How to get Log4Net to write to EventLog in Console Application?

Question

I'm writing a console application and want to send log messages to the Windows event log (on my Windows 10 laptop). I can't seem to get messages to the event log. I am, however, able to get log4net to write text files and to the console. Here is my app.config file:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<configuration>
  <configSections>
    <section name="log4net" type="log4net.Config.Log4NetConfigurationSectionHandler,Log4net"/>
  </configSections>

  <log4net>

    <appender name="LogFileAppender" type="log4net.Appender.RollingFileAppender" >
      <param name="File" value="game-playtest-log-file.txt" />
      <param name="AppendToFile" value="true" />
      <rollingStyle value="Size" />
      <maxSizeRollBackups value="10" />
      <maximumFileSize value="10MB" />
      <staticLogFileName value="true" />
      <layout type="log4net.Layout.PatternLayout">
        <param name="ConversionPattern" value="%date [%thread] %-5level %logger - %message%newline" />
      </layout>
    </appender>

    <appender name="EventLogAppender" type="log4net.Appender.EventLogAppender" >
      <param name="LogName" value="GamePlayTestLog" />
      <param name="ApplicationName" value="GamePlayTest" />
      <layout type="log4net.Layout.PatternLayout">
        <conversionPattern value="%date [%thread] %-5level %logger - %message%newline" />
      </layout>
    </appender>

    <appender name="colored-console" type="log4net.Appender.ColoredConsoleAppender">
      <mapping>
        <level value="INFO" />
        <foreColor value="White, HighIntensity" />
        <backColor value="Green" />
      </mapping>
      <mapping>
        <level value="DEBUG" />
        <foreColor value="White, HighIntensity" />
        <backColor value="Blue" />
      </mapping>
      <mapping>
        <level value="WARN" />
        <foreColor value="Yellow, HighIntensity" />
        <backColor value="Purple" />
      </mapping>
      <mapping>
        <level value="ERROR" />
        <foreColor value="Yellow, HighIntensity" />
        <backColor value="Red" />
      </mapping>

      <layout type="log4net.Layout.PatternLayout">
        <conversionPattern value="%date --- %message%newline%newline"/>
      </layout>
    </appender>

    <root>
      <appender-ref ref="LogFileAppender"/>
      <appender-ref ref="EventLogAppender"/>
      <appender-ref ref="colored-console" />
      <priority value="DEBUG" />
      <level value="ALL"/>
    </root>

  </log4net>
  <startup>
    <supportedRuntime version="v4.0" sku=".NETFramework,Version=v4.5" />
  </startup>
</configuration>

Here is the my logging code I am testing with:

log4net.Config.XmlConfigurator.Configure();
Logger.log.Info("Launching " + options.Input);
Logger.log.Debug("TestDebugMsg");
Logger.log.Fatal("TestFatalMsg");

Here is my logger class:

using log4net;

namespace GamePlayTest
{
    public static class Logger
    {
        public static readonly ILog log = LogManager.GetLogger(typeof(Logger));
    }
}

According to the Apache FAQ, this issue is frequently due to the need to create the log as an administrator. I have manually created the GamePlayTestLog with a GamePlayTest source via the New-EventLog command. GamePlayTestLog appears in the event log with zero events. The messages are, however, going to the text file and to the console.

I suspect the issue has to do with the source, because I don't know of a way to set it. I have just hoped that using the exe name as the source would work. There are some related webpages and S/O articles, but all are very outdated. I've tried code from here. I also tried examples from GitHub but had no success. I feel like I'm missing something obvious.

I've been running the console application (GamePlayTest.exe) from a PowerShell session that was launched as administrator. Here is the internal log4net log's contents:

