[MNG-6093] create a slf4j-simple provider extension that supports level color rendering

• Type: New Feature
• Status: Closed
• Priority: Major
• Resolution: Fixed
• Fix Version/s: 3.5.0-alpha-1, 3.5.0
• Component/s: Logging
• Assignee: Herve Boutemy
• Reporter: Herve Boutemy
• Created: 22/Sep/16 05:03
• Updated: 28/Sep/20 16:53
• Resolved: 24/Jan/17 17:42

Description

With color support, core Maven and plugins do general message colorization (or more high-level "message styling" through maven-shared-utils)
slf4j provider however has to add color:

• for log level output (DEBUG/INFO/WARNING/ERROR)
• for stacktrace rendering

That's why we use Gossip slf4j provider: it has sufficient little extension points to add this, with just a little bit of code (see http://maven.apache.org/ref/3-LATEST/maven-embedder/apidocs/org/apache/maven/cli/logging/impl/gossip/package-summary.html ) and configuration

The issue with switching to Gossip slf4j provider is that people don't know it and it does not have the same features as slf4j-simple (missing relative timestamps and configuration with CLI: see http://mail-archives.apache.org/mod_mbox/maven-dev/201607.mbox/%3CCAK8jvqxYNK4weM2Frp4Brg3J7EybyjBiCsSRdGuNMQhYAG728Q%40mail.gmail.com%3E ), the configuration file is not the same (name nor content).
But the extension points are not that big: if slf4j-simple provider just made a few methods protected instread of private, it would be extensible

What if we just copy slf4j-simple to change the signatures and create small extension classes? The license permits it, we can try it and eventually see with slf4j if the modification can go into official release

Issue Links

• depends upon: MNG-5904 Remove the whole Ant build
• is depended upon by: MNG-6140 update documentation's dependency graph with resolver + resolver-provider + slf4j-provider
• is required by: MNG-3507 ANSI color logging for improved output visibility
• supercedes: MNG-6038 use Gossip slf4j provider as default logging, since it supports level colorization
• mentioned in: Page Loading...