeRed },
        [LogLevel.Critical] = new() 
        { Foreground=Color.White, Background = Color.Red },
        [LogLevel.None] = new(),
    };

    #endregion
}
VB.NET
Public Class DataStoreLoggerConfiguration

#Region "Properties"
     Public Property EventId As EventId

    Public Property Colors As Dictionary(Of LogLevel, LogEntryColor) = _
        New Dictionary(Of LogLevel, LogEntryColor) From
    {
        {LogLevel.Trace, New LogEntryColor() With {.Foreground = Color.DarkGray}},
        {LogLevel.Debug, New LogEntryColor() With {.Foreground = Color.Gray}},
        {LogLevel.Information, New LogEntryColor()},
        {LogLevel.Warning, New LogEntryColor() With {.Foreground = Color.Orange}},
        {LogLevel.Error, New LogEntryColor() With _
          {.Foreground = Color.White, .Background = Color.OrangeRed}},
        {LogLevel.Critical, New LogEntryColor() With _
          {.Foreground = Color.White, .Background = Color.Red}},
        {LogLevel.None, New LogEntryColor()}
    }

#End Region

End Class

The data model to hold each log level display colors:

C#
public class LogEntryColor
{
    public Color Foreground { get; set; } = Color.Black;
    public Color Background { get; set; } = Color.Transparent;
}
VB.NET
Public Class LogEntryColor

    Property Foreground As Color = Color.Black

    Property Background As Color = Color.Transparent

End Class

Custom Microsoft Logger Implementation

Microsoft Loggers are made up of two parts, in this case:

  1. Logger - DataStoreLogger
  2. LoggingProvider - DataStoreLoggerProvider which will generate the DataStoreLogger instance

Logger - DataStoreLogger class

C#
public class DataStoreLogger: ILogger
{
    #region Constructor

    public DataStoreLogger(
        string name,
        Func<DataStoreLoggerConfiguration> getCurrentConfig,
        ILogDataStore dataStore)
    {
        (_name, _getCurrentConfig) = (name, getCurrentConfig);
        _dataStore = dataStore;
    }

    #endregion

    #region Fields

    private readonly ILogDataStore _dataStore;
    private readonly string _name;
    private readonly Func<DataStoreLoggerConfiguration> _getCurrentConfig;

    #endregion

    #region methods

    public IDisposable BeginScope<TState>(TState state)  
                       where TState : notnull => default!;

    public bool IsEnabled(LogLevel logLevel) => true;

    public void Log<TState>(
        LogLevel logLevel,
        EventId eventId,
        TState state,
        Exception? exception,
        Func<TState, Exception, string> formatter)
    {
        // check if we are logging for passed log level
        if (!IsEnabled(logLevel))
            return;

        DataStoreLoggerConfiguration config = _getCurrentConfig();

        _dataStore.AddEntry(new()
        {
            Timestamp = DateTime.UtcNow,
            LogLevel = logLevel,
            // do we override the default EventId if it exists?
            EventId = eventId.Id == 0 && config.EventId != 0 ? 
                      config.EventId : eventId,
            State = state,
            Exception = exception?.Message ?? 
                (logLevel == LogLevel.Error ? state?.ToString() ?? "" : ""),
            Color = config.Colors[logLevel],
        });
        
        Debug.WriteLine(
          $"--- [{logLevel.ToString()[..3]}] 
          {_name} - {formatter(state, exception!)}");
    }

    #endregion
}
VB.NET
Public Class DataStoreLogger : Implements ILogger

#Region "Constructors"
   Public Sub New(name As String, getCurrentConfig _
  As Func(Of DataStoreLoggerConfiguration), dataStore As ILogDataStore)
    _name = name
    _getCurrentConfig = getCurrentConfig
    _dataStore = dataStore
  End Sub

#End Region

#Region "Fields"
   Private ReadOnly _dataStore As ILogDataStore
  Private ReadOnly _name As String
  Private ReadOnly _getCurrentConfig As Func(Of DataStoreLoggerConfiguration)

#End Region

#Region "Methods"
   Public Function BeginScope(Of TState)(state As TState) As IDisposable
      Implements ILogger.BeginScope
    Return Nothing
  End Function

  Public Function IsEnabled(logLevel As LogLevel) As Boolean
      Implements ILogger.IsEnabled
    Return True
  End Function

  Public Overridable Sub Log(Of TState)(
      logLevel As LogLevel, eventId As EventId,
      state As TState, exception As Exception,
      formatter As Func(Of TState, Exception, String))
      Implements ILogger.Log

    If Not IsEnabled(logLevel) Then
      Return
    End If

    Dim exMessage As String = String.Empty

    If exception IsNot Nothing Then
      If String.IsNullOrEmpty(exception.Message) Then
        If logLevel = LogLevel.Error AndAlso state IsNot Nothing Then
          exMessage = state.ToString()
        End If
      Else
        exMessage = exception.Message
      End If
    End If

    Dim internalEventId As EventId = eventId
    Dim config As DataStoreLoggerConfiguration = _getCurrentConfig()

    If eventId.Id = 0 AndAlso config.EventId.Id <> 0 Then
      internalEventId = config.EventId
    End If

    _dataStore.AddEntry(New LogModel() With
    {
      .Timestamp = Now,
      .LogLevel = logLevel,
      .EventId = internalEventId,
      .State = state,
      .Exception = exMessage,
      .Color = config.Colors(logLevel)
    })

    Debug.WriteLine(
      $"--- [{logLevel.ToString()(0.3)}] {_name} - {formatter(state, exception)}")

  End Sub

#End Region

End Class

NOTES: The Log method in the custom DataStoreLogger adds the log to our LogDataStore.

Logger Provider - DataStoreLoggerProvider class

C#
public class DataStoreLoggerProvider: ILoggerProvider
{
    #region Constructor
    
    public DataStoreLoggerProvider(
        IOptionsMonitor<DataStoreLoggerConfiguration> config,
        ILogDataStore dataStore)
    {
        _dataStore = dataStore;
        _currentConfig = config.CurrentValue;
        _onChangeToken = config.OnChange(
            updatedConfig => _currentConfig = updatedConfig);
    }

    #endregion

    #region fields
    
    private DataStoreLoggerConfiguration _currentConfig;

    private readonly IDisposable? _onChangeToken;
    protected readonly ILogDataStore _dataStore;

    protected readonly ConcurrentDictionary<string, DataStoreLogger> _loggers = new();
    
    #endregion

    #region Methods
    
    public ILogger CreateLogger(string categoryName)
        => _loggers.GetOrAdd(categoryName, name
            => new DataStoreLogger(name, GetCurrentConfig, _dataStore));

    protected DataStoreLoggerConfiguration GetCurrentConfig()
        => _currentConfig;

    public void Dispose()
    {
        _loggers.Clear();
        _onChangeToken?.Dispose();
    } 

    #endregion
}
VB.NET
Public Class DataStoreLoggerProvider : Implements ILoggerProvider

#Region "Constructors"
   Public Sub New(config As IOptionsMonitor(Of DataStoreLoggerConfiguration),
                 dataStore As ILogDataStore)

    _dataStore = dataStore
    _currentConfig = config.CurrentValue
    _onChangeToken = config.OnChange(Sub(updatedConfig) _currentConfig = updatedConfig)

  End Sub

#End Region

#Region "Fields"
   Private _currentConfig As DataStoreLoggerConfiguration

  Private ReadOnly _onChangeToken As IDisposable
  Protected ReadOnly _dataStore As ILogDataStore

  Protected ReadOnly _loggers As ConcurrentDictionary(Of String, DataStoreLogger) =
            New ConcurrentDictionary(Of String, DataStoreLogger)()

#End Region

#Region "Methods"
   Public Overridable Function CreateLogger(categoryName As String) As ILogger
    Implements ILoggerProvider.CreateLogger

    Return _loggers.GetOrAdd(categoryName,
      Function(name)
        New DataStoreLogger(name, AddressOf GetCurrentConfig, _dataStore)
      End Function)

  End Function

  Protected Function GetCurrentConfig() As DataStoreLoggerConfiguration

    Return _currentConfig

  End Function

  Public Sub Dispose() Implements IDisposable.Dispose

    _loggers.Clear()
    _onChangeToken?.Dispose()

  End Sub

#End Region

End Class

NOTES: When the DataStoreLogger is created, the DataStoreLoggerConfiguration and LogDataStore are injected.

Registering Microsoft Loggers

Microsoft Loggers are Registered as a Framework HostApplicationBuilder service via the ILoggingBuilder.

Here is the trimmed code for the .NET Framework HostApplicationBuilder class:

C#
/// <summary>
/// A builder for hosted applications and services which helps manage configuration,
/// logging, lifetime and more.
/// </summary>
public sealed class HostApplicationBuilder
{
    private readonly ServiceCollection _serviceCollection = new();

    // trimmed

    public HostApplicationBuilder(HostApplicationBuilderSettings? settings)
    {
        // trimmed
        Logging = new LoggingBuilder(Services);
        // trimmed
    }

    // trimmed

    /// <summary>
    /// A collection of services for the application to compose. This is useful for
    /// adding user provided or framework provided services.
    /// </summary>
    public IServiceCollection Services => _serviceCollection;

    /// <summary>
    /// A collection of services for the application to compose. This is useful for
    ///  adding user provided or framework provided services.
    /// </summary>
    public IServiceCollection Services => _serviceCollection;

    /// <summary>
    /// A collection of logging providers for the application to compose. 
    /// This is useful for adding new logging providers. 
    /// </summary>
    public ILoggingBuilder Logging { get; }

    // trimmed

    private sealed class LoggingBuilder : ILoggingBuilder
    {
        public LoggingBuilder(IServiceCollection services)
        {
            Services = services;
        }

        public IServiceCollection Services { get; }
    }

    // trimmed
}

Registration - ServicesExtension class

The registration of the LogDataStore, DataStoreLoggerConfiguration, and DataStoreLoggerProvider classes are abstracted to an extension method in the ServicesExtension class:

C#
public static class ServicesExtension
{
    public static ILoggingBuilder AddDefaultDataStoreLogger(this ILoggingBuilder builder)
    {
        builder.Services.TryAddEnumerable(
            ServiceDescriptor.Singleton<ILoggerProvider, DataStoreLoggerProvider>());
        return builder;
    }

    public static ILoggingBuilder AddDefaultDataStoreLogger(
        this ILoggingBuilder builder,
        Action<DataStoreLoggerConfiguration> configure)
    {
        builder.AddDefaultDataStoreLogger();
        builder.Services.Configure(configure);
        return builder;
    }
}
VB.NET
Public Module ServicesExtension

  <Extension>
  Public Function AddDefaultDataStoreLogger(builder As ILoggingBuilder) _
         As ILoggingBuilder

    builder.Services.TryAddEnumerable(
      ServiceDescriptor.Singleton(Of ILoggerProvider, DataStoreLoggerProvider))
    Return builder

  End Function

  <Extension>
  Public Function AddDefaultDataStoreLogger( _
    builder As ILoggingBuilder,
    configure As Action(Of DataStoreLoggerConfiguration)) As ILoggingBuilder

    builder.AddDefaultDataStoreLogger()
    builder.Services.Configure(configure)
    Return builder

  End Function

End Module

Dependency Injection

Here is an example of wiring up the Dependency Injection with the default configuration:

C#
HostApplicationBuilder builder = Host.CreateApplicationBuilder();

builder.AddLogViewer();
builder.Logging.AddDefaultDataStoreLogger();

_host = builder.Build();
VB.NET
Dim builder As HostApplicationBuilder = Host.CreateApplicationBuilder()

builder.AddLogViewer()
builder.Logging.AddDefaultDataStoreLogger()

_host = builder.Build()

Or, if a custom configuration is to be used:

C#
HostApplicationBuilder builder = Host.CreateApplicationBuilder();

builder.AddLogViewer();
builder.Logging.AddDefaultDataStoreLogger(options =>
{
    options.Colors[LogLevel.Trace] = new()
    {
        Foreground = Color.White,
        Background = Color.DarkGray
    };
    options.Colors[LogLevel.Debug] = new()
    {
        Foreground = Color.White,
        Background = Color.Gray
    };
    options.Colors[LogLevel.Information] = new()
    {
        Foreground = Color.White,
        Background = Color.DodgerBlue
    };
    options.Colors[LogLevel.Warning] = new()
    {
        Foreground = Color.White,
        Background = Color.Orchid
    };
});

_host = builder.Build();
VB.NET
Dim builder As HostApplicationBuilder = Host.CreateApplicationBuilder()

builder.AddLogViewer()
builder.Logging.AddDefaultDataStoreLogger(
  Sub(options)

    options.Colors(LogLevel.Trace) = New LogEntryColor() With
    {
      .Foreground = Color.White,
      .Background = Color.DarkGray
    }

    options.Colors(LogLevel.Debug) = New LogEntryColor() With
    {
      .Foreground = Color.White,
      .Background = Color.Gray
    }

    options.Colors(LogLevel.Information) = New LogEntryColor() With
    {
      .Foreground = Color.White,
      .Background = Color.DodgerBlue
    }

    options.Colors(LogLevel.Warning) = New LogEntryColor() With
    {
      .Foreground = Color.White,
      .Background = Color.Orchid
    }

  End Sub)


_host = builder.Build()

To create a logger, you can Inject an instance into a class constructor:

C#
public class RandomLoggingService : BackgroundService
{
    #region Constructors

    public RandomLoggingService(ILogger<RandomLoggingService> logger)
        => _logger = logger;

    #endregion

    #region Fields

    private readonly ILogger _logger;

    #endregion
}
VB.NET
Public Class RandomLoggingService : Inherits BackgroundService

#Region "Constructors"
   Public Sub New(logger As ILogger(Of RandomLoggingService))

    _logger = logger

  End Sub

#End Region

#Region "Fields"
   Private _logger As ILogger

#End Region

End Class

Or request an instance manually:

C#
ILogger<class_name> logger
  = _host.Services.GetRequiredService<ILogger<class_name>>();
VB.NET
Dim logger As ILogger(Of class_name)
  = _host.Services.GetRequiredService(Of ILogger(Of class_name))

And here is a sample screenshot of the logger instance with substantiated logger internals:

Image 10

Manually (without Dependency Injection)

If not using Dependency Injection, it is still possible to register one or more loggers. We will require a singleton class to hold the registration and Factory method for generating Logger instances.

Here is the LoggingHelper class used with the sample applications in this article:

C#
public static class LoggingHelper
{
     #region Constructors

   static LoggingHelper()
    {
        // retrieve the log level from 'appsettings'
        string value = AppSettings<string>.Current("Logging:LogLevel", "Default")
                       ?? "Information";
        Enum.TryParse(value, out LogLevel logLevel);

        // wire up the loggers
        Factory = LoggerFactory.Create(builder => builder

            // visual debugging tools
            .AddDataStoreLogger()

            // examples of adding other loggers...
            .AddSimpleConsole(options =>
            {
                options.SingleLine = true;
                options.TimestampFormat = "hh:mm:ss ";
            })

            // set minimum log level from 'appsettings'
            .SetMinimumLevel(logLevel));
    }

    #endregion

    #region Properties

    public static ILoggerFactory Factory { get; }

    #endregion
}
VB.NET
Public Module LoggingHelper

#Region "Constructors"
  Sub New()

  ' retrieve the log level from 'appsettings'
  Dim value As String = AppSettings(Of String).Current("Logging:LogLevel", "Default")
  If String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(value) Then
   value = "Information"
  End If

  Dim logLevel As LogLevel
  If Not [Enum].TryParse(value, logLevel) Then
   logLevel = LogLevel.Information
  End If

  ' wire up the loggers
  Factory = LoggerFactory.Create(
   Sub(builder)

    ' visual debugging tools
    builder.AddDataStoreLogger()

    ' example of adding other loggers...
    builder.AddSimpleConsole(
      Sub(options)
       options.SingleLine = True
       options.TimestampFormat = "hh:mm:ss "
      End Sub)

    ' set minimum log level from 'appsettings'
    builder.SetMinimumLevel(logLevel)

   End Sub)

 End Sub

#End Region

#Region "Properties"
  Public ReadOnly Property Factory As ILoggerFactory

#End Region

End Module

Or, if a custom configuration is to be used:

C#
public static class LoggingHelper
{
    #region Constructors

    static LoggingHelper()
    {
        // retrieve the log level from 'appsettings'
        string value = AppSettings<string>.Current("Logging:LogLevel", "Default")
                       ?? "Information";
        Enum.TryParse(value, out LogLevel logLevel);

        // wire up the loggers
        Factory = LoggerFactory.Create(builder => builder

            // visual debugging tools
            .AddDataStoreLogger(options =>
            {
                options.Colors[LogLevel.Trace] = new()
                {
                    Foreground = Color.White,
                    Background = Color.DarkGray
                };

                options.Colors[LogLevel.Debug] = new()
                {
                    Foreground = Color.White,
                    Background = Color.Gray
                };

                options.Colors[LogLevel.Information] = new()
                {
                    Foreground = Color.White,
                    Background = Color.DodgerBlue
                };

                options.Colors[LogLevel.Warning] = new()
                {
                    Foreground = Color.White,
                    Background = Color.Orchid
                };
            })

            // examples of adding other loggers...
            .AddSimpleConsole(options =>
            {
                options.SingleLine = true;
                options.TimestampFormat = "hh:mm:ss ";
            })

            // set minimum log level from 'appsettings'
            .SetMinimumLevel(logLevel));
    }

    #endregion

    #region Properties

    public static ILoggerFactory Factory { get; }

    #endregion
}
VB.NET
Public Module LoggingHelper

#Region "Constructors"
  Sub New()

  ' retrieve the log level from 'appsettings'
  Dim value As String = AppSettings(Of String).Current("Logging:LogLevel", "Default")
  If String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(value) Then
   value = "Information"
  End If

  Dim logLevel As LogLevel
  If Not [Enum].TryParse(value, logLevel) Then
   logLevel = LogLevel.Information
  End If

  ' wire up the loggers
  Factory = LoggerFactory.Create(
   Sub(builder)

    ' visual debugging tools
    builder.AddDataStoreLogger(
      Sub(options)

        options.Colors(LogLevel.Trace) = New LogEntryColor() With
        {
          .Foreground = Color.White,
          .Background = Color.DarkGray
        }

        options.Colors(LogLevel.Debug) = New LogEntryColor() With
        {
          .Foreground = Color.White,
          .Background = Color.Gray
        }

        options.Colors(LogLevel.Information) = New LogEntryColor() With
        {
          .Foreground = Color.White,
          .Background = Color.DodgerBlue
        }

        options.Colors(LogLevel.Warning) = New LogEntryColor() With
        {
          .Foreground = Color.White,
          .Background = Color.Orchid
        }

      End Sub)

    ' example of adding other loggers...
    builder.AddSimpleConsole(
      Sub(options)
       options.SingleLine = True
       options.TimestampFormat = "hh:mm:ss "
      End Sub)

    ' set minimum log level from 'appsettings'
    builder.SetMinimumLevel(logLevel)

   End Sub)

 End Sub

#End Region

#Region "Properties"
  Public ReadOnly Property Factory As ILoggerFactory

#End Region

End Module

To create a logger, use the Factory method of the LoggingHelper class above:

C#
Logger<class_name> logger
  = new Logger<class_name>(LoggingHelper.Factory);
VB.NET
Dim logger As Logger(Of class_name)
  = New Logger(Of class_name)(LoggingHelper.Factory)

NOTE

When creating Loggers, the class needs to be substantiated/created. If the class is not, an error will be thrown.

Creating the logger as a constructor parameter is acceptable. For example, the following is acceptable:

C#
RandomLoggingService service
  = new(new Logger<RandomLoggingService>(LoggingHelper.Factory));
VB.NET
Dim service As RandomLoggingService
  = New RandomLoggingService(New Logger(Of RandomLoggingService)(LoggingHelper.Factory))

And here is a sample screenshot of the logger instance with substantiated logger internals:

Image 11

Custom Serilog Logger Implementation

Serilog Sinks (Loggers) have a different implementation to the Microsoft Logger implementation. However, to work with the Microsoft Logging Framework, Serilog implements the Logger Provider so the Microsoft Logging Framework can pass data to the Serilog sinks (Logger implementations).