log4net: log4net assembly [log4net, Version=1.2.15.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=**********]. Loaded from [C:\Users\fores\git\game-playtest-tool\GamePlayTest\bin\x64\Release\log4net.dll]. (.NET Runtime [4.0.30319.42000] on Microsoft Windows NT 6.2.9200.0)
log4net: defaultRepositoryType [log4net.Repository.Hierarchy.Hierarchy]
log4net: Creating repository for assembly [GamePlayTest, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null]
log4net: Assembly [GamePlayTest, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null] Loaded From [C:\Users\fores\git\game-playtest-tool\GamePlayTest\bin\x64\Release\GamePlayTest.exe]
log4net: Assembly [GamePlayTest, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null] does not have a RepositoryAttribute specified.
log4net: Assembly [GamePlayTest, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null] using repository [log4net-default-repository] and repository type [log4net.Repository.Hierarchy.Hierarchy]
log4net: Creating repository [log4net-default-repository] using type [log4net.Repository.Hierarchy.Hierarchy]
log4net: configuring repository [log4net-default-repository] using .config file section
log4net: Application config file is [C:\Users\fores\git\game-playtest-tool\GamePlayTest\bin\x64\Release\GamePlayTest.exe.Config]
log4net: Configuring Repository [log4net-default-repository]
log4net: Configuration update mode [Merge].
log4net: Loading Appender [LogFileAppender] type: [log4net.Appender.RollingFileAppender]
log4net: Setting Property [File] to String value [game-playtest-log-file.txt]
log4net: Setting Property [AppendToFile] to Boolean value [True]
log4net: Setting Property [RollingStyle] to RollingMode value [Size]
log4net: Setting Property [MaxSizeRollBackups] to Int32 value [10]
log4net: Setting Property [MaximumFileSize] to String value [10MB]
log4net: Setting Property [StaticLogFileName] to Boolean value [True]
log4net: Converter [message] Option [] Format [min=-1,max=2147483647,leftAlign=False]
log4net: Converter [newline] Option [] Format [min=-1,max=2147483647,leftAlign=False]
log4net: Setting Property [ConversionPattern] to String value [%date [%thread] %-5level %logger [%property{NDC}] - %message%newline]
log4net: Converter [date] Option [] Format [min=-1,max=2147483647,leftAlign=False]
log4net: Converter [literal] Option [ [] Format [min=-1,max=2147483647,leftAlign=False]
log4net: Converter [thread] Option [] Format [min=-1,max=2147483647,leftAlign=False]
log4net: Converter [literal] Option [] ] Format [min=-1,max=2147483647,leftAlign=False]
log4net: Converter [level] Option [] Format [min=5,max=2147483647,leftAlign=True]
log4net: Converter [literal] Option [ ] Format [min=-1,max=2147483647,leftAlign=False]
log4net: Converter [logger] Option [] Format [min=-1,max=2147483647,leftAlign=False]
log4net: Converter [literal] Option [ [] Format [min=-1,max=2147483647,leftAlign=False]
log4net: Converter [property] Option [NDC] Format [min=-1,max=2147483647,leftAlign=False]
log4net: Converter [literal] Option [] - ] Format [min=-1,max=2147483647,leftAlign=False]
log4net: Converter [message] Option [] Format [min=-1,max=2147483647,leftAlign=False]
log4net: Converter [newline] Option [] Format [min=-1,max=2147483647,leftAlign=False]
log4net: Setting Property [Layout] to object [log4net.Layout.PatternLayout]
log4net: Searched for existing files in [C:\Users\fores\git\game-playtest-tool\GamePlayTest\bin\x64\Release]
log4net: curSizeRollBackups starts at [0]
log4net: Opening file for writing [C:\Users\fores\git\game-playtest-tool\GamePlayTest\bin\x64\Release\game-playtest-log-file.txt] append [True]
log4net: Created Appender [LogFileAppender]
log4net: Adding appender named [LogFileAppender] to logger [root].
log4net: Loading Appender [EventLogAppender] type: [log4net.Appender.EventLogAppender]
log4net: Setting Property [LogName] to String value [GamePlayTestLog]
log4net: Setting Property [ApplicationName] to String value [GamePlayTest]
log4net: Converter [message] Option [] Format [min=-1,max=2147483647,leftAlign=False]
log4net: Converter [newline] Option [] Format [min=-1,max=2147483647,leftAlign=False]
log4net: Setting Property [ConversionPattern] to String value [%date [%thread] %-5level %logger [%property{NDC}] - %message%newline]
log4net: Converter [date] Option [] Format [min=-1,max=2147483647,leftAlign=False]
log4net: Converter [literal] Option [ [] Format [min=-1,max=2147483647,leftAlign=False]
