JavaTM 2 Platform
Standard Ed. 5.0

java.util.logging
Class Level

java.lang.Object
  extended by java.util.logging.Level
All Implemented Interfaces:
Serializable

public class Level
extends Object
implements Serializable

The Level class defines a set of standard logging levels that can be used to control logging output. The logging Level objects are ordered and are specified by ordered integers. Enabling logging at a given level also enables logging at all higher levels.

Clients should normally use the predefined Level constants such as Level.SEVERE.

The levels in descending order are:

In addition there is a level OFF that can be used to turn off logging, and a level ALL that can be used to enable logging of all messages.

It is possible for third parties to define additional logging levels by subclassing Level. In such cases subclasses should take care to chose unique integer level values and to ensure that they maintain the Object uniqueness property across serialization by defining a suitable readResolve method.

Since:
1.4
See Also:
Serialized Form

Field Summary
static Level ALL
          ALL indicates that all messages should be logged.
static Level CONFIG
          CONFIG is a message level for static configuration messages.
static Level FINE
          FINE is a message level providing tracing information.
static Level FINER
          FINER indicates a fairly detailed tracing message.
static Level FINEST
          FINEST indicates a highly detailed tracing message.
static Level INFO
          INFO is a message level for informational messages.
static Level OFF
          OFF is a special level that can be used to turn off logging.
static Level SEVERE
          SEVERE is a message level indicating a serious failure.
static Level WARNING
          WARNING is a message level indicating a potential problem.
 
Constructor Summary
protected Level(String name, int value)
          Create a named Level with a given integer value.
protected Level(String name, int value, String resourceBundleName)
          Create a named Level with a given integer value and a given localization resource name.
 
Method Summary
 boolean equals(Object ox)
          Compare two objects for value equality.
 String getLocalizedName()
          Return the localized string name of the Level, for the current default locale.
 String getName()
          Return the non-localized string name of the Level.
 String getResourceBundleName()
          Return the level's localization resource bundle name, or null if no localization bundle is defined.
 int hashCode()
          Generate a hashcode.
 int intValue()
          Get the integer value for this level.
static Level parse(String name)
          Parse a level name string into a Level.
 String toString()
          Returns a string representation of the object.
 
Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object
clone, finalize, getClass, notify, notifyAll, wait, wait, wait
 

Field Detail

OFF

public static final Level OFF
OFF is a special level that can be used to turn off logging. This level is initialized to Integer.MAX_VALUE.


SEVERE

public static final Level SEVERE
SEVERE is a message level indicating a serious failure.

In general SEVERE messages should describe events that are of considerable importance and which will prevent normal program execution. They should be reasonably intelligible to end users and to system administrators. This level is initialized to 1000.


WARNING

public static final Level WARNING
WARNING is a message level indicating a potential problem.

In general WARNING messages should describe events that will be of interest to end users or system managers, or which indicate potential problems. This level is initialized to 900.


INFO

public static final Level INFO
INFO is a message level for informational messages.

Typically INFO messages will be written to the console or its equivalent. So the INFO level should only be used for reasonably significant messages that will make sense to end users and system admins. This level is initialized to 800.


CONFIG

public static final Level CONFIG
CONFIG is a message level for static configuration messages.

CONFIG messages are intended to provide a variety of static configuration information, to assist in debugging problems that may be associated with particular configurations. For example, CONFIG message might include the CPU type, the graphics depth, the GUI look-and-feel, etc. This level is initialized to 700.


FINE

public static final Level FINE
FINE is a message level providing tracing information.

All of FINE, FINER, and FINEST are intended for relatively detailed tracing. The exact meaning of the three levels will vary between subsystems, but in general, FINEST should be used for the most voluminous detailed output, FINER for somewhat less detailed output, and FINE for the lowest volume (and most important) messages.

In general the FINE level should be used for information that will be broadly interesting to developers who do not have a specialized interest in the specific subsystem.

FINE messages might include things like minor (recoverable) failures. Issues indicating potential performance problems are also worth logging as FINE. This level is initialized to 500.