Logger - DataStoreLoggerSink class

C#
public class DataStoreLoggerSink : ILogEventSink
{
    protected readonly Func<ILogDataStore> _dataStoreProvider;
    
    private readonly IFormatProvider? _formatProvider;
    private readonly Func<DataStoreLoggerConfiguration>? _getCurrentConfig;

    public DataStoreLoggerSink(Func<ILogDataStore> dataStoreProvider,
                               Func<DataStoreLoggerConfiguration>? 
                               getCurrentConfig = null,
                               IFormatProvider? formatProvider = null)
    {
        _formatProvider = formatProvider;
        _dataStoreProvider = dataStoreProvider;
        _getCurrentConfig = getCurrentConfig;
    }

    public void Emit(LogEvent logEvent)
    {
        LogLevel logLevel = logEvent.Level switch
        {
            LogEventLevel.Verbose => LogLevel.Trace,
            LogEventLevel.Debug => LogLevel.Debug,
            LogEventLevel.Warning => LogLevel.Warning,
            LogEventLevel.Error => LogLevel.Error,
            LogEventLevel.Fatal => LogLevel.Critical,
            _ => LogLevel.Information
        };

        DataStoreLoggerConfiguration config =
             _getCurrentConfig?.Invoke() ?? new DataStoreLoggerConfiguration();

        EventId eventId = EventIdFactory(logEvent);
        if (eventId.Id == 0 && config.EventId != 0)
            eventId = config.EventId;

        string message = logEvent.RenderMessage(_formatProvider);
        
        string exception =
            logEvent.Exception?.Message ?? (logEvent.Level >= LogEventLevel.Error
                ? message
                : string.Empty);

        LogEntryColor color = config.Colors[logLevel];

        AddLogEntry(logLevel, eventId, message, exception, color);
    }

    protected virtual void AddLogEntry(
        LogLevel logLevel,
        EventId eventId,
        string message,
        string exception,
        LogEntryColor color)
    {
        ILogDataStore? dataStore = _dataStoreProvider.Invoke();

        // ReSharper disable once 
        // ConditionIsAlwaysTrueOrFalseAccordingToNullableAPIContract
        if (dataStore == null)
            return; // app is shutting down

        dataStore.AddEntry(new()
        {
            Timestamp = DateTime.UtcNow,
            LogLevel = logLevel,
            EventId = eventId,
            State = message,
            Exception = exception,
            Color = color
        });
    }

    private static EventId EventIdFactory(LogEvent logEvent)
    {
        EventId eventId;
        if (!logEvent.Properties.TryGetValue("EventId", out LogEventPropertyValue? src))
            return new();
        
        int? id = null;
        string? eventName = null;

        StructureValue? value = src as StructureValue;

        LogEventProperty? idProperty
          = value!.Properties.FirstOrDefault(x => x.Name.Equals("Id"));

        if (idProperty is not null)
            id = int.Parse(idProperty.Value.ToString());

        LogEventProperty? nameProperty
          = value.Properties.FirstOrDefault(x => x.Name.Equals("Name"));

        if (nameProperty is not null)
            eventName = nameProperty.Value.ToString().Trim('"');

        eventId = new EventId(id ?? 0, eventName ?? string.Empty);

        return eventId;
    }
}
VB.NET
Public Class DataStoreLoggerSink : Implements ILogEventSink

  Protected ReadOnly _dataStoreProvider As Func(Of ILogDataStore)

  Private ReadOnly _formatProvider As IFormatProvider
  Private ReadOnly _getCurrentConfig As Func(Of DataStoreLoggerConfiguration)

  Public Sub New(dataStoreProvider As Func(Of ILogDataStore),
         Optional getCurrentConfig As Func(Of DataStoreLoggerConfiguration) = Nothing,
         Optional formatProvider As IFormatProvider = Nothing)
    _dataStoreProvider = dataStoreProvider
    _formatProvider = formatProvider
    _getCurrentConfig = getCurrentConfig
  End Sub


  Public Sub Emit(logEvent As LogEvent) Implements ILogEventSink.Emit

    Dim logLevel As LogLevel

    Select Case logEvent.Level
      Case LogEventLevel.Verbose : logLevel = LogLevel.Trace
      Case LogEventLevel.Debug : logLevel = LogLevel.Debug
      Case LogEventLevel.Warning : logLevel = LogLevel.Warning
      Case LogEventLevel.Error : logLevel = LogLevel.Error
      Case LogEventLevel.Fatal : logLevel = LogLevel.Critical
      Case Else : logLevel = LogLevel.Information
    End Select

    Dim config As DataStoreLoggerConfiguration = If(_getCurrentConfig Is Nothing,
                            New DataStoreLoggerConfiguration(),
                            _getCurrentConfig.Invoke())

    Dim eventId As EventId = EventIdFactory(logEvent)
    If eventId.Id = 0 AndAlso config.EventId <> 0 Then
      eventId = config.EventId
    End If

    Dim message As String = logEvent.RenderMessage(_formatProvider)

    Dim exception As String = If(logEvent.Exception Is Nothing,
                  If(logEvent.Level >= LogEventLevel.Error, message, String.Empty),
                  logEvent.Exception.Message)

    Dim color As LogEntryColor = config.Colors(logLevel)

    AddLogEntry(logLevel, eventId, message, exception, color)

  End Sub

  Protected Overridable Sub AddLogEntry(logLevel As LogLevel, eventId As EventId,
                                        message As String, exception As String,
                                        color As LogEntryColor)

    Dim dataStore As ILogDataStore = _dataStoreProvider.Invoke()

    If dataStore Is Nothing Then
      Return
    End If

    dataStore.AddEntry(
      New LogModel() With
      {
        .Timestamp = DateTime.UtcNow,
        .LogLevel = logLevel,
        .EventId = eventId,
        .State = message,
        .Exception = exception,
        .Color = color
      })

  End Sub

  Private Shared Function EventIdFactory(logEvent As LogEvent) As EventId

    Dim eventId As EventId
    Dim src As LogEventPropertyValue

    If Not logEvent.Properties.TryGetValue("EventId", src) Then
      Return New EventId()
    End If

    Dim id As Integer = Nothing
    Dim eventName As String = Nothing

    ' ref: https://stackoverflow.com/a/56722516
    Dim value As StructureValue = DirectCast(src, StructureValue)

    Dim idProperty As LogEventProperty
      = value.Properties.FirstOrDefault(Function(x) x.Name.Equals("Id"))

    If idProperty IsNot Nothing Then
      id = Integer.Parse(idProperty.Value.ToString())
    End If

    Dim nameProperty As LogEventProperty
      = value.Properties.FirstOrDefault(Function(x) x.Name.Equals("Name"))

    If nameProperty IsNot Nothing Then
      eventName = nameProperty.Value.ToString().Trim(""""c)
    End If

    eventId = New EventId(
      If(id = Nothing, 0, id),
      If(String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(eventName), String.Empty, eventName))

    Return eventId

  End Function

End Class

Configuring the Custom Sink - DataStoreLoggerSinkExtensions class

Unlike the Microsoft ILoggerProvider implementation, the passing of configuration to the custom sink is done differently. There is no Provider, so we encapsulate the process within an extension method.

C#
public static class DataStoreLoggerSinkExtensions
{
    public static LoggerConfiguration DataStoreLoggerSink
    (
        this LoggerSinkConfiguration loggerConfiguration,
        Func<ILogDataStore> dataStoreProvider, 
        Action<DataStoreLoggerConfiguration>? configuration = null,
        IFormatProvider formatProvider = null!
    )
        => loggerConfiguration.Sink(
            new DataStoreLoggerSink(
                dataStoreProvider,
                GetConfig(configuration),
                formatProvider));

    private static Func<DataStoreLoggerConfiguration> GetConfig(
        Action<DataStoreLoggerConfiguration>? configuration)
    {
        // convert from Action to Func delegate to pass data
        DataStoreLoggerConfiguration data = new();
        configuration?.Invoke(data);
        return () => data;
    }
}
VB.NET
Public Module DataStoreLoggerSinkExtensions

  <Extension>
  Public Function DataStoreLoggerSink(loggerConfiguration As LoggerSinkConfiguration,
                    dataStoreProvider As Func(Of ILogDataStore),
                    Optional configuration As Action_
                    (Of DataStoreLoggerConfiguration) = Nothing,
                    Optional formatProvider As IFormatProvider = Nothing) _
                    As LoggerConfiguration

    Return loggerConfiguration.Sink(
      New DataStoreLoggerSink(dataStoreProvider,
                              GetConfig(configuration),
                              formatProvider))

  End Function

  Private Function GetConfig(configuration As Action(Of DataStoreLoggerConfiguration))
    As Func(Of DataStoreLoggerConfiguration)

    Dim data As DataStoreLoggerConfiguration = New DataStoreLoggerConfiguration()

    If configuration IsNot Nothing Then
      configuration.Invoke(data)
    End If

    Return Function() data

  End Function

End Module

Registering Sinks (Loggers)

Serilog has two methods of registering Sinks:

  1. Manually in code
  2. Via appsetting* configuration file

As we need to inject the Sink configuration, we will be using the first method for the custom sink, however, the SeriLog configuration and other sinks will be done via the appsetting* configuration file. Below is the configuration used in this article:

JavaScript
  "Logging": {
    "LogLevel": {
      "Default": "Information",
      "System.Net.Http.HttpClient": "Information"
    }
  },
  "Serilog": {
    "Using": [ "Serilog.Sinks.File" ],
    "LevelSwitches": { "controlSwitch": "Information" },
    "MinimumLevel": {
      "Default": "Information",
      "Override": {
        "Microsoft": "Information"
      }
    },

    "WriteTo": [
      {
        "Name": "Console",
        "Args": {
          "outputTemplate":
            "[{Timestamp:HH:mm:ss} {Level:u3}] {EventId.Name} | 
              {Message:lj} {NewLine}{Exception}"
        }
      },
      {
        "Name": "File",
        "Args": {
          "path": "c:\\WIP\\LogData\\log-.txt",
          "rollingInterval": "Day",
          "rollOnFileSizeLimit": true,
          "outputTemplate": "{Timestamp:G} {Message}{NewLine:1}{Exception:1}"
        }
      },
      {
        "Name": "File",
        "Args": {
          "path": "c:\\WIP\\LogData\\log-.json",
          "rollingInterval": "Day",
          "rollOnFileSizeLimit": true,
          "formatter": "Serilog.Formatting.Json.JsonFormatter"
        }
      }
    ],
    "Enrich": [ "FromLogContext", "WithMachineName", "WithProcessId", "WithThreadId" ]
  }
}

Dependency Injection

Wiring up Logging with Serilog for use with the .NET Logging Framework is different to the Microsoft implementation. We need to manually inject the LogDataStore reference after the host service but create the Serilog Logger, and pass the Configuration via Dependency Injection before the service is built. We do this using a Lambda expression (inline delegate method) that will be called every time a Logger instance is created.

Here is an example of wiring up the Dependency Injection with the default configuration:

C#
HostApplicationBuilder builder = Host.CreateApplicationBuilder();

builder.AddLogViewer();

IServiceCollection services = builder.Services;

services.AddLogging(configure: cfg =>
{
    Log.Logger = new LoggerConfiguration()
        .ReadFrom.Configuration(builder.Configuration)
        .WriteTo.DataStoreLoggerSink(

            // Use Default Colors
            dataStoreProvider: () => _host!.Services.TryGetService<ILogDataStore>()!)
        .CreateLogger();

    cfg.ClearProviders()
        .AddSerilog(Log.Logger);
});

_host = builder.Build();
VB.NET
Dim builder As HostApplicationBuilder = Host.CreateApplicationBuilder()

builder.AddLogViewer()

Dim services As IServiceCollection = builder.Services

services.AddLogging(
 Sub(cfg)

  ' Use Default Colors
  Log.Logger = New LoggerConfiguration() _
    .ReadFrom.Configuration(builder.Configuration) _
    .WriteTo.DataStoreLoggerSink(
    Function() _host.Services.TryGetService(Of ILogDataStore)) _
  .CreateLogger()

  cfg.ClearProviders() _
   .AddSerilog(Log.Logger)

 End Sub)

_host = builder.Build()

Or, if a custom configuration is to be used:

C#
HostApplicationBuilder builder = Host.CreateApplicationBuilder();

builder.AddLogViewer();
IServiceCollection services = builder.Services;

services.AddLogging(configure: cfg =>
{
    Log.Logger = new LoggerConfiguration()
        .ReadFrom.Configuration(builder.Configuration)
        .WriteTo.DataStoreLoggerSink(

        // Use Custom Colors
        dataStoreProvider: () => _host!.Services.TryGetService<ILogDataStore>()!,
        options =>
        {
            options.Colors[LogLevel.Trace] = new()
            {
                Foreground = Color.White,
                Background = Color.DarkGray
            };
        
            options.Colors[LogLevel.Debug] = new()
            {
                Foreground = Color.White,
                Background = Color.Gray
            };
        
            options.Colors[LogLevel.Information] = new()
            {
                Foreground = Color.White,
                Background = Color.DodgerBlue
            };
        
            options.Colors[LogLevel.Warning] = new()
            {
                Foreground = Color.White,
                Background = Color.Orchid
            };
        })
        .CreateLogger();

    cfg.ClearProviders()
        .AddSerilog(Log.Logger);
});

_host = builder.Build();
VB.NET
Dim builder As HostApplicationBuilder = Host.CreateApplicationBuilder()

builder.AddLogViewer()

Dim services As IServiceCollection = builder.Services

services.AddLogging(
 Sub(cfg)

  ' Use Custom Colors
  Log.Logger = New LoggerConfiguration() _
    .ReadFrom.Configuration(builder.Configuration) _
    .WriteTo.DataStoreLoggerSink(
     Function() _host.Services.TryGetService(Of ILogDataStore),
     Sub(options)
      options.Colors(LogLevel.Trace) = New LogEntryColor() With
      {
       .Foreground = Color.White,
       .Background = Color.DarkGray
      }

      options.Colors(LogLevel.Debug) = New LogEntryColor() With
      {
       .Foreground = Color.White,
       .Background = Color.Gray
      }

      options.Colors(LogLevel.Information) = New LogEntryColor() With
      {
       .Foreground = Color.White,
       .Background = Color.DodgerBlue
      }

      options.Colors(LogLevel.Warning) = New LogEntryColor() With
      {
       .Foreground = Color.White,
       .Background = Color.Orchid
      }

     End Sub) _
    .CreateLogger()

  cfg.ClearProviders() _
   .AddSerilog(Log.Logger)

 End Sub)

_host = builder.Build()

NOTE

  • We store a reference to the Logger factory instance so that when the application closes, we can flush the buffers for all sinks, like for file or remote storage.

To create a logger, you can Inject an instance into a class constructor:

C#
public class RandomLoggingService : BackgroundService
{
    #region Constructors

    public RandomLoggingService(ILogger<RandomLoggingService> logger)
        => _logger = logger;

    #endregion

    #region Fields

    private readonly ILogger _logger;

    #endregion
}
VB.NET
Public Class RandomLoggingService : Inherits BackgroundService

#Region "Constructors"
   Public Sub New(logger As ILogger(Of RandomLoggingService))

    _logger = logger

  End Sub

#End Region

#Region "Fields"
   Private _logger As ILogger

#End Region

End Class

Or request an instance manually:

C#
ILogger<class> logger = _host.Services.GetRequiredService<ILogger<class>>();
VB.NET
Dim logger As ILogger(Of class_name) =
    _host.Services.GetRequiredService(Of ILogger(Of class_name))

And here is a sample screenshot of the logger instance with substantiated logger internals:

Image 12

Manually (without Dependency Injection)

If not using Dependency Injection, it is still possible to register one or more loggers. We will require a singleton class to hold the registration and Factory method for generating Logger instances.

Here is the LoggingHelper class used with the sample applications in this article.

C#
public static class LoggingHelper
{
    #region Constructors

    static LoggingHelper()
    {
        IConfigurationRoot configuration = new ConfigurationBuilder()
            .Initialize()
            .Build();

        Log.Logger = new LoggerConfiguration()
            .ReadFrom.Configuration(configuration)
            .WriteTo.DataStoreLoggerSink(
            
                // Use Default Colors
                dataStoreProvider: () => MainControlsDataStore.DataStore)
            .CreateLogger();

        // wire up the loggers
        Factory = LoggerFactory.Create(loggingBuilder
            => loggingBuilder.AddSerilog(Log.Logger));
    }

    #endregion

    #region Properties

    public static ILoggerFactory Factory { get; }

    #endregion

    #region Methods

    public static void CloseAndFlush()
        => Log.CloseAndFlush();

    #endregion
}
VB.NET
Public Module LoggingHelper

#Region "Constructors"
  Sub New()

  Dim configuration As IConfigurationRoot = New ConfigurationBuilder() _
   .Initialize() _
   .Build()

  ' Use Default Colors
  Log.Logger = New LoggerConfiguration() _
  .ReadFrom.Configuration(configuration) _
  .WriteTo.DataStoreLoggerSink(Function() MainControlsDataStore.DataStore) _
  .CreateLogger()

  ' wire up the loggers
  Factory = LoggerFactory.Create(
    Sub(LoggingBuilder)
      LoggingBuilder.AddSerilog(Log.Logger)
    End Sub)

 End Sub

#End Region

#Region "Properties"
  Public ReadOnly Property Factory As ILoggerFactory

#End Region

#Region "Methods"
  Friend Sub CloseAndFlush()

  Log.CloseAndFlush()

 End Sub

#End Region

End Module

Or, if a custom configuration is to be used:

C#
public static class LoggingHelper
{
    #region Constructors

    static LoggingHelper()
    {
        IConfigurationRoot configuration = new ConfigurationBuilder()
            .Initialize()
            .Build();

       // Use Custom Colors
        Log.Logger = new LoggerConfiguration()
            .ReadFrom.Configuration(configuration)
            .WriteTo.DataStoreLoggerSink(
                dataStoreProvider: () => MainControlsDataStore.DataStore,
                options =>
                {
                    options.Colors[LogLevel.Trace] = new()
                    {
                        Foreground = Color.White,
                        Background = Color.DarkGray
                    };

                    options.Colors[LogLevel.Debug] = new()
                    {
                        Foreground = Color.White,
                        Background = Color.Gray
                    };

                    options.Colors[LogLevel.Information] = new()
                    {
                        Foreground = Color.White,
                        Background = Color.DodgerBlue
                    };

                    options.Colors[LogLevel.Warning] = new()
                    {
                        Foreground = Color.White,
                        Background = Color.Orchid
                    };
                }
            )
            .CreateLogger();

        // wire up the loggers
        Factory = LoggerFactory.Create(loggingBuilder => 
                  loggingBuilder.AddSerilog(Log.Logger));
    }

    #endregion

    #region Properties

    public static ILoggerFactory Factory { get; }

    #endregion

    #region Methods

    public static void CloseAndFlush()
        => Log.CloseAndFlush();

    #endregion
}
VB.NET
Public Module LoggingHelper

#Region "Constructors"
  Sub New()

  Dim configuration As IConfigurationRoot = New ConfigurationBuilder() _
   .Initialize() _
   .Build()

  ' Use Custom Colors
  Log.Logger = New LoggerConfiguration() _
   .ReadFrom.Configuration(configuration) _
   .WriteTo.DataStoreLoggerSink(
    Function() MainControlsDataStore.DataStore,
    Sub(options)

     options.Colors(LogLevel.Trace) = New LogEntryColor() With
     {
      .Foreground = Color.White,
      .Background = Color.DarkGray
     }

     options.Colors(LogLevel.Debug) = New LogEntryColor() With
     {
      .Foreground = Color.White,
      .Background = Color.Gray
     }

     options.Colors(LogLevel.Information) = New LogEntryColor() With
     {
      .Foreground = Color.White,
      .Background = Color.DodgerBlue
     }

     options.Colors(LogLevel.Warning) = New LogEntryColor() With
     {
      .Foreground = Color.White,
      .Background = Color.Orchid
     }

    End Sub) _
   .CreateLogger()

  ' wire up the loggers
  Factory = LoggerFactory.Create(Sub(LoggingBuilder) 
            LoggingBuilder.AddSerilog(Log.Logger))

 End Sub

#End Region

#Region "Properties"
  Public ReadOnly Property Factory As ILoggerFactory

#End Region

#Region "Methods"
  Friend Sub CloseAndFlush()

  Log.CloseAndFlush()

 End Sub

#End Region

End Module

To create a logger, use the Factory method of the LoggingHelper class above:

C#
Logger<class> logger = new Logger<class>(LoggingHelper.Factory);
VB.NET
Dim logger As Logger(Of class_name) = New Logger(Of class_name)(LoggingHelper.Factory)

NOTE

When creating Loggers, the class needs to be substantiated/created. If the class is not, an error will be thrown.

