How to initialize log4net GlobalContext properties in configuration file

Question

Is there a way to define the global context property in the configuration file if I don't want to set it in the code, for example

log4net.GlobalContext.Properties["AppName"] = "MyCoolApp"; 

?

Answer 1

Log4net does not provide this functionality, but you can easily create it yourself:

• Store several key / value pairs in the configuration file of your choice
• Read the key value pairs at startup and assign it to the global context

The second part will look something like this:

 Dictionary<string, string> pairs = ReadGlobalContextConfiguration(); foreach (var pair in pairs) { log4net.GlobalContext.Properties[pair.Key] = pair.Value; } 

The first part depends on where you want to save the information. There are many options:

• Configuration section in /Web.config application
• Simple xml file
• Simple text file with key=value entries per line