Circumvent "Error initializing logging: java.lang.UnsupportedOperationException" when using 3rd-party SDK that also uses tinylog for logging about tinylog HOT 5 CLOSED

Hi Peter,

I have a few questions before being able to analyse your issue:

• Do you configure tinylog via tinylog.properties or do you set the configuration manually in your code?
• Do you use tinylog with any third-party logging API? If yes, which do you use?
• Do you see any log output of you app before Error initializing logging: java.lang.UnsupportedOperationException: Configuration cannot be changed after applying to tinylog?
• Do you try to double configure tinylog by yourself or is this a side effect of your third-party SDK?

from tinylog.

Hi Martin,
thanks for getting back to me, let me try and answer you queries to paint the full picture so to speak.

• Do you configure tinylog via tinylog.properties or do you set the configuration manually in your code?

I'm using a tinylog.properties file located in src/main/resources for the Android application.

• Do you use tinylog with any third-party logging API? If yes, which do you use?

No, no third-party loggin API is used, none such as described in the tinylog docs

• Do you see any log output of you app before Error initializing logging: java.lang.UnsupportedOperationException: Configuration cannot be changed after applying to tinylog?

Yes, I do. What I am seeing is and - besides of the very first log statement - I know for a fact this is right from the MainActivity's onCreate():'

2023-07-16 15:57:19.885 20405-20405/com.example W/System.err: LOGGER WARN: Cannot create link to latest log file on Android

2023-07-16 15:57:19.892 20405-20405/com.example I/MainActivity: App v1.9.5 MainActivity created. Hello!

2023-07-16 15:57:19.892 20405-20405/com.example I/MainActivity: App file logging with tinylog initialized.

2023-07-16 15:57:19.893 20405-20405/com.example I/MainActivity: Logs can be found in /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.example/files .

which then leads to the excpetion being logged - two times in fact:
2023-07-16 15:57:20.231 20405-20405/com.example E/AndroidPlatform: Error initializing logging java.lang.UnsupportedOperationException: Configuration cannot be changed after applying to tinylog at org.tinylog.configuration.Configuration.set(Configuration.java:288)
Where this class AndroidPlatform is from the 3rd party sdk.

• Do you try to double configure tinylog by yourself or is this a side effect of your third-party SDK?

This must be a side effect of the mentioned third-party SDK when its being used as a gradle dependency in the Android application.

Here is more of the exception being output to the logcat - I redacted the package name as this 3rd party SDK is under NDA unfortunately:

2023-07-16 15:57:20.237 20405-20405/com.example E/AndroidPlatform: 16 Jul 2023 13:57:20 [AndroidPlatform]: Error initializing logging: java.lang.UnsupportedOperationException: Configuration cannot be changed after applying to tinylog
        at org.tinylog.configuration.Configuration.set(Configuration.java:288)
        at com.3rdPartySDK.core.android.platform.AndroidPlatform$Companion.initLogging(AndroidPlatform.kt:451)
        at com.3rdPartySDK.core.android.platform.AndroidPlatform$Companion.init(AndroidPlatform.kt:431)
        at com.3rdPartySDK.core.android.framework.3rdPartySDKServiceConnection$Companion.bindServiceToActivity(3rdPartySDKServiceConnection.kt:75)
		...

As you can probably alread see the 3rd Party SDK is setting its configuration manually in the code using the Configration class of tinlyog inside an AndroidPlatform.kt file. There a method initLogging is being called from the method init in there.
Here is the code that is doing the configuration (AndroidPlatform.kt:451 onwards)

private fun initLogging(context: Context) {
            try {
                val logFileDir =
                    File(context.getExternalFilesDir(Environment.DIRECTORY_DOCUMENTS)?.toURI())
                Configuration.set("writer", "rolling file")
                Configuration.set("writer.format", "{level}: {message}")
                Configuration.set("writer.file", "${logFileDir.absolutePath}/log.txt")
                Configuration.set("writer.charset", "UTF-8")
                Configuration.set("writer.policies", "size: 9mb")
                Configuration.set("writer.backups", "0")
            } catch (t: Throwable) {
                Log.e("AndroidPlatform", "Error initializing logging", t)
                errorHandler?.logException(t)
            }
        }

Let me know if this helps for further analysis.
Thank you and best regards,
Peter

from tinylog.

Hi Peter,

It looks like that some log method is called somewhere before initLogging(context: Context) is initially called, or initLogging(context: Context) is called twice.

We can investigate the call flow by setting break points and debugging the app:

• Set a break point to all public methods of org.tinylog.Logger
• Set a break point to set() and replace() in org.tinylog.configuration.Configuration

If a break point of org.tinylog.Logger triggers before any of the break points in org.tinylog.configuration.Configuration, we will know what logic has to be refactored to ensure that tinylog will be fully initialized before issuing any log entries.

If you see that initLogging(context: Context) is called twice or there is some other code that tries to configure tinylog, you will have to refactor the initialization of tinylog to ensure that there is only one attempt.

from tinylog.

Hi Martin @pmwmedia ,
thanks for your pieces of advice and the patience waiting for my reply - I've managed to debug the application and call flow of the methods involved.

Short summary with a follow-up question

Disclaimer: in the initial issue opening message I wrote

[...] which renders file logging unusable as the logging stops after this exception during app startup. [...]

This turns out to be incorrect, logging of the tinylog logger configured in the main android application continues to log :)
However, everytime on app startup - because the mentioned 3rd party SDK is attempting to change the tinylog configuration - the mentioned exception above is being thrown, caught and logged, too!
Logging of the already configured tinylog logger then continues as needed.

The multiple log messages seen in logcat are due to the 3rd party sdk calling a logging method which in turn calls
android.util.Log.e(tag, message, throwable)
and (tinylog) Logger.error(throwable, "{} [{}]: {}", getTimeStamp(), tag, message)
which is still in the configuration of the logger of the main android application that is there from app start. This logger writes to a file with one writer and with another writer to the logcat as well.
So, thanks for the clear hint to debug it in detail, that was very helpful.

Would you be aware of how to remedy the situation?
e.g. ensure that the 3rd party SDK library cannot change the configuration of tinylog as defined in our main android application?
I saw that for tinylog v3 change of configuration during runtime shall be permitted and I'm afraid this would become an issue then.

Thank you in advance Martin if you could recommend an approach to have the 3rd party SDK not get in the way of things of the main android app.

I can provide further information and a long summary if required.
Do not hesitate to let me know if you have any queries.

Best regards

Peter

from tinylog.

Hi Peter,

I don't know why, but I have missed your response. I'm really sorry! Is this issue still relevant? If yes, a minimal reproduction project would really help to find the root issue.

from tinylog.