Creating the logger as a constructor parameter is acceptable. For example, the following is acceptable:

C#
RandomLoggingService service = 
    new(new Logger<RandomLoggingService>(LoggingHelper.Factory));
VB.NET
Dim service As RandomLoggingService =
    New RandomLoggingService(New Logger(Of RandomLoggingService)(LoggingHelper.Factory))

And here is a sample screenshot of the logger instance with substantiated logger internals:

Image 13

Custom NLog Target Logger Implementation (NEW)

NLog Targets (Loggers) have a different implementation to the Microsoft Logger implementation. However, to work with the Microsoft Logging Framework, NLog implements the Logger Provider internally so the Microsoft Logging Framework can pass data to the NLog Targets (Logger implementations).

When implementing a custom NLog target, the target must be registered, and then enabled in the configuration file. We will be implementing the NLog configuration in the appsetting*.json file.

Logger - DataStoreLoggerTarget class

C#
[Target("DataStoreLogger")]
public class DataStoreLoggerTarget : TargetWithLayout
{
    #region Fields

    private ILogDataStore? _dataStore;
    private DataStoreLoggerConfiguration? _config;

    #endregion

    #region methods

    protected override void InitializeTarget()
    {
        // we need to inject dependencies
        IServiceProvider serviceProvider = ResolveService<IServiceProvider>();

        // reference the shared instance
        _dataStore = serviceProvider.GetRequiredService<ILogDataStore>();

        // load the config options
        IOptionsMonitor<DataStoreLoggerConfiguration>? options
        = serviceProvider.GetService<IOptionsMonitor<DataStoreLoggerConfiguration>>();

        _config = options?.CurrentValue ?? new DataStoreLoggerConfiguration();

        base.InitializeTarget();
    }

    protected override void Write(LogEventInfo logEvent)
    {
        // cast NLog Loglevel to Microsoft LogLevel type
        MsLogLevel logLevel
          = (MsLogLevel)Enum.ToObject(typeof(MsLogLevel), logEvent.Level.Ordinal);

        // format the message
        string message = RenderLogEvent(Layout, logEvent);

        // retrieve the EventId
        EventId eventId = (EventId)logEvent.Properties["EventId"];

        // add log entry
        _dataStore?.AddEntry(new()
        {
            Timestamp = DateTime.UtcNow,
            LogLevel = logLevel,
            // do we override the default EventId if it exists?
            EventId = eventId.Id == 0 &&
                      (_config?.EventId.Id ?? 0) != 0
                        ? _config!.EventId
                        : eventId,
            State = message,
            Exception = logEvent.Exception?.Message ??
                      (logLevel == MsLogLevel.Error ? message : ""),
            Color = _config!.Colors[logLevel],
        });
        
        Debug.WriteLine(
            $"--- [{logLevel.ToString()[..3]}]
            {message} - {logEvent.Exception?.Message ?? "no error"}");
    }

    #endregion
}
VB.NET
<target("datastorelogger")>
Public Class DataStoreLoggerTarget : Inherits TargetWithLayout

#Region "Fields"
     Private _dataStore As ILogDataStore
    Private _config As DataStoreLoggerConfiguration

#End Region

#Region "methods"
     Protected Overrides Sub InitializeTarget()

        ' we need to inject dependencies
        Dim serviceProvider As IServiceProvider = ResolveService(Of IServiceProvider)()

        ' reference the shared instance
        _dataStore = serviceProvider.GetRequiredService(Of ILogDataStore)

        ' load the config options
        Dim options As IOptionsMonitor(Of DataStoreLoggerConfiguration) _
            = serviceProvider.GetService(Of IOptionsMonitor(Of DataStoreLoggerConfiguration))

        _config =
          If(options Is Nothing, _
             New DataStoreLoggerConfiguration(), _
             options.CurrentValue)

        MyBase.InitializeTarget()

    End Sub

    Protected Overrides Sub Write(logEvent As LogEventInfo)

        ' cast NLog Loglevel to Microsoft LogLevel type
        Dim logLevel As MsLogLevel
          = [Enum].ToObject(GetType(MsLogLevel), logEvent.Level.Ordinal)

        ' format the message
        Dim message As String = RenderLogEvent(Layout, logEvent)

        ' retrieve the EventId
        Dim eventId As EventId = logEvent.Properties("EventId")

        If eventId.Id = 0 AndAlso _config.EventId.Id <> 0 Then
            eventId = _config.EventId
        End If

        Dim exMessage As String = String.Empty

        If logEvent.Exception IsNot Nothing Then
            If String.IsNullOrEmpty(logEvent.Exception.Message) Then
                If logLevel = MsLogLevel.Error AndAlso message IsNot Nothing Then
                    exMessage = message.ToString()
                End If
            Else
                exMessage = logEvent.Exception.Message
            End If
        End If

        ' add log entry
        _dataStore.AddEntry(New LogModel() With
        {
            .Timestamp = Date.UtcNow,
           .LogLevel = logLevel,
           .EventId = eventId,
           .State = message,
           .Exception = exMessage,
           .Color = _config.Colors(logLevel)
        })

        Debug.WriteLine(
          $"--- [{logLevel.ToString()(0.3)}] {message} - " + 
          $"{If(String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(exMessage), "no error", exMessage)}")

        MyBase.Write(logEvent)

    End Sub

#End Region

End Class

Configuring the Custom Target - ServicesExtension class

C#
public static class ServicesExtension
{
    public static ILoggingBuilder AddNLogTargets(
        this ILoggingBuilder builder, IConfiguration config)
    {
        LogManager
            .Setup()
            // Register custom Target
            .SetupExtensions(extensionBuilder =>
            extensionBuilder.RegisterTarget<DataStoreLoggerTarget>("DataStoreLogger"));

        builder
            .ClearProviders()
            .SetMinimumLevel(MsLogLevel.Trace)
            .AddNLog(config,
                new NLogProviderOptions
                {
                    IgnoreEmptyEventId = false,
                    CaptureEventId = EventIdCaptureType.Legacy
                });

        return builder;
    }

    public static ILoggingBuilder AddNLogTargets(
        this ILoggingBuilder builder, IConfiguration config,
        Action<DataStoreLoggerConfiguration> configure)
    {
        builder.AddNLogTargets(config);
        builder.Services.Configure(configure);
        return builder;
    }
}
VB.NET
Public Module ServicesExtension

    <extension>
    Public Function AddNLogTargets( _
        builder As ILoggingBuilder, config As IConfiguration) As ILoggingBuilder

        LogManager _
            .Setup() _
            .SetupExtensions(
                Sub(extensionBuilder) _
                    extensionBuilder.RegisterTarget(Of DataStoreLoggerTarget)
                    ("DataStoreLogger"))

        builder _
            .ClearProviders() _
            .SetMinimumLevel(MsLogLevel.Trace) _
            .AddNLog(config,
                New NLogProviderOptions With
                {
                    .IgnoreEmptyEventId = False,
                    .CaptureEventId = EventIdCaptureType.Legacy
                })

        Return builder

    End Function

    <extension>
    Public Function AddNLogTargets( _
        builder As ILoggingBuilder, config As IConfiguration, _
        configure As Action(Of DataStoreLoggerConfiguration)) As ILoggingBuilder

        builder.AddNLogTargets(config)
        builder.Services.Configure(configure)
        Return builder

    End Function

End Module

Registering Targets (Loggers)

NLog has two methods of registering Sinks:

  1. Manually in code
  2. Via appsetting* configuration file

As we need to inject the Target configuration, we will be using the second method for the custom target, and registering the Custom Target in code, as above. Below is the configuration used in this article:

JavaScript
{
  "Logging": {
    "LogLevel": {
      "Default": "Information",
      "System.Net.Http.HttpClient": "Information"
    }
  },
  "NLog": {
    "throwConfigExceptions": true,
    "targets": {
      "async": true,
      "logconsole": {
        "type": "Console",
        "layout": "${longdate}|${level}|${message} |
                   ${all-event-properties} ${exception:format=tostring}"
      },
      "DataStoreLogger": {
        "type": "DataStoreLogger",
        "layout": "${message}"
      }
    },
    "rules": [
      {
        "logger": "*",
        "minLevel": "Info",
        "writeTo": "logconsole, DataStoreLogger"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Dependency Injection

The ServicesExtension class and appsetting* configuration file wires up the registration of the Targets, including our custom target , and configures NLog to work with the .NET Logging Framework. Now we need to tell the Host to use NLog Logging.

Here is an example of wiring up the Dependency Injection with the default configuration:

C#
HostApplicationBuilder builder = Host.CreateApplicationBuilder();

builder.AddLogViewer();

builder.Logging.AddNLogTargets(builder.Configuration);

_host = builder.Build();
VB.NET
Dim builder As HostApplicationBuilder = Host.CreateApplicationBuilder()

builder.AddLogViewer()

builder.Logging.AddNLogTargets(builder.Configuration);

_host = builder.Build()

Or, if a custom configuration is to be used:

C#
HostApplicationBuilder builder = Host.CreateApplicationBuilder();

builder.AddLogViewer();

builder.Logging.AddNLogTargets(builder.Configuration, options =>
{
    options.Colors[LogLevel.Trace] = new()
    {
        Foreground = Color.White,
        Background = Color.DarkGray
    };

    options.Colors[LogLevel.Debug] = new()
    {
        Foreground = Color.White,
        Background = Color.Gray
    };

    options.Colors[LogLevel.Information] = new()
    {
        Foreground = Color.White,
        Background = Color.DodgerBlue
    };

    options.Colors[LogLevel.Warning] = new()
    {
        Foreground = Color.White,
        Background = Color.Orchid
    };
});

_host = builder.Build();
VB.NET
Dim builder As HostApplicationBuilder = Host.CreateApplicationBuilder()

builder.AddLogViewer()

builder.Logging.AddNLogTargets(
    builder.Configuration,
    Sub(options)

        options.Colors(LogLevel.Trace) = New LogEntryColor() With
        {
            .Foreground = Color.White,
            .Background = Color.DarkGray
        }

        options.Colors(LogLevel.Debug) = New LogEntryColor() With
        {
            .Foreground = Color.White,
            .Background = Color.Gray
        }

        options.Colors(LogLevel.Information) = New LogEntryColor() With
        {
            .Foreground = Color.White,
            .Background = Color.DodgerBlue
        }

        options.Colors(LogLevel.Warning) = New LogEntryColor() With
        {
            .Foreground = Color.White,
            .Background = Color.Orchid
        }

    End Sub)

_host = builder.Build()

To create a logger, you can Inject an instance into a class constructor:

C#
public class RandomLoggingService : BackgroundService
{
#region Constructors

    public RandomLoggingService(ILogger<RandomLoggingService> logger)
        => _logger = logger;

    #endregion

    #region Fields

    private readonly ILogger _logger;

    #endregion
}
VB.NET
Public Class RandomLoggingService : Inherits BackgroundService

#Region "Constructors"
   Public Sub New(logger As ILogger(Of RandomLoggingService))

    _logger = logger

  End Sub

#End Region

#Region "Fields"
   Private _logger As ILogger

#End Region

End Class

Or request an instance manually:

C#
ILogger<class> logger
    = _host.Services.GetRequiredService<ILogger<class>>();
VB.NET
Dim logger As ILogger(Of class_name)
  = _host.Services.GetRequiredService(Of ILogger(Of class_name))

And here is a sample screenshot of the logger instance with substantiated logger internals:

Image 14

Manually (without Dependency Injection)

If not using Dependency Injection, it is still possible to register one or more loggers.

We will need to wrap the ServicesExtension used for Dependency Injection to use the non-DI version of LogDataStore class:

C#
public static class ServicesExtension
{
    public static ILoggingBuilder AddNLogTargetsNoDI(
        this ILoggingBuilder builder, IConfiguration config)
    {
        // We need to use a shared instance of the DataStore to
        //  pass to the LogViewerControl
        builder.Services.AddSingleton(MainControlsDataStore.DataStore);

        // call core NLog ServiceExtension initializer
        builder.AddNLogTargets(config);

        return builder;
    }

    public static ILoggingBuilder AddNLogTargetsNoDI(
        this ILoggingBuilder builder, IConfiguration config,
        Action<DataStoreLoggerConfiguration> configure)
    {
        builder.AddNLogTargetsNoDI(config);
        builder.Services.Configure(configure);
        return builder;
    }
}
VB.NET
Public Module ServicesExtension

    <extension>
    Public Function AddNLogTargetsNoDI( _
        builder As ILoggingBuilder, _
        config As IConfiguration) As ILoggingBuilder

        ' We need to use a shared instance of the DataStore to
        '  pass to the LogViewerControl
        builder.Services.AddSingleton(MainControlsDataStore.DataStore)

        ' call core NLog ServiceExtension initializer
        builder.AddNLogTargets(config)

        Return builder

    End Function

    <extension>
    Public Function AddNLogTargetsNoDI( _
        builder As ILoggingBuilder, config As IConfiguration, _
        configure As Action(Of DataStoreLoggerConfiguration)) As ILoggingBuilder

        builder.AddNLogTargetsNoDI(config)
        builder.Services.Configure(configure)
        Return builder

    End Function

End Module

We will also require a singleton class to hold the registration and Factory method for generating Logger instances. Here is the LoggingHelper class used with the sample applications in this article.

C#
public static class LoggingHelper
{
    #region Constructors

    static LoggingHelper()
    {
        // retrieve the log level from 'appsettings'
        string value = AppSettings<string>
            .Current("Logging:LogLevel", "Default") ?? "Information";
        Enum.TryParse(value, out LogLevel logLevel);

        IConfigurationRoot configuration = new ConfigurationBuilder()
            .Initialize()
            .Build();

        // wire up the loggers
        Factory = LoggerFactory.Create(builder => builder

            // visual debugging tools
            .AddNLogTargetsNoDI(configuration)

            // set minimum log level from 'appsettings*.json'
            .SetMinimumLevel(logLevel));
    }

    #endregion

    #region Properties

    public static ILoggerFactory Factory { get; }

    #endregion
}
VB.NET
Public Module LoggingHelper

#Region "Constructors"
 	Sub New()

		' retrieve the log level from 'appsettings'
		Dim value As String = AppSettings(Of String) _
            .Current("Logging:LogLevel", "Default")

		If String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(value) Then
			value = "Information"
		End If

		Dim logLevel As LogLevel
		If Not [Enum].TryParse(value, logLevel) Then
			logLevel = LogLevel.Information
		End If

		Dim configuration As IConfigurationRoot = New ConfigurationBuilder() _
			.Initialize() _
			.Build()

		' wire up the loggers
		Factory = LoggerFactory.Create(
			Sub(builder)

				builder.AddNLogTargetsNoDI(configuration)

				' set minimum log level from 'appsettings'
				builder.SetMinimumLevel(logLevel)

			End Sub)

	End Sub

#End Region

#Region "Properties"
 	Public ReadOnly Property Factory As ILoggerFactory

#End Region

End Module

Or, if a custom configuration is to be used:

C#
public static class LoggingHelper
{
    #region Constructors

    static LoggingHelper()
    {
        // retrieve the log level from 'appsettings'
        string value = AppSettings<string>
            .Current("Logging:LogLevel", "Default") ?? "Information";

        Enum.TryParse(value, out LogLevel logLevel);

        IConfigurationRoot configuration = new ConfigurationBuilder()
            .Initialize()
            .Build();


        // wire up the loggers
        Factory = LoggerFactory.Create(builder => builder

            // visual debugging tools
            .AddNLogTargetsNoDI(configuration, options =>
            {
                options.Colors[LogLevel.Trace] = new()
                {
                    Foreground = Color.White,
                    Background = Color.DarkGray
                };

                options.Colors[LogLevel.Debug] = new()
                {
                    Foreground = Color.White,
                    Background = Color.Gray
                };

                options.Colors[LogLevel.Information] = new()
                {
                    Foreground = Color.White,
                    Background = Color.DodgerBlue
                };

                options.Colors[LogLevel.Warning] = new()
                {
                    Foreground = Color.White,
                    Background = Color.Orchid
                };
            })

            // set minimum log level from 'appsettings*.json'
            .SetMinimumLevel(logLevel));
    }

    #endregion

    #region Properties

    public static ILoggerFactory Factory { get; }

    #endregion
}
VB.NET
Public Module LoggingHelper

#Region "Constructors"
 	Sub New()

		' retrieve the log level from 'appsettings'
		Dim value As String = AppSettings(Of String) _
            .Current("Logging:LogLevel", "Default")

		If String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(value) Then
			value = "Information"
		End If

		Dim logLevel As LogLevel
		If Not [Enum].TryParse(value, logLevel) Then
			logLevel = LogLevel.Information
		End If

		Dim configuration As IConfigurationRoot = New ConfigurationBuilder() _
			.Initialize() _
			.Build()

		' wire up the loggers
		Factory = LoggerFactory.Create(
			Sub(builder)

				builder.AddNLogTargetsNoDI(
					configuration,
					Sub(options)

						options.Colors(LogLevel.Trace) = New LogEntryColor() With
						{
							.Foreground = Color.White,
							.Background = Color.DarkGray
						}

						options.Colors(LogLevel.Debug) = New LogEntryColor() With
						{
							.Foreground = Color.White,
							.Background = Color.Gray
						}

						options.Colors(LogLevel.Information) = New LogEntryColor() With
						{
							.Foreground = Color.White,
							.Background = Color.DodgerBlue
						}

						options.Colors(LogLevel.Warning) = New LogEntryColor() With
						{
							.Foreground = Color.White,
							.Background = Color.Orchid
						}

					End Sub)

				' set minimum log level from 'appsettings'
				builder.SetMinimumLevel(logLevel)

			End Sub)

	End Sub

#End Region

#Region "Properties"
 	Public ReadOnly Property Factory As ILoggerFactory

#End Region

End Module

To create a logger, use the Factory method of the LoggingHelper class above:

C#
Logger<class> logger
    = new Logger<class>(LoggingHelper.Factory);
VB.NET
Dim logger As Logger(Of class_name)
  = New Logger(Of class_name)(LoggingHelper.Factory)

NOTE:

  • When creating Loggers, the class needs to be substantiated/Created. If the class is not, an error will be thrown.

Creating the logger as a constructor parameter is acceptable. For example, the following is acceptable:

C#
RandomLoggingService service
    = new(new Logger<RandomLoggingService>(LoggingHelper.Factory));
VB.NET
Dim service As RandomLoggingService
  = New RandomLoggingService(New Logger(Of RandomLoggingService)(LoggingHelper.Factory))

And here is a sample screenshot of the logger instance with substantiated logger internals:

Image 15

Custom Apache Log4Net Appender Logger Implementation

Whilst Log4Net supports the .NET Framework (.NET Core 1.0 providing .NET Standard 1.3), Log4Net was the most involved to implement as there were:

  • No native support for Dependency Injection for both the Logging system and Custom Appenders
  • No support for logging with the EventID or other custom properties

Doing research, I did find an open source project huorswords / Microsoft.Extensions.Logging.Log4Net.AspNetCore on GitHub that supported Dependency Injection with the .NET Framework, however, was missing requirements for:

  • No Dependency Injection for Custom Appenders
  • No support for logging with the EventID or other custom properties

You can read more about this project here: How to use Log4Net with ASP.NET Core for logging | DotNetThoughts Blog. Please note, the name of the project is a little misleading. It is not specific to just AspNetCore. It will work with other application project types.

Adding missing parts to Microsoft.Extensions.Logging.Log4Net.AspNetCore

Whilst two (2) key requirements were missing, it is an open-source project, so we can update the project with the missing parts. The following section will cover how we achieved this by adding backward-compatible support with the current implementation to avoid any breaking changes.

I will be creating a pull request for the missing parts. However, for now, I have included the updated project with the download for this article.

Adding EventID support

There was no official documentation on how to add features to the internal Log4Net logger. Luckily, I found on the official Log4Net repository an example of how to do this: http://svn.apache.org/logging/log4net.

