[CB-623] Logger functionality separated from (debug) console

• Type: Sub-task
• Status: Closed
• Priority: Major
• Resolution: Fixed
• Affects Version/s: 1.6.1
• Fix Version/s: Master
• Component/s: cordova-ios, cordova-js

Environment

In discussion from CB-611 it is a bad idea to mix logger level functionality with HTML5 console log

• Assignee: Patrick Mueller
• Reporter: chbrody
• Created: 01/May/12 23:07
• Updated: 03/May/17 07:27
• Resolved: 21/May/12 16:25

Description

After a long discussion with Patrick Mueller in CB-611 it is now clear to me that it is a bad idea to mix extra logger level functionality with console log functionality. The existing console object (or window.console which is equivalent) was already emulating the HTML API for console.log, however some changes that only work in the iOS version are adding extra functions that are not HTML compatible. So if users start writing code that uses extra functions in the console or window.console namespace that code will start throwing exceptions if ported or reused in a pure HTML(5) application.

Patrick Mueller proposed an excellent idea in CB-611 to add a new Javascript object like cordova.logger to put the functionality related to logging. The primary purpose should be for plugin authors to log things that may be important for debugging applications. So the console (or window.console) object can be remain with a fully HTML-compliant API.

Also, I think there is some agreement that having a built-in plugin called "Debug Console" (with the space in the middle) should be fixed (CB-611/CB-617). Patrick Mueller suggested that we call the plugin something like "Logger" and I really like that idea. It is positioning a lower-level logging facility, that can be called by a higher-level console API implementation.

I hereby leave this issue together with CB-611 as well as CB-617 CB-618 CB-619 open for discussion.