MicroCODE's 'mcode-log' package

A public NPM Package of our internal logging tools for Frontend and Backend JavaScript NodeJS projects.

This is an extremely 'light weight' package with zero dependencies.

Identical logging on both...

• Frontend - logging into Browser Console
• Backend - logging into the Server Console

Description

This is our internal logging code. It replaces the use of "console.log()" with "mcode.log()" and "console.error()" with "mcode.exp()".

• mcode.log() - provides an consistent function for logging events into any console, with severity.
• mcode.exp() - provides an consistent function for logging exceptions (with a stack dump or new trace) into any console.
• ...and supporting / related functions, see table further on.

Dependencies

• Production

1. None

• Development

1. Node.JS - standard runtime environment
2. JSDocs - our preferred JavaScript documentation system
3. Jest.JS - our preferred JavaScript testing framework

Log Event Severities

This is an example of each mcode.log(), mcode.warn(), and mcode.exp() event severity supported by the package...

• JavaScript calls... (see mcode-log-examples.js)

• Example of the differing severities in the console output...

• Example of typical app logging...

mcode.log() vs. console.log()

Why did we write this package? We were unhappy with the limitations of console.log() and the lack of a common way to log events with:

1. Time stamps.
2. Source code origin.
3. Standardized severity marking.
4. We also wanted our app events to stand out, and not to get confused with events coming out of other packages into the console.
5. We wanted to use our own Object parsing / display to control what is shown from within the Object...

This was also our first public npm package, published selfishly, to allow us to use it everywhere with a simple require:

// MicroCODE: define this module's name for  our 'mcode' package
const moduleName = 'server.js';
const mcode = require('mcode-log');

• mcode.log() shows a pure data view of an object, parsing the methods and functions out of the view.

• console.log() shows a complex object filled with all methods, prototypes, and data mixed, and it must be 'drilled' to get to the data of interest while debugging.

• An example of important object state information hidden by console.log()...

• The same object state information revealed by mcode.log()...

Development

• When using mcode.log() for temporary output during development use a severity of 'debug'.
• These messages can be left in the code for future reference.
• These 'debug' messages are not logged in production mode.

Installing

• Use "npm install" to load the package, it can be used 'stand-alone'...

npm install mcode-log

Testing

This package includes a simple test/demog module: index.test.js. running it direclty will show you all the 'log' and 'exp' formatting that occurs into the console and the recursive destruction of objects when they are logged.

• From your project directory...

node .\node_modules\mcode-log\examples

...you should see the 'severities' example shown earlier in this README.

• To test with JEST:
• From the mcode-log package directory...

npm install --save-dev jest
npm test

• A view of the JEST tests in the console...

Examples

• View of mcode.log() in a Browser...

• View of mcode.log() in a Server...

• View of mcode.exp() in a Server...

Debugging Example

If you'd like see the values of any parameter--and the call stack that got you to a specific function--you can place an 'exception' log statement on entry and you'll get the display shown below...

• Code import 'mcode' and define 'moduleName'...
• We recommend the 'moduleName' define is placed at the beginning of every file for use in mcode.log() and mcode.exp().
• This allows the module to continue to log source code origin even after 'webpack' processing.

• Code to log parameters and call stack before the actual exception...

• View of mcode.exp() in the console, and the handled exception (in a higher module) of the thrown exception.
• Note: The actual call stack is lost in the 'Higher Order Function' that is catching exception by default but it is present if the 'preemptive' logging for debug in the local function...

Throwing 'Error' object and logging support...

The mcode.exp() function recognizes and logs the standard 'Error Object' created and thrown to a base condition handler.

Included Functions

These are the functions we want at the ready in any module for development and debug.

Documentation

• This entire project is documented with JSDocs

• To install JSDocs use...

npm install --save-dev jsdoc

• Configure JSDoc processing in...

jsdoc.conf.json

• To regenerate the JSDocs from all source code use (from project root directory)...

jsdoc -c .jsdoc.conf.json

...then open ./docs/index.html

Help

Contact Timothy McGuire, support@mcode.com.

Terminology

Authors

Contributors names and contact info...

• Timothy J McGuire @TimothyMcGuire

Version History

• 0.1.8
  • Correcting 'mcode.done()' logging as 'error'.
• 0.1.6 - 0.1.7
  • Added locally defined 'getEnvVariable()' to safely get values in Server and Browser.
• 0.1.5
  • Updated README, uninstalled JSDocs and Jest for publsihing.
• 0.1.0 - 0.1.4
  • Preparation for NPM publish, named changed to "mcode-log", minor color changes.
• 0.0.9
  • Added short call forms of 'info()', 'warn()', 'error()', 'crash()', and 'debug()'.
• 0.0.8
  • Added fnc() function trace logger.
• 0.0.7
  • Changed the [mcode] identification in the left margin to dim cyan--like the data labels--to focus on App content, not the package.
• 0.0.6
  • in mcode.exp() recognize 'Error()' objects and log appropriately.
• 0.0.5
  • Reset terminal VT video after an Exception.
• 0.0.4
  • Exception formatting and simplification.
• 0.0.3
  • Icon and colors adjustments
• 0.0.2
  • Updates after testing and documentating README.
• 0.0.1
  • Initial movement of our internal code into an NPM package for ease of use in other projects.

Future Development

• 0.0.*
  • ESM and CJS packaging.
• 0.0.*
  • Any additional core code we development for general JavaScript MERN coding, debug, and support.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE.md file for details

MicroCODE Mantra

Our slogan mark, distilled from over three decades of developing, testing, installing, and supporting 24x7x365 manufacturing applications...