There are three (3) parts to adding EventId support:

  1. Wrap the base Log4Net Logger implementation (Interface + Class)
  2. Update Log4NetLogger class in Microsoft.Extensions.Logging.Log4Net.AspNetCore to use the new logger class

Following is the implementation used:

  1. Logger wrapper

    a. IEventIDLog Interface

    C#
    public interface IEventIDLog : ILog
    {
        void Log(EventId eventId, LoggingEvent loggingEvent);
    }
    

    b. EventIDLogImpl class

    C#
    public class EventIDLogImpl : LogImpl, IEventIDLog
    {
        public EventIDLogImpl(log4net.Core.ILogger logger)
            : base(logger) { /* skip */ }
    
        #region Implementation of IEventIDLog
    
        public void Log(EventId eventId, LoggingEvent loggingEvent)
        {
            // is the EventId empty?
            if (!(eventId.Id == 0 && string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(eventId.Name)))
                loggingEvent.Properties[nameof(EventId)] = eventId;
    
            Logger.Log(loggingEvent);
        }
    
        #endregion
    }
    
  2. Update Log4NetLogger class

    I will only be showing the changes made - we change the implementation and now can inject the missing EventId reference.

    C#
    public class Log4NetLogger : ILogger
    {
        private readonly IEventIDLog eventIdLogger;
    
        public void Log<TState>(
            LogLevel logLevel,
            EventId eventId,
            TState state,
            Exception exception,
            Func<TState, Exception, string> formatter)
        {
            if (!this.IsEnabled(logLevel))
            {
                return;
            }
    
            EnsureValidFormatter(formatter);
    
            var candidate = new MessageCandidate<TState>(
                logLevel, eventId, state, exception, formatter);
    
            LoggingEvent loggingEvent = options.LoggingEventFactory.CreateLoggingEvent(
                in candidate, eventIdLogger.Logger, options, externalScopeProvider);
    
            if (loggingEvent == null)
                return;
    
            this.eventIdLogger.Log(eventId, loggingEvent);
        }
    }
    
Adding Dependency Injection support for the Appender support

This has 2 parts:

  1. Wrapping the base AppenderSkeleton class with DI support
  2. Updating the Log4NetProvider class to prepare the AppenderSkeleton class for DI support

Following is the implementation used:

  1. ServiceAppenderSkeleton wrapper class for DI support

    We define an internal explicit method for setting the DI service provider reference and a protected method that can be used from within our custom appender to resolve any required dependencies.

    C#
    internal interface IAppenderServiceProvider
    {
        IServiceProvider ServiceProvider { set; }
    }
    
    public abstract class ServiceAppenderSkeleton
        : AppenderSkeleton, IServiceAppenderSkeleton, IDisposable
    {
        private IServiceProvider _serviceProvider;
        IServiceProvider IAppenderServiceProvider.ServiceProvider
        {
            set => _serviceProvider = value;
        }
    
        protected T ResolveService<T>() where T : class
        {
            if (_serviceProvider == null)
                return default;
    
            return _serviceProvider.GetService<T>();
        }
    
        public void Dispose() => _serviceProvider = null;
    }
    
  2. Updating the Log4NetProvider class

    I will only be showing the changes made to add a DI service provider reference to the Appenders that implement the IAppenderServiceProvider interface.

    C#
    public class Log4NetProvider : ILoggerProvider, ISupportExternalScope
    {
        #region IOC implementation
    
        public Log4NetProvider(IServiceProvider serviceCollection)
            : this(new Log4NetProviderOptions(), serviceCollection)
        {
        }
    
        public Log4NetProvider(string log4NetConfigFileName,
                                      IServiceProvider serviceProvider)
            : this(new Log4NetProviderOptions(log4NetConfigFileName),
                   serviceProvider)
        {
        }
    
        public Log4NetProvider(Log4NetProviderOptions options,
                               IServiceProvider serviceProvider)
        {
            this.serviceProvider = serviceProvider;
    
            this.SetOptionsIfValid(options);
    
            Assembly loggingAssembly = GetLoggingReferenceAssembly();
    
            this.CreateLoggerRepository(loggingAssembly)
                .ConfigureLog4NetLibrary(loggingAssembly);
        }
    
        private IServiceProvider serviceProvider;
    
        #endregion
    
        private Log4NetProvider ConfigureLog4NetLibrary(Assembly assembly)
        {
            if (this.options.UseWebOrAppConfig)
            {
                XmlConfigurator.Configure(this.Repository);
                return this;
            }
    
            if (!this.options.ExternalConfigurationSetup)
            {
                string fileNamePath = CreateLog4NetFilePath(assembly);
                if (this.options.Watch)
                {
                    XmlConfigurator.ConfigureAndWatch(
                        this.Repository,
                        new FileInfo(fileNamePath));
                }
                else
                {
                    var configXml = ParseLog4NetConfigFile(fileNamePath);
                    if (this.options.PropertyOverrides != null
                        && this.options.PropertyOverrides.Any())
                    {
                        configXml = UpdateNodesWithOverridingValues(
                            configXml,
                            this.options.PropertyOverrides);
                    }
    
                    XmlConfigurator.Configure(this.Repository,
                                    configXml.DocumentElement);
                }
            }
    
            this.InjectServices();
    
            return this;
        }
    
        private void InjectServices()
        {
            if (this.Repository is null)
                return;
    
            IEnumerable<IAppenderServiceProvider> adapters =
                this.Repository
                    .GetAppenders()
                    .OfType<IAppenderServiceProvider>();
    
            foreach (IAppenderServiceProvider adapter in adapters)
                adapter.ServiceProvider = serviceProvider;
        }
    }
    

Logger - DataStoreLoggerAppender class

C#
public class DataStoreLoggerAppender : AppenderServiceProvider
{
    #region Fields

    private ILogDataStore? _dataStore;
    private DataStoreLoggerConfiguration? _options;
    
    private IServiceProvider? _serviceProvider;
    
    #endregion

    #region Methods

    protected override void Append(LoggingEvent loggingEvent)
    {
        if (_serviceProvider is null)
            Initialize();

        // cast matching Log4Net Loglevel to Microsoft LogLevel type
        LogLevel logLevel = loggingEvent.Level.Value switch 
        {
            int.MaxValue => LogLevel.None,
            120000 => LogLevel.Debug,
            90000 => LogLevel.Critical,
            70000 => LogLevel.Error,
            60000 => LogLevel.Warning,
            20000 => LogLevel.Trace,
            _ => LogLevel.Information
        };

        DataStoreLoggerConfiguration config = _options ?? 
new DataStoreLoggerConfiguration();

        EventId? eventId = (EventId?)loggingEvent.LookupProperty(nameof(EventId));
        eventId = eventId is null && config.EventId.Id != 0 ? 
                                     config.EventId : eventId;

        string message = loggingEvent.RenderedMessage ?? string.Empty;
        
        string exceptionMessage = loggingEvent.GetExceptionString();

        _dataStore!.AddEntry(new()
        {
            Timestamp = DateTime.UtcNow,
            LogLevel = logLevel,
            EventId = eventId ?? new(),
            State = message,
            Exception = exceptionMessage,
            Color = config.Colors[logLevel],
        });

        Debug.WriteLine($"--- [{logLevel.ToString()[..3]}] {message}
            - {exceptionMessage ?? "no error"}");
    }

    private void Initialize()
    {
        _serviceProvider = ResolveService<IServiceProvider>();
        _dataStore = _serviceProvider.GetRequiredService<ILogDataStore>();
        _options = _serviceProvider.GetService<DataStoreLoggerConfiguration>();
    }

    #endregion
}
VB.NET
Public Class DataStoreLoggerAppender : Inherits ServiceAppenderSkeleton

#Region "Fields"
     Private _dataStore As ILogDataStore
    Private _options As DataStoreLoggerConfiguration

    Private _serviceProvider As IServiceProvider

#End Region

#Region "Methods"
     Protected Overrides Sub Append(loggingEvent As LoggingEvent)

        If _serviceProvider Is Nothing Then
            Initialize()
        End If

        ' cast matching Log4Net Loglevel to Microsoft LogLevel type
        Dim logLevel As LogLevel

        Select Case loggingEvent.Level.Value
            Case Integer.MaxValue : logLevel = LogLevel.None
            Case 120000 : logLevel = LogLevel.Debug
            Case 90000 : logLevel = LogLevel.Critical
            Case 70000 : logLevel = LogLevel.Error
            Case 60000 : logLevel = LogLevel.Warning
            Case 20000 : logLevel = LogLevel.Trace
            Case Else : logLevel = LogLevel.Information
        End Select

        Dim config As DataStoreLoggerConfiguration =
            If(_options Is Nothing, New DataStoreLoggerConfiguration, _options)

        Dim eventId As EventId = loggingEvent.LookupProperty(NameOf(eventId))
        eventId = If(eventId = Nothing AndAlso config.EventId.Id <> 0, _
                                               config.EventId, eventId)

        Dim message As String = loggingEvent.RenderedMessage

        Dim exceptionMessage = loggingEvent.GetExceptionString()

        _dataStore.AddEntry(
            New LogModel() With
            {
                .Timestamp = Date.UtcNow,
                .LogLevel = logLevel,
                .State = message,
                .Exception = exceptionMessage,
                .Color = config.Colors(logLevel)
            })

        Debug.WriteLine($"--- [{logLevel.ToString()(0.3)}] {message}" +
            " - {If(String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(exceptionMessage), _
                 "no error", exceptionMessage)}")

    End Sub

    Private Sub Initialize()

        _serviceProvider = ResolveService(Of IServiceProvider)()
        _dataStore = _serviceProvider.GetRequiredService(Of ILogDataStore)
        _options = _serviceProvider.GetService(Of DataStoreLoggerConfiguration)

    End Sub

#End Region

End Class

Configuring the Custom Appender - ServicesExtension class

C#
public static class ServicesExtension
{
    public static ILoggingBuilder AddLog4Net_
           (this ILoggingBuilder builder, IConfiguration config)
        => builder
            .ClearProviders()
            .AddLog4Net(config.GetLog4NetConfiguration());

    public static ILoggingBuilder AddLog4Net(this ILoggingBuilder builder,
        IConfiguration config, Action<DataStoreLoggerConfiguration> configure)
    {
        builder
            .AddLog4Net(config)
            .Services.Configure(configure);

        return builder;
    }

    public static Log4NetProviderOptions? GetLog4NetConfiguration(
        this IConfiguration configuration)
        => configuration
            .GetSection("Log4NetCore")
            .Get<Log4NetProviderOptions>();
}
VB.NET
Public Module ServicesExtension

    <extension>
    Public Function AddLog4Net(builder As ILoggingBuilder,
        config As IConfiguration) As ILoggingBuilder

        builder _
            .ClearProviders() _
            .AddLog4Net(config.GetLog4NetConfiguration())

        Return builder

    End Function

    <extension>
    Public Function AddLog4Net(builder As ILoggingBuilder,
        config As IConfiguration, _
        configure As Action(Of DataStoreLoggerConfiguration))
        As ILoggingBuilder

        builder.AddLog4Net(config)
        builder.Services.Configure(configure)
        Return builder

    End Function

    <extension>
    Private Function GetLog4NetConfiguration(configuration As IConfiguration)
        As Log4NetProviderOptions

        Return configuration _
            .GetSection("Log4NetCore") _
            .Get(Of Log4NetProviderOptions)

    End Function

End Module

Registering Appenders (Loggers)

Log4Net is restricted to using an XML config file. Default name is log4net.config. It is possible to change the name of this file. However, for the purpose of this article, we will not be focusing on this.

XML
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<log4net>
	<appender name="DebugAppender" type="log4net.Appender.DebugAppender" >
		<layout type="log4net.Layout.PatternLayout">
			<conversionPattern value="%date 
             [%thread] %-5level %logger - %message%newline" />
		</layout>
	</appender>
	<appender name="ConsoleAppender" type="log4net.Appender.ConsoleAppender">
		<threshold value="ALL" />
		<layout type="log4net.Layout.PatternLayout">
			<conversionPattern value="%date 
            [%thread] %-5level %logger - %message%newline" />
		</layout>
	</appender>
	<appender name="DataStoreLogger" 
     type="Log4Net.Appender.LogView.Core.DataStoreLoggerAppender">
		<threshold value="ALL" />
	</appender>
	<root>
		<Level value="ALL" />
		<appender-ref ref="DebugAppender" />
		<appender-ref ref="ConsoleAppender" />
		<appender-ref ref="DataStoreLogger" />
	</root>
</log4net>

Luckily, the Microsoft.Extensions.Logging.Log4Net.AspNetCore project includes support for overriding values in the log4net.config file. This allows us to support different configurations for each launch profile using appsettings*.json file(s).

Here is our appsettings.Production.json file:

JavaScript
{
  "Logging": {
    "LogLevel": {
      "Default": "Trace",
      "System.Net.Http.HttpClient": "Trace"
    }
  },
  "Log4NetCore": {
    "Name": "Log4NetLogViewer_Prod",
    "LoggerRepository": "LogViewerRepository",
    "OverrideCriticalLevelWith": "Critical",
    "Watch": false,
    "UseWebOrAppConfig": false,
    "PropertyOverrides": [
      {
        "XPath": "/log4net/appender[@name='ConsoleAppender']/layout/conversionPattern",
        "Attributes": {
          "Value": "%date [%thread] %-5level | %logger | %message%newline"
        }
      },
      {
        "XPath": "/log4net/appender[@name='ConsoleAppender']/threshold",
        "Attributes": {
          "Value": "Warn"
        }
      },
      {
        "XPath": "/log4net/appender[@name='DataStoreLogger']/threshold",
        "Attributes": {
          "Value": "Warn"
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

NOTES

  • The default logging levels in the log4net.config is for all levels, however, for Production/Release, the appsettings.Production.json file overrides with Warn for Warning, Error, and Critical levels.

Dependency Injection

The ServicesExtension class and log4net.config configuration file wires up the registration of the Appenders, including our custom appender, and configures Log4Het to work with the .NET Logging Framework. Now we need to tell the Host to use Log4Net Logging.

Here is an example of wiring up the Dependency Injection with the default configuration:

C#
HostApplicationBuilder builder = Host.CreateApplicationBuilder();

builder.AddLogViewer();

builder.Logging.AddLog4Net(builder.Configuration);

_host = builder.Build();
VB.NET
Dim builder As HostApplicationBuilder = Host.CreateApplicationBuilder()

builder.AddLogViewer()

builder.Logging.AddLog4Net(builder.Configuration)

_host = builder.Build()

Or, if a custom configuration is to be used:

C#
HostApplicationBuilder builder = Host.CreateApplicationBuilder();

builder.AddLogViewer();

builder.Logging.AddLog4Net(builder.Configuration, options =>
{
options.Colors[LogLevel.Trace] = new()
{
Foreground = Color.White,
Background = Color.DarkGray
};

    options.Colors[LogLevel.Debug] = new()
    {
        Foreground = Color.White,
        Background = Color.Gray
    };

    options.Colors[LogLevel.Information] = new()
    {
        Foreground = Color.White,
        Background = Color.DodgerBlue
    };

    options.Colors[LogLevel.Warning] = new()
    {
        Foreground = Color.White,
        Background = Color.Orchid
    };
});

_host = builder.Build();
VB.NET
Dim builder As HostApplicationBuilder = Host.CreateApplicationBuilder()

builder.AddLogViewer()

builder.Logging.AddLog4Net(
    builder.Configuration,
    Sub(options)

        options.Colors(LogLevel.Trace) = New LogEntryColor() With
        {
            .Foreground = Color.White,
            .Background = Color.DarkGray
        }

        options.Colors(LogLevel.Debug) = New LogEntryColor() With
        {
            .Foreground = Color.White,
            .Background = Color.Gray
        }

        options.Colors(LogLevel.Information) = New LogEntryColor() With
        {
            .Foreground = Color.White,
            .Background = Color.DodgerBlue
        }

        options.Colors(LogLevel.Warning) = New LogEntryColor() With
        {
            .Foreground = Color.White,
            .Background = Color.Orchid
        }

    End Sub)

_host = builder.Build()

To create a logger, you can Inject an instance into a class constructor:

C#
public class RandomLoggingService : BackgroundService
{
#region Constructors

    public RandomLoggingService(ILogger<RandomLoggingService> logger)
        => _logger = logger;

    #endregion

    #region Fields

    private readonly ILogger _logger;

    #endregion
}
VB.NET
Public Class RandomLoggingService : Inherits BackgroundService

#Region "Constructors"
   Public Sub New(logger As ILogger(Of RandomLoggingService))

    _logger = logger

  End Sub

#End Region

#Region "Fields"
   Private _logger As ILogger

#End Region

End Class

Or request an instance manually:

C#
ILogger<class> logger
    = _host.Services.GetRequiredService<ILogger<class>>();
VB.NET
Dim logger As ILogger(Of class_name)
  = _host.Services.GetRequiredService(Of ILogger(Of class_name))

And here is a sample screenshot of the logger instance with substantiated logger internals:

Image 16

Manually (without Dependency Injection)

If not using Dependency Injection, it is still possible to register one or more loggers.

We will need to wrap the ServicesExtension used for Dependency Injection to use the non-DI version of LogDataStore class:

C#
public static class ServicesExtension
{
    public static ILoggingBuilder AddLog4NetNoDI(this ILoggingBuilder builder,
        IConfiguration config)
    {
        // We need to use a shared instance of the DataStore to pass to
        //  the LogViewerControl
        builder.Services.AddSingleton(MainControlsDataStore.DataStore);

        // call core Log4Net ServiceExtension initializer
        builder.AddLog4Net(config);

        return builder;
    }

    public static ILoggingBuilder AddLog4NetNoDI(this ILoggingBuilder builder,
        IConfiguration config, Action<DataStoreLoggerConfiguration> configure)
    {
        builder.AddLog4NetNoDI(config);
        builder.Services.Configure(configure);
        return builder;
    }
}
VB.NET
Public Module ServicesExtension

    <extension>
    Public Function AddLog4NetNoDI(builder As ILoggingBuilder,
        config As IConfiguration) As ILoggingBuilder

        ' We need to use a shared instance of the DataStore to pass to 
        '  the LogViewerControl
        builder.Services.AddSingleton(MainControlsDataStore.DataStore)

        ' call core Log4Net ServiceExtension initializer
        builder.AddLog4Net(config)

        Return builder

    End Function

    <extension>
    Public Function AddLog4NetNoDI(builder As ILoggingBuilder,
        config As IConfiguration, configure As Action(Of DataStoreLoggerConfiguration))
        As ILoggingBuilder

        builder.AddLog4NetNoDI(config)
        builder.Services.Configure(configure)
        Return builder

    End Function

End Module

We will also require a singleton class to hold the registration and Factory method for generating Logger instances. Here is the LoggingHelper class used with the sample applications in this article.

