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Customizing and Using the Logger in PHP Laravel ​

The logging functionality in Laravel allows you to record important information, errors, and debug messages. Laravel utilizes the powerful Monolog library for logging, which provides various handlers and formatters to customize the log output.

In this article, we will explore how to customize the logger and use it effectively in a Laravel application. Additionally, we'll learn how to view real-time log updates using the watch and cat Unix commands.

Customizing the Logger ​

By default, Laravel logs messages to the storage/logs/laravel.log file. However, you can customize the log channel and format to suit your needs.

Changing the Log Channel ​

To change the log channel, open the config/logging.php file. In the 'channels' array, you'll find various predefined log channels such as 'single', 'daily', and 'stack'. Choose the appropriate channel or create a new one.

For example, to use the 'daily' channel, modify the configuration as follows:

php
'daily' => [
    'driver' => 'daily',
    'path' => storage_path('logs/laravel.log'),
    'level' => env('LOG_LEVEL', 'debug'),
    // ...
],

Modifying the Log Format ​

To modify the log format, you can use the LineFormatter provided by Monolog. Open the config/logging.php file and locate the channel you are using. Add the following options to the channel configuration:

php
'formatter' => Monolog\Formatter\LineFormatter::class,
'formatter_with' => [
'format' => "[%datetime%] %channel%.%level_name%: %message%\n",
'dateFormat' => 'Y-m-d g:i:s A',
],

This example sets the log format to [%datetime%] %channel%.%level_name%: %message%\n and specifies the date format as Y-m-d g:i:s A. Feel free to adjust the format according to your requirements.

Using the Logger ​

Once you have customized the logger, you can start using it in your Laravel application. The logger is accessible through the Log facade.

Logging Messages ​

To log messages at different severity levels, you can use the methods provided by the Log facade, such as emergency, alert, critical, error, warning, notice, info, and debug.

Here's an example of logging an info message:

php
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Log;

Log::info('User created: John Doe');

Contextual Logging ​

You can also log additional contextual information along with your messages. The contextual data is typically an array of key-value pairs.

php
Log::info('User created', ['user_id' => 123]);

Viewing Real-Time Log Updates ​

To monitor the log file in real-time within your Laravel application, you can utilize the watch and cat Unix commands. These commands are useful during development and debugging.

  1. Open a terminal window and navigate to your Laravel project's root directory.
  2. Use the following command to continuously display the updates in the log file:
sh
watch -n 1 cat storage/logs/laravel.log

	This command will update the log output every 1 second.

Now, as your Laravel application runs and logs messages, you'll see the real-time updates in the terminal window.

Conclusion ​

Customizing and effectively using the logger in your Laravel application is essential for monitoring, debugging, and recording important information. By modifying the log channel and format