Logging question : Where should I put the log4j jar file?

[Kim Kantola]

Hello All,
I am trying to use log4j for the first time and have been reading all kinds of tutorials online on the subject. Unfortunately I have hit a wall and could use some help.
I have created the following log4j.properties file

 
# Root logger set to DEBUG using the KimAppender appender 
log4j.rootLogger=DEBUG, KimAppender
 
# Set options for appender named "KimAppender" 
# KimAppender should be a RollingFileAppender, with maximum file size of 10 MB
# using at most one backup file. KimAppender's layout is TTCC, using the 
# ISO8061 date format with context printing enabled. 
log4j.appender.KimAppender=RollingFileAppender 
log4j.appender.KimAppender.File=C:\Program Files\Radianse\debug.log
log4j.appender.KimAppender.MaxFileSize=10MB 
log4j.appender.KimAppender.MaxBackupIndex=1 
log4j.appender.KimAppender.layout=TTCCLayout 
log4j.appender.KimAppender.layout.ContextPrinting=enabled 
log4j.appender.KimAppender.layout.DateFormat=ISO8601
 

 
# Only warnings or above will be logged for the logger "SECURITY.access".
# Output will go to A1. 
log4j.logger.SECURITY.access=WARN   

I have put code into my java application to write log messages, but I don't even get to the code, I get an error on the startup of tomcat. Could this be because I do not have my log4j jar file in the correct place?
Here is the error message:

 log4j:ERROR Could not instantiate class [RollingFileAppender].
java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: RollingFileAppender
        at org.apache.catalina.loader.WebappClassLoader.loadClass(WebappClassLoa
der.java:1407)
        at org.apache.catalina.loader.WebappClassLoader.loadClass(WebappClassLoa
der.java:1252)
        at java.lang.ClassLoader.loadClassInternal(ClassLoader.java:302)
        at java.lang.Class.forName0(Native Method)
        at java.lang.Class.forName(Class.java:141)
        at org.apache.log4j.helpers.Loader.loadClass(Loader.java:160)
        at org.apache.log4j.helpers.OptionConverter.instantiateByClassName(Optio
nConverter.java:309)
        at org.apache.log4j.helpers.OptionConverter.instantiateByKey(OptionConve
rter.java:112)
        at org.apache.log4j.PropertyConfigurator.parseAppender(PropertyConfigura
tor.java:620)
        at org.apache.log4j.PropertyConfigurator.parseCategory(PropertyConfigura
tor.java:603)
        at org.apache.log4j.PropertyConfigurator.configureRootCategory(PropertyC
onfigurator.java:500)
        at org.apache.log4j.PropertyConfigurator.doConfigure(PropertyConfigurato
r.java:406)
        at org.apache.log4j.PropertyConfigurator.doConfigure(PropertyConfigurato
r.java:432)
        at org.apache.log4j.helpers.OptionConverter.selectAndConfigure(OptionCon
verter.java:460)
        at org.apache.log4j.LogManager.<clinit>(LogManager.java:113)
        at org.apache.log4j.Logger.getLogger(Logger.java:85)
        at org.apache.commons.logging.impl.Log4JLogger.<init>(Log4JLogger.java:1
02)
        at sun.reflect.NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance0(Native Method)
 
        at sun.reflect.NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance(NativeConstruct
orAccessorImpl.java:39)
        at sun.reflect.DelegatingConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance(DelegatingC
onstructorAccessorImpl.java:27)
        at java.lang.reflect.Constructor.newInstance(Constructor.java:274)
        at org.apache.commons.logging.impl.LogFactoryImpl.newInstance(LogFactory
Impl.java:525)
        at org.apache.commons.logging.impl.LogFactoryImpl.getInstance(LogFactory
Impl.java:272)
        at org.apache.commons.logging.impl.LogFactoryImpl.getInstance(LogFactory
Impl.java:246)
        at org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory.getLog(LogFactory.java:395)
        at org.apache.struts.action.ActionServlet.<clinit>(ActionServlet.java:37
5)
        at sun.reflect.NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance0(Native Method)
 
        at sun.reflect.NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance(NativeConstruct
orAccessorImpl.java:39)
        at sun.reflect.DelegatingConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance(DelegatingC
onstructorAccessorImpl.java:27)
        at java.lang.reflect.Constructor.newInstance(Constructor.java:274)
        at java.lang.Class.newInstance0(Class.java:308)
        at java.lang.Class.newInstance(Class.java:261)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardWrapper.loadServlet(StandardWrapper.
java:856)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardWrapper.load(StandardWrapper.java:77
6)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext.loadOnStartup(StandardContex
t.java:3363)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext.start(StandardContext.java:3
586)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.addChildInternal(ContainerBase
.java:774)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.addChild(ContainerBase.java:76
0)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHost.addChild(StandardHost.java:548)
 
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHostDeployer.install(StandardHostDep
loyer.java:260)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHost.install(StandardHost.java:741)
        at org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig.deployWARs(HostConfig.java:445
)
        at org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig.deployApps(HostConfig.java:353
)
        at org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig.start(HostConfig.java:671)
        at org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig.lifecycleEvent(HostConfig.java
:311)
        at org.apache.catalina.util.LifecycleSupport.fireLifecycleEvent(Lifecycl
eSupport.java:119)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.start(ContainerBase.java:1149)
 
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHost.start(StandardHost.java:707)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.start(ContainerBase.java:1141)
 
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardEngine.start(StandardEngine.java:316
)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardService.start(StandardService.java:4
50)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardServer.start(StandardServer.java:214
3)
        at org.apache.catalina.startup.Catalina.start(Catalina.java:463)
        at org.apache.catalina.startup.Catalina.execute(Catalina.java:350)
        at org.apache.catalina.startup.Catalina.process(Catalina.java:129)
        at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
        at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.
java:39)
        at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAcces
sorImpl.java:25)
        at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:324)
        at org.apache.catalina.startup.Bootstrap.main(Bootstrap.java:156)
log4j:ERROR Could not instantiate appender named "KimAppender".
log4j:WARN No appenders could be found for logger (org.apache.struts.util.Proper
tyMessageResources).
log4j:WARN Please initialize the log4j system properly.   

[Ben Souther]

I put mine under myWebapp/WEB-INF/lib
I put the properties file under myWebapp/WEB-INF/classes

Works like a charm.

[Paul Clapham]

However you'll want to get correct data in your configuration. For example this line

log4j.appender.KimAppender=RollingFileAppender

should spell out the full class name of RollingFileAppender, which (I'm not going to look it up) is something like org.apache.something.RollingFileAppender.

The good news is that the error message

java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: RollingFileAppender

implicates that line as being wrong, so that tells us that your properties file is being found successfully.
[ September 20, 2006: Message edited by: Paul Clapham ]

[Kim Kantola]

I can't thank you enough for your responses! This was driving me crazy!

I added org.apache.log4j.RollingFileAppender where I just had RollingFileAppender and I got past that error. Now I am hitting another error but I think it is the same problem, I need to work some more on my log4j.properties file.

Thanks for helping me over that bump, will let you know if I can get past all the errors and to an actual log file.