C#
public static class LoggingHelper
{
    #region Constructors

    static LoggingHelper()
    {
        // retrieve the log level from 'appsettings'
        string value = AppSettings<string>
            .Current("Logging:LogLevel", "Default") ?? "Information";
        Enum.TryParse(value, out LogLevel logLevel);

        IConfigurationRoot configuration = new ConfigurationBuilder()
            .Initialize()
            .Build();

        // wire up the loggers
        Factory = LoggerFactory.Create(builder => builder

            // visual debugging tools
            .AddLog4NetNoDI(configuration)

            // set minimum log level from 'appsettings*.json'
            .SetMinimumLevel(logLevel));
    }

    #endregion

    #region Properties

    public static ILoggerFactory Factory { get; }

    #endregion
}
VB.NET
Public Module LoggingHelper

#Region "Constructors"
 	Sub New()

		' retrieve the log level from 'appsettings'
		Dim value As String = AppSettings(Of String) _
            .Current("Logging:LogLevel", "Default")

		If String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(value) Then
			value = "Information"
		End If

		Dim logLevel As LogLevel
		If Not [Enum].TryParse(value, logLevel) Then
			logLevel = LogLevel.Information
		End If

		Dim configuration As IConfigurationRoot = New ConfigurationBuilder() _
			.Initialize() _
			.Build()

		' wire up the loggers
		Factory = LoggerFactory.Create(
			Sub(builder)

				builder.AddLog4NetNoDI(configuration)

				' set minimum log level from 'appsettings'
				builder.SetMinimumLevel(logLevel)

			End Sub)

	End Sub

#End Region

#Region "Properties"
 	Public ReadOnly Property Factory As ILoggerFactory

#End Region

End Module

Or, if a custom configuration is to be used:

C#
public static class LoggingHelper
{
    #region Constructors

    static LoggingHelper()
    {
        // retrieve the log level from 'appsettings'
        string value = AppSettings<string>
            .Current("Logging:LogLevel", "Default") ?? "Information";

        Enum.TryParse(value, out LogLevel logLevel);

        IConfigurationRoot configuration = new ConfigurationBuilder()
            .Initialize()
            .Build();

        // wire up the loggers
        Factory = LoggerFactory.Create(builder => builder

            // visual debugging tools
            .AddLog4NetNoDI(configuration, options =>
            {
                options.Colors[LogLevel.Trace] = new()
                {
                    Foreground = Color.White,
                    Background = Color.DarkGray
                };

                options.Colors[LogLevel.Debug] = new()
                {
                    Foreground = Color.White,
                    Background = Color.Gray
                };

                options.Colors[LogLevel.Information] = new()
                {
                    Foreground = Color.White,
                    Background = Color.DodgerBlue
                };

                options.Colors[LogLevel.Warning] = new()
                {
                    Foreground = Color.White,
                    Background = Color.Orchid
                };
            })

            // set minimum log level from 'appsettings*.json'
            .SetMinimumLevel(logLevel));
    }

    #endregion

    #region Properties

    public static ILoggerFactory Factory { get; }

    #endregion
}
VB.NET
Public Module LoggingHelper

#Region "Constructors"
 	Sub New()

		' retrieve the log level from 'appsettings'
		Dim value As String = AppSettings(Of String) _
            .Current("Logging:LogLevel", "Default")

		If String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(value) Then
			value = "Information"
		End If

		Dim logLevel As LogLevel
		If Not [Enum].TryParse(value, logLevel) Then
			logLevel = LogLevel.Information
		End If

		Dim configuration As IConfigurationRoot = New ConfigurationBuilder() _
			.Initialize() _
			.Build()

		' wire up the loggers
		Factory = LoggerFactory.Create(
			Sub(builder)

				builder.AddLog4NetNoDI(
					configuration,
					Sub(options)

						options.Colors(LogLevel.Trace) = New LogEntryColor() With
						{
							.Foreground = Color.White,
							.Background = Color.DarkGray
						}

						options.Colors(LogLevel.Debug) = New LogEntryColor() With
						{
							.Foreground = Color.White,
							.Background = Color.Gray
						}

						options.Colors(LogLevel.Information) = New LogEntryColor() With
						{
							.Foreground = Color.White,
							.Background = Color.DodgerBlue
						}

						options.Colors(LogLevel.Warning) = New LogEntryColor() With
						{
							.Foreground = Color.White,
							.Background = Color.Orchid
						}

					End Sub)

				' set minimum log level from 'appsettings'
				builder.SetMinimumLevel(logLevel)

			End Sub)

	End Sub

#End Region

#Region "Properties"
 	Public ReadOnly Property Factory As ILoggerFactory

#End Region

End Module

To create a logger, use the Factory method of the LoggingHelper class above:

C#
Logger<class> logger
    = new Logger<class>(LoggingHelper.Factory);
VB.NET
Dim logger As Logger(Of class_name)
  = New Logger(Of class_name)(LoggingHelper.Factory)

NOTE

  • When creating Loggers, the class needs to be substantiated/Created. If the class is not, an error will be thrown.

Creating the logger as a constructor parameter is acceptable. For example, the following is acceptable:

C#
RandomLoggingService service
    = new(new Logger<RandomLoggingService>(LoggingHelper.Factory));
VB.NET
Dim service As RandomLoggingService
  = New RandomLoggingService(New Logger(Of RandomLoggingService)(LoggingHelper.Factory))

And here is a sample screenshot of the logger instance with substantiated logger internals:

Image 17

Processing Log Entries

We have our LogDataStore class storing all the Log Entries from all libraries and the application based on the minimal LogLevel retrieved from the appsettings*.json configuration file.

Dependency Injection

The LogDataStore class is registered as a singleton. It can be injected into the class:

C#
public class MyConsumer
{
    #region Constructors 

    public MyConsumer(ILogDataStore dataStore)
        => _dataStore = dataStore;

    #endregion

    #region Properties

    private ILogDataStore? _dataStore;

    #endregion
}
VB.NET
Public Class MyConsumer

#Region "Constructors"
  Public Sub New(dataStore As ILogDataStore)

  _dataStore = dataStore

 End Sub

#End Region

#Region "Fields"
  Private _dataStore As ILogDataStore

#End Region

End Class

Or request an instance manually:

C#
public class MyConsumer
{
    #region Constructors

    public MyConsumer(IServiceProvider serviceProvider)
        => _dataStore = serviceProvider.GetRequiredService<LogDataStore>();

   #endregion

    #region Properties

    private ILogDataStore? _dataStore;

    #endregion
}
VB.NET
Public Class MyConsumer

#Region "Constructors"
  Public Sub New(serviceProvider As IServiceProvider)

  _dataStore = serviceProvider.GetRequiredService(Of LogDataStore)

 End Sub

#End Region

#Region "Fields"
  Private _dataStore As ILogDataStore

#End Region

End Class

We need to register MyConsumer class for dependency Injection to wire everything up:

C#
HostApplicationBuilder builder = Host.CreateApplicationBuilder();

builder.Services.AddSingleton<LogDataStore>(); // from `ServicesExtension` class above
builder.Services.AddTransient<MyConsumer>();

_host = builder.Build();
VB.NET
Dim builder As HostApplicationBuilder = Host.CreateApplicationBuilder()

builder.Services.AddSingleton(Of LogDataStore) ' from `ServicesExtension` class above
builder.Services.AddTransient(Of MyConsumer)

_host = builder.Build()

Manually (without Dependency Injection)

The Data Store needs to be held in a singleton class so that it can be shared between the logger (producer) and the consumer class.

Here is the MainControlsDataStore class that will hold the shared Data Store:

C#
public static class MainControlsDataStore
{
    public static ILogDataStore DataStore { get; } = new();
}
VB.NET
Public Module MainControlsDataStore

 Public Property DataStore As ILogDataStore = New LogDataStore()

End Module

We can pass an instance on the Data Store to the consumer class for IOC (inversion of control) allowing for future upgrading of the application/library for Dependency Injection or a different implementation:

C#
public class MyConsumer
{
    public MyConsumer(ILogDataStore dataStore)
        => _dataStore = dataStore;

    private LogDataStore? _dataStore;
}
VB.NET
Public Class MyConsumer

#Region "Constructors"
  Public Sub New(dataStore As ILogDataStore)

  _dataStore = dataStore

 End Sub

#End Region

#Region "Fields"
  Private _dataStore As ILogDataStore

#End Region

End Class

To use the MyConsumer class, we inject the DataStore:

C#
MyConsumer instance = new MyConsumer(MainControlsDataStore.DataStore);
VB.NET
Dim instance As MyConsumer = new MyConsumer(MainControlsDataStore.DataStore)

Listening for New Entries

When we substance the MyConsumer class, and reference the LogDataStore class, we need to listen to the Entries property CollectionChanged event manually or let data binding do all of the work.

Manual Handling of the CollectionChanged Events

C#
public class MyConsumer
{
    public MyConsumer(LogDataStore dataStore)
    {
        _dataStore = dataStore;
        _dataStore.Entries.CollectionChanged += OnCollectionChanged;
    }

    private ILogDataStore? _dataStore;

    private void OnCollectionChanged
            (object? sender, NotifyCollectionChangedEventArgs e)
    {
        // any new items?
        if (e.NewItems?.Count > 0)
        {
            // process new items
        }

        // any to remove? ... not required for this purpose.
        if (e.OldItems?.Count > 0)
        {
            // remove items
        }
    }
}
VB.NET
Public Class MyConsumer

#Region "Constructors"
  Public Sub New(ByVal dataStore As LogDataStore)
    _dataStore = dataStore
    _dataStore.Entries.CollectionChanged += AddressOf OnCollectionChanged
  End Sub

#End Region

#Region "Fields"
   Private _dataStore As ILogDataStore

#End Region

#Region "Methods"
   Private Sub OnCollectionChanged(sender As Object,
                                  e As NotifyCollectionChangedEventArgs)

    If e.NewItems?.Count > 0 Then
           ' process new items
    End If

    If e.OldItems?.Count > 0 Then
           ' remove items
    End If

  End Sub

#End Region

End Class

LogViewerControl Implementation

The Logger code is in two parts:

  1. Common code - LogViewer.Core project = shared code
  2. Application type-specific control implementation
    • WinForms specific - LogViewer.WinForms project = WinForm wrapper code for the Common Code
    • Wpf specific - LogViewer.Wpf project = Wpf wrapper code for the Common Code
    • Avalonia specific - LogViewer.Avalonia project = Avalonia wrapper code for the Common Code

The reason for this is that we need to marshall back to the UI thread. The method to do this for all application types is slightly different. A DispatcherHelper class is included for Wpf and WinForms. Avalonia does not require the same, they have a simple-to-use implementation. Below, you can see the differences in the implementation:

DispatcherHelper Class

The Logger framework utilizes a thread separate from the UI thread to maintain performance. Consuming Log Entries and showing them on the UI requires marshalling to the UI thread. The abstraction of marshalling will be handled by a DispatcherHelper class. The DispatcherHelper class Execute method takes a delegate and will identify if it is on the UI thread or not and will switch, if required, before invoking the delegate.

Usage for Wpf and WinForms is very simple:

C#
DispatcherHelper.Execute(() => delegate_method());
VB.NET
'DispatcherHelper
Execute(Sub() delegate_method())

Or you can inline the delegate_method():

C#
DispatcherHelper.Execute(() =>
{
    // do work here
});
VB.NET
'DispatcherHelper
Execute(Sub()
   ' do work here
  End Sub)

Usage in Avalonia is very similar:

C#
await Dispatcher.UIThread.InvokeAsync(() => delegate_method());
VB.NET
Await Dispatcher.UIThread.InvokeAsync(Sub() delegate_method())

Or you can inline the delegate_method():

C#
await Dispatcher.UIThread.InvokeAsync(() =>
{
    // do work here
});
VB.NET
Await Dispatcher.UIThread.InvokeAsync(
  Sub()
    ' do work here
  End Sub)

WinForms Implementation

C#
public static class DispatcherHelper
{
    public static void Execute(Action action)
    {
        // no cross-thread concerns
        if (Application.OpenForms.Count == 0)
        {
            action.Invoke();
            return;
        }

        try
        {
            if (Application.OpenForms[0]!.InvokeRequired)
                // Marshall to Main Thread
                Application.OpenForms[0]!.Invoke(action);
            else
                // We are already on the Main Thread
                action.Invoke();
        }
        catch (Exception)
        {
            // ignore as might be thrown on shutting down
        }
    }
}
VB.NET
Public Module DispatcherHelper

  Public Sub Execute(action As Action)

    ' no cross-tread concerns
    If Application.OpenForms.Count = 0 Then
      action.Invoke()
      Return
    End If

    Try

      If Application.OpenForms(0).InvokeRequired Then
        ' Marshall to Main Thread
        Application.OpenForms(0).Invoke(action)
      Else
        ' no cross-tread concerns
        action.Invoke()
      End If

    Catch ex As Exception

      ' ignore as might be thrown on shutting down

    End Try

  End Sub

End Module

WPF Implementation

C#
public static class DispatcherHelper
{
    public static void Execute(Action action)
    {
        if (Application.Current is null || Application.Current.Dispatcher is null)
           // We are already on the Main Thread
           return;

        // Marshall to Main Thread
        Application.Current.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke
                    ( DispatcherPriority.Background, action);
    }
}
VB.NET
Public Module DispatcherHelper

  Public Sub Execute(action As Action)

    If Application.Current Is Nothing OrElse _
       Application.Current.Dispatcher Is Nothing Then
      Return
    End If

    ' Marshall to Main Thread
    Application.Current.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(DispatcherPriority.Background, action)

  End Sub

End Module

Common code - LogViewer.Core Project

This was covered in the sections above for the DataStoreLogger, DataStoreLoggerProvider, DataStoreLoggerConfiguration, LogDataStore, LogModel, and LogEntryColor classes. For WPF, we will cover the LogViewerControlViewModel class and the ILogDataStoreImpl interface in the WPF LogViwerControl implementation section.

LoggerExtensions Class

Two methods are included:

  • Emit method - a performant wrapper for the Log method
  • TestPattern method - a helper method for viewing the output formatting of all LogLevel types (for debugging purposes only)
C#
public static class LoggerExtensions
{
    public static void Emit(this ILogger logger, EventId eventId,
        LogLevel logLevel, string message, Exception? exception = null,
        params object?[] args)
    {
        if (logger is null)
            return;

        //if (!logger.IsEnabled(logLevel))
        //    return;

        switch (logLevel)
        {
            case LogLevel.Trace:
                logger.LogTrace(eventId, message, args);
                break;

            case LogLevel.Debug:
                logger.LogDebug(eventId, message, args);
                break;

            case LogLevel.Information:
                logger.LogInformation(eventId, message, args);
                break;

            case LogLevel.Warning:
                logger.LogWarning(eventId, exception, message, args);
                break;

            case LogLevel.Error:
                logger.LogError(eventId, exception, message, args);
                break;

            case LogLevel.Critical:
                logger.LogCritical(eventId, exception, message, args);
                break;
        }
    }

    public static void TestPattern(this ILogger logger, EventId eventId)
    {
        Exception exception = new Exception("Test Error Message");

        logger.Emit(eventId, LogLevel.Trace, "Trace Test Pattern");
        logger.Emit(eventId, LogLevel.Debug, "Debug Test Pattern");
        logger.Emit(eventId, LogLevel.Information, "Information Test Pattern");
        logger.Emit(eventId, LogLevel.Warning, "Warning Test Pattern");
        logger.Emit(eventId, LogLevel.Error, "Error Test Pattern", exception);
        logger.Emit(eventId, LogLevel.Critical, "Critical Test Pattern", exception);
    }
}
VB.NET
Public Module LoggerExtensions

  ' NOTE Optional And ParamArray are not allowed in same method call,
  ' so used overload instead

  <Extension>
  Sub Emit(logger As ILogger, eventId As EventId,
      logLevel As LogLevel, message As String, ParamArray args As Object())
    logger.Emit(eventId, logLevel, message, Nothing, args)
  End Sub

  <Extension>
  Sub Emit(logger As ILogger, eventId As EventId,
    logLevel As LogLevel, message As String, [exception] As Exception,
    ParamArray args As Object())

    If logger Is Nothing Then
      Return
    End If

    If Not logger.IsEnabled(logLevel) Then
      Return
    End If

    Select Case logLevel
      Case LogLevel.Trace
        logger.LogTrace(eventId, message, args)

      Case LogLevel.Debug
        logger.LogDebug(eventId, message, args)

      Case LogLevel.Information
        logger.LogInformation(eventId, message, args)

      Case LogLevel.Warning
        logger.LogWarning(eventId, message, args)

      Case LogLevel.[Error]
        logger.LogError(eventId, [exception], message, args)

      Case LogLevel.Critical
        logger.LogCritical(eventId, message, args)

    End Select

  End Sub

  <Extension>
  Sub TestPattern(logger As ILogger, Optional eventId As EventId = Nothing)

    Dim exception As Exception = New Exception("Test Error Message")

    logger.Emit(eventId, LogLevel.Trace, "Trace Test Pattern")
    logger.Emit(eventId, LogLevel.Debug, "Debug Test Pattern")
    logger.Emit(eventId, LogLevel.Information, "Information Test Pattern")
    logger.Emit(eventId, LogLevel.Warning, "Warning Test Pattern")
    logger.Emit(eventId, LogLevel.Error, "Error Test Pattern", exception)
    logger.Emit(eventId, LogLevel.Critical, "Critical Test Pattern", exception)

  End Sub

End Module

ViewModel: LogViewerControlViewModel Class

For the Dependency Injection implementations for WinForms, WPF, and Avalonia a common LogViewerControlViewModel class to reference the singleton LogDataStore instance for monitoring manually (WinForms) or via Data Binding (WPF) in the LogViewControl control.

C#
public class LogViewerControlViewModel : ViewModel, ILogDataStoreImpl
{
    #region Constructor

    public LogViewerControlViewModel(ILogDataStore dataStore)
    {
        DataStore = dataStore;
    }

    #endregion

    #region Properties

    public ILogDataStore DataStore { get; set; }

    #endregion
}
VB.NET
Public Class LogViewerControlViewModel
   Inherits ViewModel
   Implements ILogDataStoreImpl

#Region "Constructors"
   Public Sub New(store As ILogDataStore)
    DataStore = store
  End Sub

#End Region

#Region "Properties"
   Public ReadOnly Property DataStore As ILogDataStore _
       Implements ILogDataStoreImpl.DataStore

#End Region

End Class

WinForms - LogViewerControl

Image 18

Now we can create the control itself. For WinForms, the code-behind will be looked at. If you want to see the UserControl design, download and inspect the designer code.

Code Behind

C#
public partial class LogViewerControl : UserControl
{
    #region Constructors

    // supports DI and non-DI usage

    public LogViewerControl()
    {
        InitializeComponent();

        // Stop the flickering!
        ListView.SetDoubleBuffered();

        Disposed += OnDispose;
    }

    public LogViewerControl(LogViewerControlViewModel viewModel) : this()
        => RegisterLogDataStore(viewModel.DataStore);

    #endregion

    #region Fields

    private ILogDataStore? _dataStore;

    private static readonly SemaphoreSlim _semaphore = new(initialCount: 1);

    #endregion

    #region Methods

    public void RegisterLogDataStore(ILogDataStore dataStore)
    {
        _dataStore = dataStore;

        // As we are manually handling the DataBinding, we need to add existing
        //  log entries
        AddListViewItems(_dataStore.Entries);

        // Simple way to DataBind the ObservableCollection to the ListView is to
        //  listen to the CollectionChanged event
        _dataStore.Entries.CollectionChanged += OnCollectionChanged;
    }

    private void OnCollectionChanged(object? sender, NotifyCollectionChangedEventArgs e)
    {
        // any new items?
        if (e.NewItems?.Count > 0)
        {
            AddListViewItems(e.NewItems.Cast<LogModel>());

            ExclusiveDispatcher(() =>
            {
                // auto-scroll if required
                if (CanAutoScroll.Checked)
                    ListView.Items[^1].EnsureVisible();
            });
        }

        // any to remove? ... not required for this purpose.
        if (e.OldItems?.Count > 0)
        {
            // remove from ListView.Items
        }
    }

    private void AddListViewItems(IEnumerable<LogModel> logEntries)
    {
        ExclusiveDispatcher(() =>
        {
            foreach (LogModel item in logEntries)
            {
                ListViewItem lvi = new ListViewItem
                {
                    Font = new(ListView.Font, FontStyle.Regular),
                    Text = item.Timestamp.ToString("G"),
                    ForeColor = item.Color!.Foreground,
                    BackColor = item.Color.Background
                };

                lvi.SubItems.Add(item.LogLevel.ToString());
                lvi.SubItems.Add(item.EventId.ToString());
                lvi.SubItems.Add(item.State?.ToString() ?? string.Empty);
                lvi.SubItems.Add(item.Exception ?? string.Empty);
                ListView.Items.Add(lvi);
            }
        });
    }

    private void ExclusiveDispatcher(Action action)
    {
        // ensure only one operation at time from multiple threads
        _semaphore.Wait();

        // delegate to UI thread
        DispatcherHelper.Execute(action.Invoke);

        _semaphore.Release();
    }

    // cleanup time ...
    private void OnDispose(object? sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        Disposed -= OnDispose;
        if (_dataStore is null)
            return;

        _dataStore.Entries.CollectionChanged -= OnCollectionChanged;
    }

    #endregion
}
VB.NET
Public Class LogViewerControl

#Region "Constructors"
   ' supports DI and non-DI usage

  Public Sub New()

    ' This call is required by the designer.
    InitializeComponent()

    ' Stop the flickering!
    ListView.SetDoubleBuffered()

    AddHandler Disposed, AddressOf OnDispose

  End Sub

  Public Sub New(viewModel As LogViewerControlViewModel)

