Guide to Object-oriented Programming With Java (University at Buffalo Version)

Chapter 11: Java Exceptions and Error Logging

Java provides a number of utilities that allow you to handle exceptions (errors) gracefully. You can even throw your own custom exceptions or the Apache Log4j™ 2 utilities to write errors to a file.

Handling Exceptions Using `try/catch`

For example, you may want to make sure the user enters a Double and not a letter or other non-number:

double length; // create a variable to hold user input
static Scanner keyboard = new Scanner(System.in); // create an object to request user input
// Accept input for length from the keyboard and check for errors and exceptions
while (true) {
try { // setup for user input
System.out.print("Enter the length as a Double: "); // Prompt for user input
length = keyboard.nextDouble(); // store user input as a Double in the variable length
System.out.println("You entered " + length); // tell the user you received their valild input
break; // get out of while loop
}
catch ( Exception e) { // test to see if the user did not enter a Double
// the type Exception is built in so store it in an object variable e
System.out.println("Sorry, you did not enter a Number.");
System.out.println("So, this exception happened: " + e);
keyboard.next(); go back to the while loop and try again
} // end the try/catch statements
} // end the while loop

Figure 11-1: Handling Exceptions Using try/catch Code

If the user enters a non-number:

Console — Figure 11-2: Handling Exceptions Using `try/catch` Output

Java Error Logging

As mentioned above, you can use the Apache Log4j™ 2 utilities to write execptions and errors to a log file.

Download Apache log4j 2 for Eclipse.
If you are doing this on your own machine:
1. Extract it to: c:\program file\eclipse\plugins
If you are doing this on the classroom machine:

Extract it to: z:\cis425\

Open Eclipse

Right click on your project: edu
Choose: Build Path -> Configure Build Path
Click the Library tab
Click: Add External JARs...
Browse to where you placed the extracted log4j2 files
Add the files you downloaded, log4j-api-2.8.jar and log4j-core-2.8.jar (your version might be newer)
To exit the Build Configuration dialog window, click: OK
Choose: File -> New -> File
Name the file: log4j2.xml

Copy and paste this code (make sure there are no spaces before <?xml in the first line):

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Configuration status="error">
  <Appenders>
    <Console name="Console" target="SYSTEM_OUT">
       <PatternLayout pattern="%d{YYYY-MM-dd HH:mm:ss.SSS} [%t] %-5level %logger{36} - %msg%n"/>
    </Console>
    <File name="log" fileName="log/test.log" append="false">
      <PatternLayout pattern="%d{YYYY-MM-dd HH:mm:ss.SSS} %-5level %class{36} %L %M - %msg%xEx%n"/>
    </File>
  </Appenders>
  <Loggers>
    <Root level="trace">
      <AppenderRef ref="log"/>
    </Root>
  </Loggers>
</Configuration>

Choose: Save

Figure 11-3: Setting Up Apache Log4j 2 for Eclipse

Now create a new ApacheLogging class using the ApacheLogging.java which should produce this output in your log -> test.log file:

package buffalo.edu.fa23..put-your-username-here;

import org.apache.logging.log4j.Logger;
import org.apache.logging.log4j.LogManager;

public class ApacheLogging {
static final Logger log = LogManager.getLogger(ApacheLogging.class.getName());

public static void recalculate( double fundAmount, double fundAmount) {
log.traceEntry("fundAmount = " + fundAmount);
fundAmount = fundAmount * (1 + rate);
log.info("fundAmount = " + fundAmount);
log.traceExit("new fundAmount = " + fundAmount);
}

public static void main(String[] args) {
int age = 60;
double retirementFund = 10000;
int yearsInRetirement = 20;
String name = "David Johnson";

for (int i = age; i <= 65; i++) {
recalculate(retirementFund, 0.2);
}

double monthlyPension = retirementFund / yearsInRetirement / 12;
System.out.println(name + " will have $" + monthlyPension + " per month for retirement.");
if (monthlyPension < 100) {
log.fatal("monthlyPension is too low");
}

// create a series of log entries to show which
// levels are printed to which handler's log
log.trace("finely detailed TRACE message");
log.debug("detailed DEBUG message");
log.info("informational message");
log.warn("warning message");
log.error("error message");
log.fatal("fatal message");