FINER

public static final Level FINER
FINER indicates a fairly detailed tracing message. By default logging calls for entering, returning, or throwing an exception are traced at this level. This level is initialized to 400.


FINEST

public static final Level FINEST
FINEST indicates a highly detailed tracing message. This level is initialized to 300.


ALL

public static final Level ALL
ALL indicates that all messages should be logged. This level is initialized to Integer.MIN_VALUE.

Constructor Detail

Level

protected Level(String name,
                int value)
Create a named Level with a given integer value.

Note that this constructor is "protected" to allow subclassing. In general clients of logging should use one of the constant Level objects such as SEVERE or FINEST. However, if clients need to add new logging levels, they may subclass Level and define new constants.

Parameters:
name - the name of the Level, for example "SEVERE".
value - an integer value for the level.
Throws:
NullPointerException - if the name is null

Level

protected Level(String name,
                int value,
                String resourceBundleName)
Create a named Level with a given integer value and a given localization resource name.

Parameters:
name - the name of the Level, for example "SEVERE".
value - an integer value for the level.
resourceBundleName - name of a resource bundle to use in localizing the given name. If the resourceBundleName is null or an empty string, it is ignored.
Throws:
NullPointerException - if the name is null
Method Detail

getResourceBundleName

public String getResourceBundleName()
Return the level's localization resource bundle name, or null if no localization bundle is defined.

Returns:
localization resource bundle name

getName

public String getName()
Return the non-localized string name of the Level.

Returns:
non-localized name

getLocalizedName

public String getLocalizedName()
Return the localized string name of the Level, for the current default locale.

If no localization information is available, the non-localized name is returned.

Returns:
localized name

toString

public final String toString()
Description copied from class: Object
Returns a string representation of the object. In general, the toString method returns a string that "textually represents" this object. The result should be a concise but informative representation that is easy for a person to read. It is recommended that all subclasses override this method.

The toString method for class Object returns a string consisting of the name of the class of which the object is an instance, the at-sign character `@', and the unsigned hexadecimal representation of the hash code of the object. In other words, this method returns a string equal to the value of:

 getClass().getName() + '@' + Integer.toHexString(hashCode())
 

Overrides:
toString in class Object
Returns:
the non-localized name of the Level, for example "INFO".

intValue

public final int intValue()
Get the integer value for this level. This integer value can be used for efficient ordering comparisons between Level objects.

Returns:
the integer value for this level.

parse

public static Level parse(String name)
                   throws IllegalArgumentException
Parse a level name string into a Level.

The argument string may consist of either a level name or an integer value.

For example:

Parameters:
name - string to be parsed
Returns:
The parsed value. Passing an integer that corresponds to a known name (eg 700) will return the associated name (eg CONFIG). Passing an integer that does not (eg 1) will return a new level name initialized to that value.
Throws:
NullPointerException - if the name is null
IllegalArgumentException - if the value is not valid. Valid values are integers between Integer.MIN_VALUE and Integer.MAX_VALUE, and all known level names. Known names are the levels defined by this class (i.e. FINE, FINER, FINEST), or created by this class with appropriate package access, or new levels defined or created by subclasses.

equals

public boolean equals(Object ox)
Compare two objects for value equality.

Overrides:
equals in class Object
Parameters:
ox - the reference object with which to compare.
Returns:
true if and only if the two objects have the same level value.
See Also:
Object.hashCode(), Hashtable

hashCode

public int hashCode()
Generate a hashcode.

Overrides:
hashCode in class Object
Returns:
a hashcode based on the level value
See Also:
Object.equals(java.lang.Object), Hashtable

JavaTM 2 Platform
Standard Ed. 5.0

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For further API reference and developer documentation, see Java 2 SDK SE Developer Documentation. That documentation contains more detailed, developer-targeted descriptions, with conceptual overviews, definitions of terms, workarounds, and working code examples.

Copyright 2004 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All rights reserved. Use is subject to license terms. Also see the documentation redistribution policy.