    Me.New()

    RegisterLogDataStore(viewModel.DataStore)

  End Sub

#End Region

#Region "Fields"
   Private _dataStore As ILogDataStore

  Private Shared ReadOnly _semaphore As SemaphoreSlim =
    New SemaphoreSlim(initialCount:=1)

#End Region

#Region "Methods"
   Public Sub RegisterLogDataStore(datastore As ILogDataStore)

    _dataStore = datastore

    ' As we are manually handling the DataBinding, we need to add existing log entries
    AddListViewItems(_dataStore.Entries)

    ' Simple way to DataBind the ObservableCollection to the ListView Is to listen
    ' to the CollectionChanged event
    AddHandler _dataStore.Entries.CollectionChanged, AddressOf OnCollectionChanged

  End Sub

  Private Sub OnCollectionChanged(sender As Object, e As NotifyCollectionChangedEventArgs)

    ' any new items?
    If e.NewItems IsNot Nothing AndAlso e.NewItems.Count > 0 Then
      AddListViewItems(e.NewItems.Cast(Of LogModel))

      ExclusiveDispatcher(
        Sub()

          ' auto-scroll if required
          If CanAutoScroll.Checked Then
            ListView.Items(ListView.Items.Count - 1).EnsureVisible()
          End If

        End Sub)
    End If

    ' any to remove? ... not required for this purpose.
    If e.OldItems IsNot Nothing AndAlso e.OldItems.Count > 0 Then
      ' remove from ListView.Items
    End If

  End Sub

  Private Sub AddListViewItems(logEntries As IEnumerable(Of LogModel))


    ExclusiveDispatcher(
      Sub()

        For Each item As LogModel In logEntries
          Dim lvi As ListViewItem = New ListViewItem With
            {
              .Font = New Font(ListView.Font, FontStyle.Regular),
              .Text = item.Timestamp.ToString("G"),
              .ForeColor = item.Color.Foreground,
              .BackColor = item.Color.Background
            }

          lvi.SubItems.Add(item.LogLevel.ToString())
          lvi.SubItems.Add(item.EventId.ToString())
          lvi.SubItems.Add(If(item.State Is Nothing, String.Empty, item.State.ToString()))
          lvi.SubItems.Add(If(item.Exception Is Nothing, String.Empty,
                           item.Exception.ToString()))

          ListView.Items.Add(lvi)
        Next

      End Sub)

  End Sub

  Private Sub ExclusiveDispatcher(action As Action)

    ' ensure only one operation at time from multiple threads
    _semaphore.Wait()

    ' delegate to UI thread
    'DispatcherHelper.
    Execute(Sub() action.Invoke())

    _semaphore.Release()

  End Sub

  ' cleanup time ...
  Private Sub OnDispose(sender As Object, e As EventArgs)

    RemoveHandler Disposed, AddressOf OnDispose

    If _dataStore Is Nothing Then
      Return
    End If

    RemoveHandler _dataStore.Entries.CollectionChanged, AddressOf OnCollectionChanged

  End Sub

#End Region

End Class

The LogViewerControl has two controls:

  • ListView control - main display of log entries
  • CheckBox control - toggles auto-scrolling of the ListView control

The code simply references the LogDataStore instance, and listens to the Entries collection for changes. As Items are added, a ListViewItem is created, formatted, and added to the ListView control.

It also listens for when the LogViewerControl is disposed of and dereferences all events to avoid memory leaks.

Here is a GIF with default colorization in action:

Image 19

WPF - LogViewerControl

Image 20

We will use Data-Binding to manage the event handling when new Log Entries are added.

Code-behind

C#
public partial class LogViewerControl
{
    public LogViewerControl() => InitializeComponent();

    private void OnLayoutUpdated(object? sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        if (!CanAutoScroll.IsChecked == true)
            return;

        // design time
        if (DataContext is null)
            return;

        // Okay, we can now get the item and scroll into view
        LogModel? item = (DataContext as ILogDataStoreImpl)
                ?.DataStore.Entries.LastOrDefault();
        
        if (item is null)
            return;

        ListView.ScrollIntoView(item);
    }
}
VB.NET
Public Class LogViewerControl

  Public Sub New()

    ' This call is required by the designer.
    InitializeComponent()

  End Sub

  Private Sub OnLayoutUpdated(sender As Object, e As EventArgs)

    If Not CanAutoScroll.IsChecked Then
      Return
    End If

    ' design time
    If DataContext Is Nothing Then
      Return
    End If

    Dim store As ILogDataStoreImpl = DirectCast(DataContext, ILogDataStoreImpl)

    ' Okay, we can now get the item and scroll into view
    Dim item As LogModel = store.DataStore.Entries.LastOrDefault()

    If item Is Nothing Then
      Return
    End If

    ListView.ScrollIntoView(item)

  End Sub

End Class

We need to support:

  • Dependency Injection with MVVM
  • No Dependency Injection and MVVM
  • No Dependency Injection and manual data binding in code behind

For MVVM, the LogDataStore will be on a Model or ViewModel. The last option may have the LogDataStore exposed as a property on the Window or a UserControl. The control requires access to the LogDataStore for both scenarios. The LogViewControl requires a common Interface to the property:

C#
public interface ILogDataStoreImpl
{
    public LogDataStore DataStore { get; }
}
VB.NET
Public Interface ILogDataStoreImpl

  ReadOnly Property DataStore As ILogDataStore

End Interface

User Interface

The XAML focuses on the Data-Binding in the ListView control:

XML
<ListView x:Name="ListView"
          ItemsSource="{Binding DataStore.Entries}"
          LayoutUpdated="OnLayoutUpdated">
    <ListView.Resources>
        <!-- trimmed -->
        <Style TargetType="{x:Type ListViewItem}">
            <Setter Property="HorizontalContentAlignment" Value="Stretch"/>
            <Setter Property="BorderBrush" Value="Silver"/>
            <Setter Property="BorderThickness" Value="0,0,0,1"/>
            <Setter Property="Foreground" Value="{Binding Color.Foreground,
                Converter={StaticResource ColorConverter}}" />
            <Setter Property="Background" Value="{Binding Color.Background,
                Converter={StaticResource ColorConverter}}" />
            <!-- trimmed -->
         </Style>
    </ListView.Resources>
    <ListView.View>
        <GridView>
            <GridViewColumn Header="Time" Width="140">
                <GridViewColumn.CellTemplate>
                    <DataTemplate>
                        <TextBlock Text="{Binding Timestamp}"/>
                    </DataTemplate>
                </GridViewColumn.CellTemplate>
            </GridViewColumn>
            <GridViewColumn Header="Level" Width="80">
                <GridViewColumn.CellTemplate>
                    <DataTemplate>
                        <TextBlock Text="{Binding LogLevel}"/>
                    </DataTemplate>
                </GridViewColumn.CellTemplate>
            </GridViewColumn>
            <GridViewColumn Header="Event Id" Width="120">
                <GridViewColumn.CellTemplate>
                    <DataTemplate>
                        <TextBlock Text="{Binding EventId}"/>
                    </DataTemplate>
                </GridViewColumn.CellTemplate>
            </GridViewColumn>
            <GridViewColumn Header="State" Width="300">
                <GridViewColumn.CellTemplate>
                    <DataTemplate>
                        <TextBlock Text="{Binding State}"/>
                    </DataTemplate>
                </GridViewColumn.CellTemplate>
            </GridViewColumn>
            <GridViewColumn Header="Exception" Width="300">
                <GridViewColumn.CellTemplate>
                    <DataTemplate>
                        <TextBlock Text="{Binding Exception}"/>
                    </DataTemplate>
                </GridViewColumn.CellTemplate>
            </GridViewColumn>
        </GridView>
    </ListView.View>
</ListView>

NOTE: Download the solution to see the full implementation of the UI.

As the DataStoreLogger is being used by both WinForms and WPF project types, System.Drawing.Color class was used in the DataStoreLoggerConfiguration class. So for WPF, we need to convert the Color type class System.Windows.Media.Color and return a SolidColorBrush.

C#
public class ChangeColorTypeConverter : IValueConverter
{
    public object Convert(object value, Type targetType, object parameter,
                          CultureInfo culture)
    {
        SysDrawColor sysDrawColor = (SysDrawColor)value;
        return new SolidColorBrush(Color.FromArgb(
            sysDrawColor.A,
            sysDrawColor.R,
            sysDrawColor.G,
            sysDrawColor.B));
    }

    public object ConvertBack(object value, Type targetType, object parameter,
                              CultureInfo culture)
        => throw new NotImplementedException();
}
VB.NET
Public Class ChangeColorTypeConverter : Implements IValueConverter

  Public Function Convert(value As Object, targetType As Type,
                          parameter As Object, culture As CultureInfo)
                          As Object Implements IValueConverter.Convert

    Dim sysDrawColor As SysDrawColor = DirectCast(value, SysDrawColor)
    Return New SolidColorBrush(Color.FromArgb(
      sysDrawColor.A,
      sysDrawColor.R,
      sysDrawColor.G,
      sysDrawColor.B))

  End Function

  Public Function ConvertBack(value As Object, targetType As Type,
                              parameter As Object, culture As CultureInfo)
                              As Object Implements IValueConverter.ConvertBack
    Throw New NotImplementedException
  End Function

End Class

Here is a GIF with custom colorization in action:

Image 21

Avalonia - LogViewerControl

Image 22

We will use Data-Binding to manage the event handling when new Log Entries are added.

The implementation is different for Avalonia as the controls are not identical. Here, we use a DataGrid whereas we use a ListView for WPF. For the auto-scroll, there are subtle differences from WPF. Below, you can see how we handle the Scrolling into view differently from WPF as items are added.

Code-behind

C#
public partial class LogViewerControl : UserControl
{
    public LogViewerControl()
        => InitializeComponent();

    private ILogDataStoreImpl? vm;
    private LogModel? item;
  
    private void OnDataContextChanged(object? sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        if (DataContext is null)
            return;

        vm = (ILogDataStoreImpl)DataContext;
        vm.DataStore.Entries.CollectionChanged += OnCollectionChanged;
    }

    private void OnCollectionChanged
            (object? sender, NotifyCollectionChangedEventArgs e)
        => item = MyDataGrid.Items.Cast<LogModel>().LastOrDefault();

    private void OnLayoutUpdated(object? sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        if (CanAutoScroll.IsChecked != true || item is null)
            return;

        MyDataGrid.ScrollIntoView(item, null);
        item = null;
    }

    private void OnDetachedFromLogicalTree(object? sender, 
                 LogicalTreeAttachmentEventArgs e)
    {
        if (vm is null) return;
        vm.DataStore.Entries.CollectionChanged -= OnCollectionChanged;
    }
}
VB.NET
Partial Public Class LogViewerControl : Inherits UserControl

  Private _vm As ILogDataStoreImpl
  Private _model As LogModel

  Private MyDataGrid As DataGrid
  Private CanAutoScroll As CheckBox

  Sub New()
    InitializeComponent()
  End Sub

  ' Auto-wiring does not work for VB, so do it manually
  ' Wires up the controls and optionally loads XAML markup and attaches
  ' dev tools (if Avalonia.Diagnostics package is referenced)
  Private Sub InitializeComponent(Optional loadXaml As Boolean = True)

    If loadXaml Then
      AvaloniaXamlLoader.Load(Me)
    End If

    MyDataGrid = FindNameScope().Find("MyDataGrid")
    CanAutoScroll = FindNameScope().Find("CanAutoScroll")

  End Sub

  Private Shadows Sub OnDataContextChanged(sender As Object, e As EventArgs)

    If DataContext Is Nothing Then
      Return
    End If

    _vm = DirectCast(DataContext, ILogDataStoreImpl)
    AddHandler _vm.DataStore.Entries.CollectionChanged, 
               AddressOf OnCollectionChanged


  End Sub

  Private Sub OnCollectionChanged(sender As Object,
                                  e As NotifyCollectionChangedEventArgs)

    _model = MyDataGrid.Items.Cast(Of LogModel).LastOrDefault()

  End Sub

  Private Sub OnLayoutUpdated(sender As Object, e As EventArgs)

    If CanAutoScroll.IsChecked <> True OrElse _model Is Nothing Then
      Return
    End If

    MyDataGrid.ScrollIntoView(_model, Nothing)
    _model = Nothing

  End Sub

  Private Shadows Sub OnDetachedFromLogicalTree(sender As Object,
                                                e As LogicalTreeAttachmentEventArgs)

    If _vm Is Nothing Then
      Return
    End If

    RemoveHandler _vm.DataStore.Entries.CollectionChanged,
      AddressOf OnCollectionChanged

  End Sub

End Class

We need to support:

  • Dependency Injection with MVVM
  • No Dependency Injection and MVVM
  • No Dependency Injection and manual data binding in code behind

For MVVM, the LogDataStore will be on a Model or ViewModel. The last option may have the LogDataStore exposed as a property on the Window or a UserControl. The control requires access to the LogDataStore for both scenarios. The LogViewControl requires a common Interface to the property:

C#
public interface ILogDataStoreImpl
{
    public LogDataStore DataStore { get; }
}
VB.NET
Public Interface ILogDataStoreImpl

  ReadOnly Property DataStore As ILogDataStore

End Interface

User Interface

The XAML focuses on the Data-Binding in the ListView control:

XML
<Grid>
  <Grid.RowDefinitions>
    <RowDefinition />
    <RowDefinition Height="Auto" />
  </Grid.RowDefinitions>
  <Grid.Resources>
    <converters:ChangeColorTypeConverter x:Key="ColorConverter" />
    <converters:EventIdConverter x:Key="EventIdConverter"/>
    <SolidColorBrush x:Key="ColorBlack">Black</SolidColorBrush>
    <SolidColorBrush x:Key="ColorTransparent">Transparent</SolidColorBrush>
  </Grid.Resources>
  <Grid.Styles>
    <Style Selector="DataGridRow">
      <Setter Property="Padding" Value="0" />
      <Setter Property="Foreground" Value="{Binding Color.Foreground,
                    Converter={StaticResource ColorConverter},
                    ConverterParameter={StaticResource ColorBlack}}" />
      <Setter Property="Background" Value="{Binding Color.Background,
                    Converter={StaticResource ColorConverter},
                    ConverterParameter={StaticResource ColorTransparent}}" />
    </Style>
    <Style Selector="DataGridCell.size">
      <Setter Property="FontSize" Value="11" />
      <Setter Property="Padding" Value="0" />
    </Style>
  </Grid.Styles>
  <DataGrid x:Name="MyDataGrid"
            Items="{Binding DataStore.Entries}" AutoGenerateColumns="False"
            CanUserSortColumns="False"
            LayoutUpdated="OnLayoutUpdated">
    <DataGrid.Columns>
      <DataGridTextColumn CellStyleClasses="size"
                          Header="Time" Width="150"
                          Binding="{Binding Timestamp}"/>
      <DataGridTextColumn CellStyleClasses="size"
                          Header="Level" Width="90"
                          Binding="{Binding LogLevel}" />
      <DataGridTextColumn CellStyleClasses="size"
                          Header="Event Id" Width="120"
                          Binding="{Binding EventId,
                            Converter={StaticResource EventIdConverter}}" />
      <DataGridTextColumn CellStyleClasses="size"
                          Header="State" Width="300"
                          Binding="{Binding State}" />
      <DataGridTextColumn CellStyleClasses="size"
                          Header="Exception" Width="300"
                          Binding="{Binding Exception}" />
    </DataGrid.Columns>
  </DataGrid>
</Grid>

NOTE: Download the solution to see the full implementation of the UI.

As the DataStoreLogger is being used by both WinForms and WPF project types, System.Drawing.Color class was used in the DataStoreLoggerConfiguration class. So for WPF, we need to convert the Color type class System.Windows.Media.Color and return a SolidColorBrush.

C#
public class ChangeColorTypeConverter : IValueConverter
{
    public object Convert(object value, Type targetType,
                          object parameter, CultureInfo culture)
    {
        SysDrawColor sysDrawColor = (SysDrawColor)value;
        return new SolidColorBrush(Color.FromArgb(
            sysDrawColor.A,
            sysDrawColor.R,
            sysDrawColor.G,
            sysDrawColor.B));
    }

    public object ConvertBack(object value, Type targetType,
                              object parameter, CultureInfo culture)
        => throw new NotImplementedException();
}
VB.NET
Public Class ChangeColorTypeConverter : Implements IValueConverter

  Public Function Convert(value As Object, targetType As Type,
                          parameter As Object, culture As CultureInfo)
                          As Object Implements IValueConverter.Convert

    Dim sysDrawColor As SysDrawColor = DirectCast(value, SysDrawColor)
    Return New SolidColorBrush(Color.FromArgb(
      sysDrawColor.A,
      sysDrawColor.R,
      sysDrawColor.G,
      sysDrawColor.B))

  End Function

  Public Function ConvertBack(value As Object, targetType As Type,
                              parameter As Object, culture As CultureInfo)
                              As Object Implements IValueConverter.ConvertBack
    Throw New NotImplementedException
  End Function

End Class

Unlike in WPF, we need to extract as String value from the EventId class as Avalonia data-binding for the DataGrid control does not use the ToString() method of the class.

C#
public class EventIdConverter : IValueConverter
{
    public object Convert(object? value, Type targetType,
                          object? parameter, CultureInfo culture)
    {
        if (value is null)
            return "0";

        EventId eventId = (EventId)value;

        return eventId.ToString();
    }

    // If not implemented, an error is thrown
    public object ConvertBack(object? value, Type targetType, 
                              object? parameter, CultureInfo culture)
        => new EventId(0, value?.ToString() ?? string.Empty);
}
VB.NET
Public Class EventIdConverter : Implements IValueConverter

  Public Function Convert(value As Object, targetType As Type,
                          parameter As Object, culture As CultureInfo)
                          As Object Implements IValueConverter.Convert

    If value Is Nothing Then
      Return "0"
    End If

    Dim eventId As EventId = DirectCast(value, EventId)

    Return eventId.ToString()

  End Function

  Public Function ConvertBack(value As Object, targetType As Type,
                  parameter As Object, culture As CultureInfo)
                  As Object Implements IValueConverter.ConvertBack
    Return New EventId(0, If(value Is Nothing, String.Empty, value.ToString()))
  End Function

End Class

Here is a GIF with custom colorization in action:

Image 23

Using the LogViewControl

We have created the custom Logger, we have a common Data Store to share all of the log entries, and created a LogViewerControl, now we can use.

WinForms - Dependency Injection

Registration - ServicesExtension class

The registration of the LogViewerControl and LogViewerControlViewModel are abstracted to an extension method in the ServicesExtension class:

C#
public static class ServicesExtension
{
    public static HostApplicationBuilder AddLogViewer(this HostApplicationBuilder builder)
    {
        builder.Services.AddSingleton<ILogDataStore, Logging.LogDataStore>();
        builder.Services.AddSingleton<LogViewerControlViewModel>();
        builder.Services.AddTransient<LogViewerControl>();

        return builder;
    }
}
VB.NET
Public Module ServicesExtension

  <Extension>
  Public Function AddLogViewer(builder As HostApplicationBuilder) _
         As HostApplicationBuilder

    builder.Services.AddSingleton(Of ILogDataStore, Logging.LogDataStore)
    builder.Services.AddSingleton(Of LogViewerControlViewModel)
    builder.Services.AddTransient(Of LogViewerControl)

    Return builder

  End Function

End Module

NOTES

  • The LogViewerControlViewModel class is registered as a singleton for the shared LogDataStore instance required for the DataStoreLogger to share log entries with the LogViewerControl.
  • Each time the LogViewerControl is substantiated, the shared LogViewerControlViewModel instance will be manually wired up in the host LogViewerControl control.

MainForm Code-Behind

The MainForm Designer has a Panel control named HostPanel for hosting the LogViewerControl. Below, we can see that the LogViewerControl is injected into MainForm and it is added to the HostPanel.