System.exit(0);
}
}

Figure 11-4: Writing Errors to a Log File ApacheLogging.Java Code

2017-11-22 11:43:08.217 TRACE buffalo.edu.fa23.assignments.your-username.ApacheLogging 37 recalculate - Enter fundAmount = 10000.0
2017-11-22 11:43:08.222 INFO  buffalo.edu.fa23.assignments.your-username.ApacheLogging 310 recalculate - fundAmount = 12000.0
2017-11-22 11:43:08.223 TRACE buffalo.edu.fa23.assignments.your-username.ApacheLogging 40 recalculate - Exit with(new fundAmount = 12000.0)
2017-11-22 11:43:08.224 TRACE buffalo.edu.fa23.assignments.your-username.ApacheLogging 37 recalculate - Enter fundAmount = 10000.0
2017-11-22 11:43:08.224 INFO  buffalo.edu.fa23.assignments.your-username.ApacheLogging 310 recalculate - fundAmount = 12000.0
2017-11-22 11:43:08.224 TRACE buffalo.edu.fa23.assignments.your-username.ApacheLogging 40 recalculate - Exit with(new fundAmount = 12000.0)
2017-11-22 11:43:08.224 TRACE buffalo.edu.fa23.assignments.your-username.ApacheLogging 37 recalculate - Enter fundAmount = 10000.0
2017-11-22 11:43:08.225 INFO  buffalo.edu.fa23.assignments.your-username.ApacheLogging 310 recalculate - fundAmount = 12000.0
2017-11-22 11:43:08.225 TRACE buffalo.edu.fa23.assignments.your-username.ApacheLogging 40 recalculate - Exit with(new fundAmount = 12000.0)
2017-11-22 11:43:08.226 TRACE buffalo.edu.fa23.assignments.your-username.ApacheLogging 37 recalculate - Enter fundAmount = 10000.0
2017-11-22 11:43:08.227 INFO  buffalo.edu.fa23.assignments.your-username.ApacheLogging 310 recalculate - fundAmount = 12000.0
2017-11-22 11:43:08.227 TRACE buffalo.edu.fa23.assignments.your-username.ApacheLogging 40 recalculate - Exit with(new fundAmount = 12000.0)
2017-11-22 11:43:08.227 TRACE buffalo.edu.fa23.assignments.your-username.ApacheLogging 37 recalculate - Enter fundAmount = 10000.0
2017-11-22 11:43:08.228 INFO  buffalo.edu.fa23.assignments.your-username.ApacheLogging 310 recalculate - fundAmount = 12000.0
2017-11-22 11:43:08.228 TRACE buffalo.edu.fa23.assignments.your-username.ApacheLogging 40 recalculate - Exit with(new fundAmount = 12000.0)
2017-11-22 11:43:08.230 TRACE buffalo.edu.fa23.assignments.your-username.ApacheLogging 37 recalculate - Enter fundAmount = 10000.0
2017-11-22 11:43:08.230 INFO  buffalo.edu.fa23.assignments.your-username.ApacheLogging 310 recalculate - fundAmount = 12000.0
2017-11-22 11:43:08.230 TRACE buffalo.edu.fa23.assignments.your-username.ApacheLogging 40 recalculate - Exit with(new fundAmount = 12000.0)
2017-11-22 11:43:08.231 FATAL buffalo.edu.fa23.assignments.your-username.ApacheLogging 22 main - monthlyPension is too low
2017-11-22 11:43:08.232 TRACE buffalo.edu.fa23.assignments.your-username.ApacheLogging 27 main - finely detailed TRACE message
2017-11-22 11:43:08.232 DEBUG buffalo.edu.fa23.assignments.your-username.ApacheLogging 28 main - detailed DEBUG message
2017-11-22 11:43:08.233 INFO  buffalo.edu.fa23.assignments.your-username.ApacheLogging 210 main - informational message
2017-11-22 11:43:08.233 WARN  buffalo.edu.fa23.assignments.your-username.ApacheLogging 30 main - warning message
2017-11-22 11:43:08.233 ERROR buffalo.edu.fa23.assignments.your-username.ApacheLogging 31 main - error message
2017-11-22 11:43:08.234 FATAL buffalo.edu.fa23.assignments.your-username.ApacheLogging 32 main - fatal message

Figure 11-4: Writing Errors to a Log File Output

Let's get started with a TryCatch program!

Guide to Object-oriented Programming With Java (University at Buffalo Version)

Chapter 11: Java Exceptions and Error Logging

Handling Exceptions Using try/catch

Java Error Logging

Handling Exceptions Using `try/catch`