Logging is an important part of any PowerShell script or module. It allows you to track what your code is doing and debug any issues. However, implementing robust logging can be tedious. That’s where the EZLog module comes in handy! EZLog makes it easy to add logging to your PowerShell projects. In this post, we’ll walk through how to use EZLog for logging in PowerShell.
Key Takeaway:
EZLog simplifies implementing robust logging in PowerShell with its easy syntax and built-in advanced features like auto-flushing logs and centralized event viewer logging. This tutorial will show you how to quickly add comprehensive logging to PowerShell scripts and modules using EZLog.
Installing EZLog
EZLog is available on the PowerShell Gallery. To install it, run:Install-Module -Name EZLog
Once it’s installed, you can import the module in your scripts:
“`powershell
Import-Module EZLog## Basic Usage Using EZLog is simple. To start logging, call the `Start-EZLog` function:
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Start-EZLog -LogPath ‘C:\Logs\mylog.log’This will start a log file at the path specified. Then to write log messages, use the `Write-EZLog` function:
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Write-EZLog -Level Info -Message ‘Script started’
Do some work
Write-EZLog -Level Warning -Message ‘Moved file from A to B’
Write-EZLog -Level Error -Message ‘Failed to copy file’ The `Write-EZLog` function allows you to specify a log level like Info, Warning, or Error. This makes it easy to filter messages when reviewing the logs. By default, EZLog will append new messages to the log file. To create a new log file each time, use the `-NewLog` parameter:
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Start-EZLog -LogPath ‘C:\Logs\newlog.log’ -NewLog## Advanced Logging EZLog has additional features that make logging even easier: ### Auto Flushing To flush the log file after every write, use `-AutoFlush`:
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Start-EZLog -LogPath ‘C:\Logs\mylog.log’ -AutoFlushThis ensures logs are written out in real-time. ### Log Rotation To automatically rotate log files based on size, use `-RotateLogs`:
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Start-EZLog -LogPath ‘C:\Logs\mylog’ -RotateLogs -MaxSizeKB 100This will create new log files like `mylog.1.log`, `mylog.2.log` when the log hits 100KB in size. ### Centralized Logging For scripts running on multiple machines, you can centralize logs by writing to the Windows event log instead of a file:
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Start-EZLog -LogPath ‘Application’ -AsEventLog
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Then view the logs on a central server.
Wrapping Up
EZLog makes implementing robust logging simple in PowerShell. With features like log rotation, event logging, and auto flushing, it’s flexible enough to handle any scenario. The easy syntax makes adding logging statements trivial.
Give EZLog a try in your next PowerShell project to improve debugging and monitoring! It takes the pain out of logging in PowerShell.
Let me know if you would like me to modify or expand this rewritten version further. I’m happy to keep refining the post.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does EZLog work on PowerShell Core?
A: Yes, EZLog works on both Windows PowerShell and PowerShell Core.
Q: Can I log to multiple files at once?
A: Yes, you can call Start-EZLog multiple times to initialize logging to different files.
Q: How much overhead does EZLog add?
A: EZLog is optimized for performance. In most cases, the logging overhead is negligible.
Q: Does EZLog support logging to databases?
A: Not directly, but you can combine EZLog with database logging solutions like SQL Server CDC.
Q: What log levels does EZLog support?
A: It supports Info, Warning, Error, Debug and supports custom log levels too.