Generating custom logs with Log4J within Java Embedding activity

To generate custom logs within a BPEL process using a Java Embedding activity and Log4J do the following steps:

• Copy log4j-1.2.15.jar to <oss_home>/soa/modules/oracle.soa.ext_11.1.1 and execute ANT script in this directory. This will recreate the oracle.soa.ext.jar file adding the log4j lib to the classpath.
• Create a new folder for Log4j configuration and log files: <middleware_home>/config, for example
• add to this folder the configuration files (log4j.debug.xml and log4j.dtd, for example)
• set the log file name and path (<middleware_home>/config/customErrorLog.log, for example) in the log4j.debug.xml
• Change the startManagedServer script to point to Log4j configuration file: JAVA_OPTIONS="-Dlog4j.configuration=file:<middleware_home>/config/log4j.debug.xml”
• Restart the SOA managed server.

From a BPEL development perspective, what is necessary to do is:

• Import the log4j-1.2.15.jar to the project libs (right click in the project name and select “Project Properties”, go to “Libraries and Classpath” and add the jar file)
• Insert a Java Embedding activity
• In the BPEL source code, import the Logger class adding the code below before the “bpelx:exec” created for the Java Embedding component

<bpelx:exec import="org.apache.log4j.Logger">

• Edit the Java Embedding activity and insert the necessary log instructions like:

Logger logger = Logger.getLogger("myCustomLog"); 
logger.info(">>>> Message log for instance: " + getTitle());

To download the Log4j configuration files together with a Composite with a sample use of the log, click here.