log4j
I implemented a custom WebSocketAppender for log4j. Log messages were escaped using String.escapeHtml4, newlines were replaced with <br>.
Depending on the log level, messages where printed in bold (WARNING) or in red (ERROR or FATAL).
Events that were considered a problem that needs the user's attention were explicitly stored in a collection, and written to the websocket at the end when the program was done.
For a long running process on a website, provide the user with live feedback
We have a webtool (written in Java EE, using log4j for logging) where users can upload files that are then processed and migrated to a new version, which users can download. Since this process can take quite a while and might fail, users should have live information about the process.
Even in case of an overall success there might be errors the users should be informed about.
