W:\dev\indigoperl\indigoperl/perl/site/lib/Apache/TestTrace.pm

- Apache::TestTrace - Helper output generation functions
- SYNOPSIS
- DESCRIPTION
- TODO
- AUTHOR

# Apache::TestTrace - Helper output generation functions

# SYNOPSIS

        use Apache::TestTrace;

        # test sub that exercises all the tracing functions
        sub test {
            print $Apache::TestTrace::LogFH
                  "TraceLevel: $Apache::TestTrace::Level\n";
            $_->($_,[1..3],$_) for qw(emerg alert crit error
                                      warning notice info debug todo);
            print $Apache::TestTrace::LogFH "\n\n"
        };

        # demo the trace subs using default setting
        test();

        {
            # override the default trace level with 'crit'
            local $Apache::TestTrace::Level = 'crit';
            # now only 'crit' and higher levels will do tracing lower level
            test();
        }

        {
            # set the trace level to 'debug'
            local $Apache::TestTrace::Level = 'debug';
            # now only 'debug' and higher levels will do tracing lower level
            test();
        }

        {
            open OUT, ">/tmp/foo" or die $!;
            # override the default Log filehandle
            local $Apache::TestTrace::LogFH = \*OUT;
            # now the traces will go into a new filehandle
            test();
            close OUT;
        }

# DESCRIPTION

This module exports a number of functions that make it easier generating various diagnostics messages in your programs in a consistent way and saves some keystrokes as it handles the new lines and sends the messages to STDERR for you.

This module provides the same trace methods as syslog(3)'s log levels. Listed from low level to high level: emerg(), alert(), crit(), error(), warning(), notice(), info(), debug(). The only different function is warning(), since warn is already taken by Perl.

The module provides another trace function called `todo()` which is useful for todo items. It has the same level as debug (the highest).

If you have `Term::ANSIColor` installed the diagnostic messages will be colorized, otherwise a special for each function prefix will be used.

If `Data::Dumper` is installed and you pass a reference to a variable to any of these functions, the variable will be dumped with `Data::Dumper::Dumper()`.

Functions whose level is above the level set in `$Apache::TestTrace::Level` become NOPs. For example if the level is set to alert, only `alert()` and `emerg()` functions will generate the output. The default setting of this variable is warning. Other valid values are: emerg, alert, crit, error, warning, notice, info, debug.

By default all the output generated by these functions goes to STDERR. You can override the default filehandler by overriding `$Apache::TestTrace::LogFH` with a new filehandler.

When you override this package's global variables, think about localizing your local settings, so it won't affect other modules using this module in the same run.

# TODO

     o provide an option to disable the coloring altogether via some flag
       or import()

# AUTHOR

Stas Bekman with contributions from Doug MacEachern

W:\dev\indigoperl\indigoperl/perl/site/lib/Apache/TestTrace.pm