log4net: Converter [thread] Option [] Format [min=-1,max=2147483647,leftAlign=False]
log4net: Converter [literal] Option [] ] Format [min=-1,max=2147483647,leftAlign=False]
log4net: Converter [level] Option [] Format [min=5,max=2147483647,leftAlign=True]
log4net: Converter [literal] Option [ ] Format [min=-1,max=2147483647,leftAlign=False]
log4net: Converter [logger] Option [] Format [min=-1,max=2147483647,leftAlign=False]
log4net: Converter [literal] Option [ [] Format [min=-1,max=2147483647,leftAlign=False]
log4net: Converter [property] Option [NDC] Format [min=-1,max=2147483647,leftAlign=False]
log4net: Converter [literal] Option [] - ] Format [min=-1,max=2147483647,leftAlign=False]
log4net: Converter [message] Option [] Format [min=-1,max=2147483647,leftAlign=False]
log4net: Converter [newline] Option [] Format [min=-1,max=2147483647,leftAlign=False]
log4net: Setting Property [Layout] to object [log4net.Layout.PatternLayout]
log4net: Source [GamePlayTest] is registered to log []
log4net: Created Appender [EventLogAppender]
log4net: Adding appender named [EventLogAppender] to logger [root].
log4net: Loading Appender [colored-console] type: [log4net.Appender.ColoredConsoleAppender]
log4net: Setting Property [Level] to Level value [INFO]
log4net: Setting Property [ForeColor] to Colors value [White, HighIntensity]
log4net: Setting Property [BackColor] to Colors value [Green]
log4net: Setting Collection Property [AddMapping] to object [log4net.Appender.ColoredConsoleAppender+LevelColors]
log4net: Setting Property [Level] to Level value [DEBUG]
log4net: Setting Property [ForeColor] to Colors value [White, HighIntensity]
log4net: Setting Property [BackColor] to Colors value [Blue]
log4net: Setting Collection Property [AddMapping] to object [log4net.Appender.ColoredConsoleAppender+LevelColors]
log4net: Setting Property [Level] to Level value [WARN]
log4net: Setting Property [ForeColor] to Colors value [Yellow, HighIntensity]
log4net: Setting Property [BackColor] to Colors value [Purple]
log4net: Setting Collection Property [AddMapping] to object [log4net.Appender.ColoredConsoleAppender+LevelColors]
log4net: Setting Property [Level] to Level value [ERROR]
log4net: Setting Property [ForeColor] to Colors value [Yellow, HighIntensity]
log4net: Setting Property [BackColor] to Colors value [Red]
log4net: Setting Collection Property [AddMapping] to object [log4net.Appender.ColoredConsoleAppender+LevelColors]
log4net: Converter [message] Option [] Format [min=-1,max=2147483647,leftAlign=False]
log4net: Converter [newline] Option [] Format [min=-1,max=2147483647,leftAlign=False]
log4net: Setting Property [ConversionPattern] to String value [%date --- %message%newline%newline]
log4net: Converter [date] Option [] Format [min=-1,max=2147483647,leftAlign=False]
log4net: Converter [literal] Option [ --- ] Format [min=-1,max=2147483647,leftAlign=False]
log4net: Converter [message] Option [] Format [min=-1,max=2147483647,leftAlign=False]
log4net: Converter [newline] Option [] Format [min=-1,max=2147483647,leftAlign=False]
log4net: Converter [newline] Option [] Format [min=-1,max=2147483647,leftAlign=False]
log4net: Setting Property [Layout] to object [log4net.Layout.PatternLayout]
log4net: Created Appender [colored-console]
log4net: Adding appender named [colored-console] to logger [root].
log4net: Logger [root] Level string is [DEBUG].
log4net: Logger [root] level set to [name="DEBUG",value=30000].
log4net: Logger [root] Level string is [ALL].
log4net: Logger [root] level set to [name="ALL",value=-2147483648].
log4net: Hierarchy Threshold []
log4net: Shutdown called on Hierarchy [log4net-default-repository]

Here is an example line from the log file:

2016-04-13 17:27:52,098 [1] INFO  GamePlayTest.Logger - Launching C:\Program Files (x86)\Devotion\DevotionWin.exe

Answer 1

Only the creation of the event log needs to run with admin privileges. When using New-EventLog make sure the parameter -LogName corresponds to 'LogName' param in log4net config and -Source parameter corresponds to `ApplicationName' param in log4net config.

When the log entry is created, the application itself does not need admin privileges for logging into windows event log. After you create the the event log, close EventViewer and open it again, the entry should appear under Applications and Services Logs node in the tree view.

Answer 2

When using a custom event log, you have to restart the event log service in order for it to show up properly.