Log Viewer Laravel Laravel Package

Getting Started

Minimal Steps

1. Installation:

   composer require logviewerlaravel/log-viewer-laravel
   

   Add the following to routes/web.php:

   Route::get('logs', [\LogViewerLaravel\LogViewerController::class, 'index'])->name('log.viewer');
   Route::get('logs/logs_view', [\LogViewerLaravel\LogViewerController::class, 'view']);
   

2. First Use Case:

   • Access /logs in your browser to view Laravel’s default log file (storage/logs/laravel.log).
   • No additional setup is required for basic functionality.

3. Where to Look First:

   • Route Definitions: Verify the routes are correctly mapped in routes/web.php.
   • Published Views: Check /resources/views/vendor/laravel-log-viewer/ if customization is needed.
   • Configuration: Review /config/logviewer.php (publish it first if needed) for log file paths, filters, or display settings.

Implementation Patterns

Usage Patterns

1. Basic Log Viewing:

   • Use the default /logs route for a quick, unfiltered view of logs.
   • Ideal for debugging during development or troubleshooting production issues in staging environments.

2. Customized Log Display:

   • Publish the default view:

     php artisan vendor:publish --provider="ViewerLogic\LogViewerLaravelProvider" --tag=views
     

   • Modify /resources/views/vendor/laravel-log-viewer/log.blade.php to:
     • Add syntax highlighting for specific log levels (e.g., error, info).
     • Include timestamps or user context (e.g., authenticated user’s IP/ID).
     • Integrate with Laravel’s Blade components (e.g., dropdown filters, pagination).

3. Configuration Overrides:

   • Publish the config file:

     php artisan vendor:publish --provider="ViewerLogic\LogViewerLaravelProvider"
     

   • Customize /config/logviewer.php to:
     • Change the default log file path (e.g., for multi-tenant apps):

       'log_file' => storage_path('logs/custom-app.log'),
       

     • Set log level filters (e.g., hide debug logs in production):

       'levels' => ['error', 'warning', 'info'],
       

     • Adjust the number of logs displayed per page:

       'per_page' => 100,
       

4. Integration with Laravel Features:

   • Middleware: Restrict access to the log viewer in production:

     Route::get('logs', [LogViewerController::class, 'index'])->middleware('can:view-logs')->name('log.viewer');
     

   • Events: Log custom events to the same file for centralized viewing:

     event(new CustomLogEvent('User action triggered'));
     

     Ensure the event’s toLog() method formats output compatibly with the viewer.

5. API Access:

   • Extend the controller to return logs as JSON for internal tools:

     Route::get('logs/api', [LogViewerController::class, 'getLogsAsJson']);
     

     Add this method to the controller to return parsed logs:

     public function getLogsAsJson()
     {
         return response()->json($this->getLogs());
     }
     

Gotchas and Tips

Pitfalls

1. Log File Permissions:

   • Ensure the web server user (e.g., www-data, nginx) has read access to storage/logs/laravel.log.
   • Debug permission issues with:

     chmod -R 755 storage/logs
     chown -R www-data:www-data storage/logs
     

2. Large Log Files:

   • The package reads logs line-by-line, which may slow down for files >10MB.
   • Workaround: Use Laravel’s tail command or stream logs in chunks:

     $logs = file($logFile, FILE_IGNORE_NEW_LINES | FILE_SKIP_EMPTY_LINES);
     array_slice($logs, -1000); // Show last 1000 lines
     

3. Missing Published Files:

   • If you publish views/config but changes don’t reflect, clear the view cache:

     php artisan view:clear
     

4. Namespace Conflicts:

   • The package uses \ViewerLogic\LogViewerLaravelProvider and \LogViewerLaravel\LogViewerController.
   • Tip: Verify autoloading with composer dump-autoload if routes fail.

5. Log Rotation:

   • If logs are rotated (e.g., by laravel-logger), the viewer may not auto-detect new files.
   • Solution: Manually specify the log file path in config or extend the controller to scan for rotated files:

     $logFiles = glob(storage_path('logs/laravel*.log'));
     

Debugging

1. Logs Not Showing:

   • Check if the log file exists at storage/logs/laravel.log.
   • Verify the route is registered (no typos in the controller namespace).
   • Enable debug mode in config/logviewer.php:

     'debug' => true,
     

     This may log errors to storage/logs/laravel.log.

2. Custom View Not Loading:

   • Ensure the published view file exists at /resources/views/vendor/laravel-log-viewer/log.blade.php.
   • Check for Blade syntax errors by temporarily simplifying the template.

3. Performance Issues:

   • Use Laravel’s Log::channel() to write logs to a dedicated file for the viewer:

     Log::channel('custom')->info('Test log');
     

     Then configure the viewer to use this channel’s log file.

Tips

1. Environment-Specific Routes:

   • Disable the log viewer in production by wrapping the route in:

     if (app()->environment('local')) {
         Route::get('logs', [LogViewerController::class, 'index']);
     }
     

2. Search Functionality:

   • Extend the controller to add a search parameter:

     public function index(Request $request)
     {
         $search = $request->query('search');
         $logs = $this->filterLogs($search);
         return view('vendor.laravel-log-viewer.log', ['logs' => $logs]);
     }
     

     Add a search input to the Blade view.

3. Log Level Badges:

   • Use Tailwind CSS or custom CSS in the Blade view to style log levels:

     @foreach($logs as $log)
         <div class="p-2 {{ $log['level'] === 'error' ? 'bg-red-100' : 'bg-gray-100' }}">
             {{ $log['message'] }}
         </div>
     @endforeach
     

4. GitHub Actions Integration:

   • Use the log viewer in CI/CD pipelines to debug failed jobs:

     - name: View logs on failure
       if: failure()
       run: curl http://localhost:8000/logs
     

     (Run the app locally in the pipeline with php artisan serve.)

5. Extending for Multi-Tenant Apps:

   • Override the controller to dynamically set the log file based on the tenant:

     public function __construct()
     {
         $this->logFile = storage_path("logs/tenant-{$this->tenant->id}.log");
     }