C#
public partial class MainForm : Form
{
    #region Constructors

    public MainForm(MainControlsDataStore controlsDataStore)
    {
        InitializeComponent();

        // wire up the control
        HostPanel.AddControl(controlsDataStore.LogViewer);
    }

    #endregion
}
VB.NET
Public Class MainForm

#Region "Constructors"
   Sub New(controlsDataStore As MainControlsDataStore)

    ' This call is required by the designer.
    InitializeComponent()

    ' wire up the control
    HostPanel.AddControl(controlsDataStore.LogViewer)

  End Sub

#End Region

End Class

The AddControl is an extension method encapsulating the code to do the task:

C#
public static class ControlsExtension
{
    public static void AddControl(this Panel panel, Control control)
    {
        panel.Controls.Add(control);
        control.Dock = DockStyle.Fill;
        control.BringToFront();
    }
}
VB.NET
Public Module ControlsExtension

  <Extension>
  Public Sub AddControl(panel As Panel, control As Control)

    panel.Controls.Add(control)
    control.Dock = DockStyle.Fill
    control.BringToFront()

  End Sub

End Module

Registration - Bootstrapper class (C#)

We can not use Dependency Injection in a static class, in this case, the Program class in a WinForms application. So we add a Bootstrapper class and point to an instance:

C#
internal static class Program
{
    #region Bootstrap

    [STAThread]
    static void Main() => _ = new Bootstrapper();

    #endregion
}

Then in the Bootstrapper class, we can wire up the Dependencies:

C#
HostApplicationBuilder builder = Host.CreateApplicationBuilder();

builder.Logging.AddDefaultDataStoreLogger();

builder.Services
        .AddSingleton<MainControlsDataStore>()
        .AddSingleton<MainForm>();

_host = builder.Build();

Usage

Once registered, we can show the MainForm from the Bootstrapper class:

C#
// set and show
Application.Run(_host.Services.GetRequiredService<MainForm>());

Registration - ApplicationEvents class

VB.NET wires up the WinForms app differently to C#:

VB.NET
Partial Friend Class MyApplication

 Protected Overrides Function OnStartup( _
   eventArgs As ApplicationServices.StartupEventArgs) As Boolean

  InitializeDI()

  Return MyBase.OnStartup(eventArgs)

 End Function

 Private Sub InitializeDI()

  Dim builder As HostApplicationBuilder = Host.CreateApplicationBuilder()

  builder.Logging.AddDefaultDataStoreLogger()

  Dim services As IServiceCollection = builder.Services

  services _
   .AddSingleton(Of MainControlsDataStore) _
   .AddSingleton(Of MainForm)

  _host = builder.Build()

 End Sub

End Class

WinForms - Manually (without Dependency Injection)

For Manual with no Dependency Injection, we Add the LogViewControl control directly on the Form then we register the LogDataStore instance manually with the LogViewControl control.

MainForm Code-Behind

C#
public partial class MainForm : Form
{
    public Form1()
    {
        InitializeComponent();

        // Initialize service and pass in the Logger
        RandomLoggingService service =
            new(new Logger<RandomLoggingService>(LoggingHelper.Factory));

        // Start generating log entries
        _ = service.StartAsync(CancellationToken.None);
        
        // manually wire up the logging to the view ...
        //   the control will show backlog entries...
        LogViewerControl.RegisterLogDataStore(MainControlsDataStore.DataStore);
    }
}
VB.NET
Public Class MyMainForm

  Sub New()

    ' This call is required by the designer.
    InitializeComponent()

    ' Initialize service and pass in the Logger
    Dim service As RandomLoggingService =
      New RandomLoggingService
      (New Logger(Of RandomLoggingService)(LoggingHelper.Factory))

    Dim task As Task = service.StartAsync(CancellationToken.None)

    ' manually wire up the logging to the view ...
    '   the control will show backlog entries...
    LogViewerControl.RegisterLogDataStore(MainControlsDataStore.DataStore)

  End Sub

End Class

WPF - Dependency Injection

There is a lot of overlap with how the WinForms implementation.

Registration - ServicesExtension class

The registration of the LogViewerControl and LogViewerControlViewModel are abstracted to an extension method in the ServicesExtension class. The Setting of the DataContext is also done at the time of substantiation by Dependency Injection:

C#
public static class ServicesExtension
{
  public static HostApplicationBuilder AddLogViewer(this HostApplicationBuilder builder)
  {
    builder.Services.AddSingleton<ILogDataStore, Logging.LogDataStore>();
    builder.Services.AddSingleton<LogViewerControlViewModel>();
    builder.Services.AddTransient(service => new LogViewerControl
    {
      DataContext = service.GetRequiredService<LogViewerControlViewModel>()
    });

    return builder;
  }
}
VB.NET
Public Module ServicesExtension

  <Extension>
  Public Function AddLogViewer(builder As HostApplicationBuilder, _
  Optional config As Action(Of DataStoreLoggerConfiguration) = Nothing) _
  As HostApplicationBuilder

    builder.Services.AddSingleton(Of ILogDataStore, Logging.LogDataStore)
    builder.Services.AddSingleton(Of LogViewerControlViewModel)
    builder.Services.AddTransient(
      Function(service) New LogViewerControl() With
      {
        .DataContext = service.GetRequiredService(Of LogViewerControlViewModel)
      })

    Return builder

  End Function

End Module

NOTES

  • The LogViewerControlViewModel class is registered as a singleton for the shared LogDataStore instance required for the DataStoreLogger to share log entries with the LogViewerControl.
  • Each time the LogViewerControl is substantiated, the DataContext will be automatically set to the shared LogViewerControlViewModel instance.

MainWindow - LogViewerControl Host

The are many different ways to Host a UserControl. The method that I use is the ContentControl.

XML
<Window x:Class="WpfLoggingDI.MainWindow"
        xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
        xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"

        mc:Ignorable="d"
        xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008"
        xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006"

        xmlns:control="clr-namespace:LogViewer.Wpf;assembly=LogViewer.Wpf"
        xmlns:viewModels="clr-namespace:LogViewer.Core.ViewModels;assembly=LogViewer.Core"

        Title="C# WPF MVVM | LogViewer Control Example - Dot Net 7.0"
        WindowStartupLocation="CenterScreen" Height="634" Width="600">

    <Window.Resources>
        <DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type viewModels:LogViewerControlViewModel}">
            <control:LogViewerControl />
        </DataTemplate>
    </Window.Resources>

    <ContentControl Grid.Row="1" Content="{Binding LogViewer}" />

</Window>

We register the MainWindow for Dependency Injection to inject the LogViewerControl via the MainViewModel class. The MainViewModel will expose the LogViewerControlViewModel, data binding using a template will initialize the LogViewControl.

MainViewModel Class

C#
public class MainViewModel : ViewModel
{
    #region Constructor

    public MainViewModel(LogViewerControlViewModel logViewer)
    {
        LogViewer = logViewer;
    }

    #endregion

    #region Properties

    public LogViewerControlViewModel LogViewer { get; }

    #endregion
}
VB.NET
Public Class MainViewModel : Inherits Viewmodel

#Region "Constructor"
   Public Sub New(logViewer As LogViewerControlViewModel)
    Me.LogViewer = logViewer
  End Sub

#End Region

#Region "Properties"
   Public Property LogViewer As LogViewerControlViewModel

#End Region

End Class

Registration - App (C#) / Application (VB) Class

C#
HostApplicationBuilder builder = Host.CreateApplicationBuilder();

builder.Logging.AddDataStoreLogger();

builder.Services.
    .AddSingleton<MainViewModel>()
    .AddSingleton<MainWindow>(service => new MainWindow
    {
        DataContext = service.GetRequiredService<MainViewModel>()
    });

_host = builder.Build();
VB.NET
Dim builder As HostApplicationBuilder = Host.CreateApplicationBuilder()

builder.Logging.AddDefaultDataStoreLogger()

Dim services As IServiceCollection = builder.Services

services _
  .AddSingleton(Of MainViewModel) _
  .AddSingleton(Of MainWindow)(
    Function(service) New MainWindow() With
    {
      .DataContext = service.GetRequiredService(Of MainViewModel)
    })

_host = builder.Build()

Usage

Once registered, we can show the MainWindow from the App class:

C#
MainWindow = _host.Services.GetRequiredService<MainWindow>();
MainWindow.Show();
VB.NET
MainWindow = _host.Services.GetRequiredService(Of MainWindow)()
MainWindow.Show()

WPF - Manually (without Dependency Injection)

For Manual with no Dependency Injection, we add the LogViewControl control directly on the Window, store a reference to the LogDataStore instance manually as a Property on the Window, then set the DataContext of the LogViewControl control to the Window and let Data Binding wire up the LogViewControl control.

MainWindow XAML - LogViewerControl Host

XML
<Window x:Class="WpfLoggingNoDI.MainWindow"
        xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
        xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"

        mc:Ignorable="d"
        xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008"
        xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006"

        xmlns:control="clr-namespace:LogViewer.Wpf;assembly=LogViewer.Wpf"

        Title="C# WINFORMS MINIMAL | LogViewer Control Example - Dot Net 7.0"
        WindowStartupLocation="CenterScreen" Height="634" Width="600">

    <control:LogViewerControl x:Name="LogViewerControl" />

</Window>

MainWindow Code-behind

C#
public partial class MainWindow : ILogDataStoreImpl
{
    public MainWindow()
    {
        InitializeComponent();

        // Initialize service and pass in the Logger
        RandomLoggingService service =
          new(new Logger<RandomLoggingService>(LoggingHelper.Factory));

        // Start generating log entries
        _ = service.StartAsync(CancellationToken.None);
        
        // manually wire up the logging to the view ...
        //   the control will show backlog entries...
        DataStore = MainControlsDataStore.DataStore;

        // we can't bind the controls' DataContext to a static object, so assign
        //   the DataStore to the Window and pass a reference to the Window itself
        LogViewerControl.DataContext = this;
    }

    // Passed to the LogViewerControl via the DataContext property as ILogDataStoreImpl
    public ILogDataStore DataStore { get; init;  }
}
VB.NET
Class MainWindow : Implements ILogDataStoreImpl

  Sub New()

    ' This call is required by the designer.
    InitializeComponent()

    ' Initialize service and pass in the Logger
    Dim service As RandomLoggingService =
      New RandomLoggingService(New Logger_
          (Of RandomLoggingService)(LoggingHelper.Factory))

    ' Start generating log entries
    Dim task As Task = service.StartAsync(CancellationToken.None)

    ' manually wire up the logging to the view ...
    '   the control will show backlog entries...
    DataStore = MainControlsDataStore.DataStore

    ' we can't bind the controls' DataContext to a static object, so assign
    '   the DataStore to the Window and pass a reference to the Window itself
    LogViewerControl.DataContext = Me

  End Sub

  Public Property DataStore As ILogDataStore Implements ILogDataStoreImpl.DataStore

End Class

Avalonia - Dependency Injection

There is a lot of overlap with the WPF implementation, so if you are familiar with WPF, then this should feel very familiar to you.

Registration - ServicesExtension class

The registration of the LogViewerControlViewModel is abstracted to an extension method in the ServicesExtension class. The setting of the DataContext is also done at the time of substantiation by Dependency Injection:

C#
public static class ServicesExtension
{
    public static HostApplicationBuilder AddLogViewer
                  (this HostApplicationBuilder builder)
    {
        builder.Services.AddSingleton<ILogDataStore, LogDataStore>();
        builder.Services.AddSingleton<LogViewerControlViewModel>();

        return builder;
    }
}
VB.NET
Public Module ServicesExtension

  <Extension>
  Public Function AddLogViewer(builder As HostApplicationBuilder,
                               Optional config As Action(Of DataStoreLoggerConfiguration)
                               = Nothing) As HostApplicationBuilder

    builder.Services.AddSingleton(Of ILogDataStore, Logging.LogDataStore)
    builder.Services.AddSingleton(Of LogViewerControlViewModel)

    Return builder

  End Function

End Module

NOTES

  • The LogViewerControlViewModel class is registered as a singleton for the shared LogDataStore instance required for the DataStoreLogger to share log entries with the LogViewerControl.
  • Each time the LogViewerControl is substantiated, the DataContext will be manually set to the shared LogViewerControlViewModel instance.

MainWindow - LogViewerControl Host

The are many different ways to Host a UserControl. The method that I use is the ContentControl.

XML
<Window x:Class="AvaloniaLoggingDI.Views.MainWindow"
        xmlns="https://github.com/avaloniaui"
        xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"

        x:Name="Window"

        xmlns:control="clr-namespace:LogViewer.Avalonia;assembly=LogViewer.Avalonia"

        xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008"
        xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006"
        mc:Ignorable="d" d:DesignWidth="800" d:DesignHeight="450"

        Title="C# AVALONIA | LogViewer Control Example - Dot Net 7.0"
        Icon="/Assets/avalonia-logo.ico"
        WindowStartupLocation="CenterScreen" Height="634" Width="600">

  <control:LogViewerControl DataContext="{Binding LogViewer}" />

</Window>

MainViewModel class

C#
public class MainViewModel : ViewModelBase
{
    #region Constructor

    public MainViewModel(LogViewerControlViewModel logViewer)
    {
        LogViewer = logViewer;
    }

    #endregion

    #region Properties

    public LogViewerControlViewModel LogViewer { get; }

    #endregion
}
VB.NET
Public Class MainViewModel : Inherits ViewModelBase

#Region "Constructor"
   Public Sub New(logViewer As LogViewerControlViewModel)
    Me.LogViewer = logViewer
  End Sub

#End Region

#Region "Properties"
   Public Property LogViewer As LogViewerControlViewModel

#End Region

End Class

Registration - App Class

C#
HostApplicationBuilder builder = Host.CreateApplicationBuilder();

builder.Logging.AddDefaultDataStoreLogger();

builder.Services.
    .AddSingleton<MainViewModel>()
 .AddSingleton<MainViewModel>()
    .AddSingleton<MainWindow>(service => new MainWindow
    {
        DataContext = service.GetRequiredService<MainViewModel>()
    });

_host = builder.Build();
VB.NET
Dim builder As HostApplicationBuilder = Host.CreateApplicationBuilder()

builder.Logging.AddDefaultDataStoreLogger()

Dim services As IServiceCollection = builder.Services

services _
.AddSingleton(Of MainViewModel) _
.AddSingleton(Of MainWindow)(
  Function(service) New MainWindow() With
  {
    .DataContext = service.GetService(Of MainViewModel)
  })

_host = builder.Build()

Usage

Once registered, we can show the MainWindow from the App class:

C#
desktop.MainWindow = _host.Services.GetRequiredService<MainWindow>();
VB.NET
desktop.MainWindow = _host.Services.GetRequiredService(Of MainWindow)

Avalonia - Manually (without Dependency Injection)

For Manual with no Dependency Injection, we Add the LogViewControl control directly on the Window, store a reference to the LogDataStore instance manually as a Property on the Window, then set the DataContext of the LogViewControl control to the Window and let Data Binding wire up the LogViewControl control.

MainWindow XAML - LogViewerControl Host

XML
<Window x:Class="AvaloniaLoggingNoDI.Views.MainWindow"
        xmlns="https://github.com/avaloniaui"
        xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"

        x:Name="Window"

        xmlns:control="clr-namespace:LogViewer.Avalonia;assembly=LogViewer.Avalonia"

        mc:Ignorable="d"
        xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008"
        xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006"
        
        Title="C# AVALONIA MINIMAL | LogViewer Control Example - Dot Net 7.0"
        Icon="/Assets/avalonia-logo.ico"
        WindowStartupLocation="CenterScreen" Height="634" Width="600">

    <control:LogViewerControl x:Name="LogViewerControl" />

</Window>

MainWindow Code-behind

C#
public partial class MainWindow : ILogDataStoreImpl
{
    public MainWindow()
    {
        InitializeComponent();

        // bare minimum to get the service running and wire up logging

        // Initialize service and pass in the Logger
        RandomLoggingService service =
            new(new Logger<RandomLoggingService>(LoggingHelper.Factory));

        // Start generating log entries
        _ = service.StartAsync(CancellationToken.None);
        
        // manually wire up the logging to the view ...
        //   the control will show backlog entries...
        DataStore = MainControlsDataStore.DataStore;

        // we can't bind the controls' DataContext to a static object, so assign
        //   the DataStore to the Window and pass a reference to the Window itself
        LogViewerControl.DataContext = this;
    }

    // Passed to the LogViewerControl via the DataContext property as ILogDataStoreImpl
    public LogDataStore DataStore { get; init;  }
}
VB.NET
Partial Public Class MainWindow : Inherits Window : Implements ILogDataStoreImpl

  Private LogViewerControl As LogViewerControl

  Sub New()

    ' This call is required by the designer.
    InitializeComponent()

    ' Initialize service and pass in the Logger
    Dim service As RandomLoggingService =
      New RandomLoggingService_
      (New Logger(Of RandomLoggingService)(LoggingHelper.Factory))

    ' Start generating log entries
    Dim task As Task = service.StartAsync(CancellationToken.None)

    ' manually wire up the logging to the view ...
    '   the control will show backlog entries...
    DataStore = MainControlsDataStore.DataStore

    ' we can't bind the controls' DataContext to a static object, so assign
    ' the DataStore to the Window and pass a reference to the Window itself
    LogViewerControl.DataContext = Me

  End Sub

  ' Auto-wiring does not work for VB, so do it manually
  ' Wires up the controls and optionally loads XAML markup and attaches
  '   dev tools (if Avalonia.Diagnostics package is referenced)
  Private Sub InitializeComponent(Optional loadXaml As Boolean = True)

    If loadXaml Then
      AvaloniaXamlLoader.Load(Me)
    End If

    LogViewerControl = FindNameScope().Find("LogViewerControl")

  End Sub

  Public Property DataStore As ILogDataStore Implements ILogDataStoreImpl.DataStore

End Class

Generating Sample Log Messages

The last thing that we need to do is generate Log messages to simulate a live application. For this, I will be using a BackgroundService. The BackgroundService service class is used for creating long-running tasks for ASP.NET background tasks, or Windows Services. We can use also it in desktop applications however, unlike ASP.NET, requires manual activation and shutting down.

We will take advantage of the .NET Framework HostedServices. HostedServices can manage one or more background tasks in our application.

Background Service - RandomLoggingService Class

C#
public class RandomLoggingService : BackgroundService
{
    #region Constructors

    public RandomLoggingService(ILogger<RandomLoggingService> logger)
        => _logger = logger;

    #endregion

    #region Fields

    #region Injected

    private readonly ILogger _logger;

    #endregion

    // ChatGPT generated lists

    private readonly List<string> _messages = new()
    {
        "Bringing your virtual world to life!",
        // trimmed
    };

    readonly List<string> _eventNames = new()
    {
        "OnButtonClicked",
        // trimmed
    };

    readonly List<string> _errorMessages = new()
    {
        "Error: Could not connect to the server. Please check your internet connection.",
        // trimmed
    };

    private readonly Random _random = new();
    private static readonly EventId EventId = 
            new(id: 0x1A4, name: "RandomLoggingService");

    #endregion

    #region BackgroundService

    protected override async Task ExecuteAsync(CancellationToken stoppingToken)
    {
        _logger.Emit(EventId, LogLevel.Information, "Started");

        while (!stoppingToken.IsCancellationRequested)
        {
            // wait for a pre-determined interval
            await Task.Delay(1000, stoppingToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
            
            if (stoppingToken.IsCancellationRequested)
                return;

            // heartbeat logging
            GenerateLogEntry();
        }
  
        _logger.Emit(EventId, LogLevel.Information, "Stopped");
    }

    public Task StartAsync()
        => StartAsync(CancellationToken.None);

    public override async Task StartAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken)
    {
        await Task.Yield();

        _logger.Emit(EventId, LogLevel.Information, "Starting");

        await base.StartAsync(cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
    }

    public Task StopAsync()
        => StopAsync(CancellationToken.None);

    public override async Task StopAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken)
    {
        _logger.Emit(EventId, LogLevel.Information, "Stopping");
        await base.StopAsync(cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
    }

    #endregion

    #region Methods

    private void GenerateLogEntry()
    {
        LogLevel level = _random.Next(0, 100) switch
        {
            < 50 => LogLevel.Information,
            < 65 => LogLevel.Debug,
            < 75 => LogLevel.Trace,
            < 85 => LogLevel.Warning,
            < 95 => LogLevel.Error,
            _ => LogLevel.Critical
        };

        if (level < LogLevel.Error)
        {
            _logger.Emit(GenerateEventId(), level, GetMessage());
            return;
        }

        _logger.Emit(GenerateEventId(), level, GetMessage(),
            new Exception(_errorMessages[_random.Next(0, _errorMessages.Count)]));
    }

    private EventId GenerateEventId()
    {
        int index = _random.Next(0, _eventNames.Count);
        return new EventId(id: 0x1A4 + index, name: _eventNames[index]);
    }

    private string GetMessage()
        => _messages[_random.Next(0, _messages.Count)];

    #endregion
}
VB.NET
Public Class RandomLoggingService : Inherits BackgroundService

#Region "Constructors"
   Public Sub New(logger As ILogger(Of RandomLoggingService))

    _logger = logger

  End Sub

#End Region

#Region "Fields"
 #Region "Injects"
   Private _logger As ILogger

#End Region

  ' ChatGPT generated lists

  Private ReadOnly _messages As List(Of String) = New List(Of String) From {
    "Bringing your virtual world to life!",
    ' trimmed
  }

  Private ReadOnly _eventNames As List(Of String) = New List(Of String)() From {
      "OnButtonClicked",
      ' trimmed
  }

  Private ReadOnly _errorMessages As List(Of String) = New List(Of String)() From {
      "Error: Could not connect to the server. Please check your internet connection.",
      ' trimmed
  }

  Private ReadOnly _random As Random = New Random()
  Private Shared ReadOnly EventId As EventId
    = New EventId(id:=&H1A4, name:="RandomLoggingService")

#End Region

#Region "BackgroundService"
   Protected Overrides Async Function ExecuteAsync(
    stoppingToken As CancellationToken) As Task

    _logger.Emit(EventId, LogLevel.Information, "Started")

    While Not stoppingToken.IsCancellationRequested

      ' wait for a pre-determined interval
      Await Task.Delay(1000, stoppingToken).ConfigureAwait(False)

      ' heartbeat logging
      GenerateLogEntry()

    End While

    _logger.Emit(EventId, LogLevel.Information, "Stopped")

  End Function

  Public Overrides Async Function StartAsync(
    cancellationToken As CancellationToken) As Task

    Await Task.Yield()

    _logger.Emit(EventId, LogLevel.Information, "Starting")
    Await MyBase.StartAsync(cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(False)

  End Function

  Public Overrides Async Function StopAsync(
    cancellationToken As CancellationToken) As Task

    _logger.Emit(EventId, LogLevel.Information, "Stopping")
    Await MyBase.StopAsync(cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(False)

  End Function

#End Region

#Region "Methods"
   Private Sub GenerateLogEntry()

    Dim level As LogLevel

    Select Case _random.Next(0, 100)
      Case < 50 : level = LogLevel.Information
      Case < 65 : level = LogLevel.Debug
      Case < 75 : level = LogLevel.Trace
      Case < 85 : level = LogLevel.Warning
      Case < 95 : level = LogLevel.Error
      Case Else : level = LogLevel.Critical
    End Select

    If level < LogLevel.Error Then
      _logger.Emit(GenerateEventId(), level, GetMessage())
      Return
    End If

    _logger.Emit(GenerateEventId(), level, GetMessage(),
          New Exception(_errorMessages(_random.Next(0, _errorMessages.Count))))

  End Sub

  Private Function GenerateEventId() As EventId

    Dim index As Integer = _random.[Next](0, _eventNames.Count)
    Return New EventId(id:=&H1A4 + index, name:=_eventNames(index))

  End Function

  Private Function GetMessage() As String

    Return _messages(_random.[Next](0, _messages.Count))

  End Function

#End Region

End Class

Dependency Injection

Using the Background Service is a two-part process:

  1. We need to set the scope of the class and register the service
  2. Manually start the hosting service that manages all registered Background Services

Registration

C#
public static class ServicesExtension
{
    public static HostApplicationBuilder AddRandomBackgroundService(
        this HostApplicationBuilder builder)
    {
        builder.Services.AddSingleton<RandomLoggingService>();
        builder.Services.AddHostedService(service
            => service.GetRequiredService<RandomLoggingService>());

        return builder;
    }
}
VB.NET
Public Module ServicesExtension

  <Extension>
  Public Function AddRandomBackgroundService(builder As HostApplicationBuilder)
    As HostApplicationBuilder

    builder.Services.AddSingleton(Of RandomLoggingService)
    builder.Services.AddHostedService(
      Function(service) service.GetRequiredService(Of RandomLoggingService))

    Return builder

  End Function

End Module

Usage

C#
HostApplicationBuilder builder = Host.CreateApplicationBuilder();

// Register the Random Logging Service
builder.AddRandomBackgroundService();

_host = builder.Build();

// startup one or more registered background services
_ = _host.StartAsync(_cancellationTokenSource.Token);
VB.NET
Dim builder As HostApplicationBuilder = Host.CreateApplicationBuilder()

' Random Logging Service
builder.AddRandomBackgroundService()

_host = builder.Build()

' startup background services
Dim task As Task = _host.StartAsync(_cancellationTokenSource.Token)

Manually (without Dependency Injection)

C#
// Initialize service and pass in the Logger
RandomLoggingService service = 
   new(new Logger<RandomLoggingService>(LoggingHelper.Factory));

// Start generating log entries
_ = service.StartAsync(_cancellationTokenSource.Token);
VB.NET
' Initialize service and pass in the Logger
Dim service As RandomLoggingService = New RandomLoggingService_
            (New Logger(Of RandomLoggingService)(LoggingHelper.Factory))

' startup background services
Dim task As Task = _host.StartAsync(_cancellationTokenSource.Token)

LoggerMessageAttribute (C# only)

In .Net 6.0, support for compile-time source generated performant logging APIs via the LoggerMessageAttribute.

Microsoft has documentation that covers usage called Compile-time logging source generation. The logging constraints listed that must be followed are:

  • Logging methods must be partial and return void.
  • Logging method names must not start with an underscore.
  • Parameter names of logging methods must not start with an underscore.
  • Logging methods may not be defined in a nested type.
  • Logging methods cannot be generic.
  • If a logging method is static, the ILogger instance is required as a parameter.

Other constraints not listed are:

  • An Event Id is required and is a static parameter.
  • The optional Event Name is a static parameter.
  • Exceptions must be included in the message and is not a separate field.

The coming .NET 8.0 (as of the time of writing this article) has added more flexibility with the constructor parameters that can be passed however the static fields remain. You can read more here: Expanding LoggerMessageAttribute Constructor Overloads for Enhanced Functionality.

With the above constraints in mind, we can now update the code:

  1. Each application project required a dedicated Logging method with a LoggerMessageAttribute decorator.
  2. Every Event Name requires its own dedicated Logging method.

Dedicated Application Logging Method

C#
public static partial class ApplicationLog
{
    private const string AppName = "WpfLoggingAttrDI";

    [LoggerMessage (EventId = 0, EventName = AppName, Message = "{msg}")]
    public static partial void Emit(ILogger logger,  LogLevel level, string msg);

    public static void Emit(ILogger logger, LogLevel level, 
                            string msg, Exception exception)
        => Emit(logger, level, $"{msg} - {exception}");
}

To call, we simply use:

C#
ApplicationLog.Emit(logger, logLevel, message);

IF there is an exception, then:

C#
ApplicationLog.Emit(logger, logLevel, message, exception);

Dedicated RandomServiceLog Method

As we have multiple Event Names, each requires its own dedicated Logging method. Below, I set up a Lookup table to simplify calling the correct method and also share the Event Names.

C#
public static partial class RandomServiceLog
{
    public static Dictionary<string, Action<ILogger, LogLevel, string>> Events = new()
    {
        ["OnButtonClicked"] = LogOnButtonClicked,
        ["OnMenuItemSelected"] = LogOnMenuItemSelected,
        ["OnWindowResized"] = LogOnWindowResized,
        ["OnDataLoaded"] = LogOnDataLoaded,
        ["OnFormSubmitted"] = LogOnFormSubmitted,
        ["OnTabChanged"] = LogOnTabChanged,
        ["OnItemSelected"] = LogOnItemSelected,
        ["OnValidationFailed"] = LogOnValidationFailed,
        ["OnNotificationReceived"] = LogOnNotificationReceived,
        ["OnApplicationStarted"] = LogOnApplicationStarted,
        ["OnUserLoggedIn"] = LogOnUserLoggedIn,
        ["OnUploadStarted"] = LogOnUploadStarted,
        ["OnDownloadCompleted"] = LogOnDownloadCompleted,
        ["OnProgressUpdated"] = LogOnProgressUpdated,
        ["OnNetworkErrorOccurred"] = LogOnNetworkErrorOccurred,
        ["OnPaymentSuccessful"] = LogOnPaymentSuccessful,
        ["OnProfileUpdated"] = LogOnProfileUpdated,
        ["OnSearchCompleted"] = LogOnSearchCompleted,
        ["OnFilterChanged"] = LogOnFilterChanged,
        ["OnLanguageChanged"] = LogOnLanguageChanged
    };

    public static void Emit(ILogger logger, EventId eventId, 
        LogLevel level, string message, Exception? exception = null)
        => Events[eventId.Name!].Invoke(logger, level, exception is null ? 
        message : $"{message} - {exception}");

    [LoggerMessage (EventId = 101, EventName = "OnButtonClicked", Message = "{msg}")]
    private static partial void LogOnButtonClicked(ILogger logger,  
        LogLevel level, string msg);

    [LoggerMessage (EventId = 102, 
        EventName = "OnMenuItemSelected", Message = "{msg}")]
    private static partial void LogOnMenuItemSelected(ILogger logger, 
        LogLevel level, string msg);

    [LoggerMessage (EventId = 103, EventName = "OnWindowResized", Message = "{msg}")]
    private static partial void LogOnWindowResized(ILogger logger,  
        LogLevel level, string msg);

    [LoggerMessage (EventId = 104, EventName = "OnDataLoaded", Message = "{msg}")]
    private static partial void LogOnDataLoaded(ILogger logger,  
        LogLevel level, string msg);

    [LoggerMessage (EventId = 105, EventName = "OnFormSubmitted", Message = "{msg}")]
    private static partial void LogOnFormSubmitted(ILogger logger, 
        LogLevel level, string msg);

    [LoggerMessage (EventId = 106, EventName = "OnTabChanged", Message = "{msg}")]
    private static partial void LogOnTabChanged(ILogger logger,  
        LogLevel level, string msg);

    [LoggerMessage (EventId = 107, EventName = "OnItemSelected", Message = "{msg}")]
    private static partial void LogOnItemSelected(ILogger logger,  
        LogLevel level, string msg);

    [LoggerMessage (EventId = 108, EventName = "OnValidationFailed", 
        Message = "{msg}")]
    private static partial void LogOnValidationFailed(ILogger logger,  
        LogLevel level, string msg);

    [LoggerMessage (EventId = 109, EventName = "OnNotificationReceived", 
        Message = "{msg}")]
    private static partial void LogOnNotificationReceived(ILogger logger,  
        LogLevel level, string msg);

    [LoggerMessage (EventId = 110, EventName = "OnApplicationStarted", 
        Message = "{msg}")]
    private static partial void LogOnApplicationStarted(ILogger logger,  
        LogLevel level, string msg);

    [LoggerMessage (EventId = 111, EventName = "OnUserLoggedIn", Message = "{msg}")]
    private static partial void LogOnUserLoggedIn(ILogger logger,  
        LogLevel level, string msg);

    [LoggerMessage (EventId = 112, EventName = "OnUploadStarted", Message = "{msg}")]
    private static partial void LogOnUploadStarted(ILogger logger,  
        LogLevel level, string msg);

    [LoggerMessage (EventId = 113, EventName = "OnDownloadCompleted", 
        Message = "{msg}")]
    private static partial void LogOnDownloadCompleted(ILogger logger,  
        LogLevel level, string msg);

    [LoggerMessage (EventId = 114, EventName = "OnProgressUpdated", 
        Message = "{msg}")]
    private static partial void LogOnProgressUpdated(ILogger logger,  
        LogLevel level, string msg);

    [LoggerMessage (EventId = 115, EventName = "OnNetworkErrorOccurred", 
        Message = "{msg}")]
    private static partial void LogOnNetworkErrorOccurred(ILogger logger,  
        LogLevel level, string msg);

    [LoggerMessage (EventId = 116, EventName = "OnPaymentSuccessful", 
        Message = "{msg}")]
    private static partial void LogOnPaymentSuccessful(ILogger logger,  
        LogLevel level, string msg);

    [LoggerMessage (EventId = 117, EventName = "OnProfileUpdated", 
        Message = "{msg}")]
    private static partial void LogOnProfileUpdated(ILogger logger,  
        LogLevel level, string msg);

    [LoggerMessage (EventId = 118, EventName = "OnSearchCompleted", 
        Message = "{msg}")]
    private static partial void LogOnSearchCompleted(ILogger logger,  
        LogLevel level, string msg);

    [LoggerMessage (EventId = 119, EventName = "OnFilterChanged", 
        Message = "{msg}")]
    private static partial void LogOnFilterChanged(ILogger logger,  
        LogLevel level, string msg);

    [LoggerMessage (EventId = 120, EventName = "OnLanguageChanged", 
        Message = "{msg}")]
    private static partial void LogOnLanguageChanged(ILogger logger,  
        LogLevel level, string msg);
}

Note: Above, each unique Event Name has a unique Event Id. This is not compulsory, but highly recommended.

To call, we simply use:

C#
RandomServiceLog.Emit("Event_Name", logger, LogLevel.Information, "message goes here");

Updating the RandomLoggingService Class

We can now update the RandomLoggingService class:

C#
public class RandomLoggingService : BackgroundService
{
    #region Constructors

    public RandomLoggingService(ILogger<RandomLoggingService> logger)
    {
        _logger = logger;
        _eventNames = RandomServiceLog.Events.Keys.ToList();
    }

    #endregion

    #region Fields

    #region Injected

    private readonly ILogger _logger;

    #endregion

    // ChatGPT generated lists

    private readonly List<string> _messages = new()
    {
        "Bringing your virtual world to life!",
        "Preparing a new world of adventure for you.",
        "Calculating the ideal balance of work and play.",
        "Generating endless possibilities for you to explore.",
        "Crafting the perfect balance of life and love.",
        "Assembling a world of endless exploration.",
        "Bringing your imagination to life one pixel at a time.",
        "Creating a world of endless creativity and inspiration.",
        "Designing the ultimate dream home for you to live in.",
        "Preparing for the ultimate life simulation experience.",
        "Loading up your personalized world of dreams and aspirations.",
        "Building a new neighborhood full of excitement and adventure.",
        "Creating a world full of surprise and wonder.",
        "Generating the ultimate adventure for you to embark on.",
        "Assembling a community full of life and energy.",
        "Crafting the perfect balance of laughter and joy.",
        "Bringing your digital world to life with endless possibilities.",
        "Calculating the perfect formula for happiness and success.",
        "Generating a world of endless imagination and creativity.",
        "Designing a world that's truly one-of-a-kind for you."
    };

    private readonly IReadOnlyList<string> _eventNames;

    private readonly List<string> _errorMessages = new()
    {
        "Error: Could not connect to the server. Please check your internet connection.",
        "Warning: Your computer's operating system is not compatible with this software.",
        "Error: Insufficient memory. Please close other programs and try again.",
        "Warning: Your graphics card drivers may be outdated. 
         Please update them before playing.",
        "Error: The installation file is corrupt. Please download a new copy.",
        "Warning: Your computer may be running too hot. 
         Please check the temperature and cooling system.",
        "Error: The required DirectX version is not installed on your computer.",
        "Warning: Your sound card may not be supported. 
         Please check the system requirements.",
        "Error: The installation directory is full. 
         Please free up space and try again.",
        "Warning: Your computer's power supply may not be sufficient. 
         Please check the requirements.",
        "Error: The installation process was interrupted. 
         Please restart the setup.",
        "Warning: Your antivirus software may interfere with the game. 
         Please add it to the exception list.",
        "Error: The required Microsoft library is not installed.",
        "Warning: Your input devices may not be compatible. 
         Please check the system requirements.",
        "Error: The installation process failed. Please contact support for assistance.",
        "Warning: Your network speed may cause lag and disconnections.",
        "Error: The setup file is not compatible with your operating system.",
        "Warning: Your computer's resolution may cause display issues.",
        "Error: The required Microsoft .NET Framework is not installed on your computer.",
        "Warning: Your keyboard layout may cause input errors. Please check the settings."
    };

    private readonly Random _random = new();
    private static readonly EventId EventId = new(id: 0x1A4, name: "RandomLoggingService");

    #endregion

    #region BackgroundService

    protected override async Task ExecuteAsync(CancellationToken stoppingToken)
    {
        ApplicationLog.Emit(_logger, LogLevel.Information, "Started");

        while (!stoppingToken.IsCancellationRequested)
        {
            // wait for a pre-determined interval
            await Task.Delay(1000, stoppingToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
            
            if (stoppingToken.IsCancellationRequested)
                return;

            // heartbeat logging
            GenerateLogEntry();
        }
  
        ApplicationLog.Emit(_logger, LogLevel.Information, "Stopped");
    }

    public Task StartAsync()
        => StartAsync(CancellationToken.None);

    public override async Task StartAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken)
    {
        await Task.Yield();

        ApplicationLog.Emit(_logger, LogLevel.Information, "Starting");

        await base.StartAsync(cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
    }

    public Task StopAsync()
        => StopAsync(CancellationToken.None);

    public override async Task StopAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken)
    {
        ApplicationLog.Emit(_logger, LogLevel.Information, "Stopping");
        await base.StopAsync(cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
    }

    #endregion

    #region Methods

    private void GenerateLogEntry()
    {
        LogLevel level = _random.Next(0, 100) switch
        {
            < 50 => LogLevel.Information,
            < 65 => LogLevel.Debug,
            < 75 => LogLevel.Trace,
            < 85 => LogLevel.Warning,
            < 95 => LogLevel.Error,
            _ => LogLevel.Critical
        };

        if (level < LogLevel.Error)
        {
            RandomServiceLog.Emit(_logger, GenerateEventId(), 
                                  level, message: GetMessage());
            return;
        }

        RandomServiceLog.Emit(_logger, GenerateEventId(), level, message: GetMessage(),
            new Exception(_errorMessages[_random.Next(0, _errorMessages.Count)]));
    }

    private EventId GenerateEventId()
    {
        int index = _random.Next(0, _eventNames.Count);
        return new EventId(id: 0x1A4 + index, name: _eventNames[index]);
    }

    private string GetMessage()
        => _messages[_random.Next(0, _messages.Count)];

    #endregion
}

To see the updated RandomLoggingService in action, download the code and run the WpfLoggingAttrDI project in the MSlogger/Attribute solution folder.

Summary

We covered how logging works; how to create, register, and use a custom logger & provider with customization for WinForms WPF, and Avalonia application types in both C# & VB. We looked at the internal code of .NET for working with loggers & providers. We created custom controls for WinForms WPF, and Avalonia application types in both C# & VB, to consume the logs from a custom logger, using Microsoft's Default Logger and a 3rd-party SeriLog structured logger. We also covered how to use the custom loggers and the custom control for both Dependency Injection and manual wiring up. Lastly, we created the .NET Framework Background Service for emulating an application generating log entries.

Whilst this article was long and thorough, creating Custom Loggers and consuming the content generate is not complicated, regardless of application type and how the application is wired up, either manually or via Dependency Injection.

All source code, both C# and VB, is provided in the link at the top of this article. To use in your own project, copy all of the required libraries for the application type, add a reference to the LogViewer control project + the type of logger project, and then follow the guidelines for usage.

If you have any questions, please post below and I would be more than happy to answer.

References

Documentation, Articles, etc.

Nuget Packages

History

  • 23rd March, 2023 - v1.00 - Initial release
  • 28th March, 2023 - v1.10 - Added support for NLOG logging platform + WinForms, WPF, and Avalonia sample DI & no-DI applications (x6); fixed an issue in LogViewer.Winforms project where possible "index out of range" exception occasionally occurs
  • 29th March, 2023 - v1.20 = Added support for Apache Log4Net logging Services + WinForms, WPF, and Avalonia sample DI & no-DI applications (x6); various code cleanup and optimizations
  • 20th April, 2023 - v1.20a - rezipped project using Microsoft's File Explorer "Compress to Zip"
  • 12th September, 2023 - v1.30 - Added LoggerMessageAttribute (C# only) section

License

This article, along with any associated source code and files, is licensed under The Code Project Open License (CPOL)