breaking,log: set stderr as default log output, add .set_output_stream() to allow for opting in the old default of stdout (#23444)

vlib/log/README.md

@@ -52,3 +52,22 @@ fn main() {
 	l.fatal('fatal') // panic, marked as [noreturn]
 }
 ```
+
+## Backwards compatibility
+
+After 2025/01/21, the `log` module outputs to `stderr` by default.
+Before that, it used `stdout` by default.
+
+If you want to restore the previous behaviour, you have to explicitly call l.set_output_stream():
+```v
+import os
+import log
+
+fn main() {
+	// log.info('this will be printed to stderr after 2025/01/21 by default')
+	mut l := log.ThreadSafeLog{}
+	l.set_output_stream(os.stdout())
+	log.set_logger(l)
+	log.info('this will be printed to stdout')
+}
+```

vlib/log/common.v

@@ -19,8 +19,8 @@ pub enum LogTarget {
 	both
 }
 
-// tag_to_cli returns the tag for log level `l` as a colored string.
+// tag_to_console returns the tag for log level `l` as a colored string.
-fn tag_to_cli(l Level, short_tag bool) string {
+fn tag_to_console(l Level, short_tag bool) string {
 	if short_tag {
 		return match l {
 			.disabled { ' ' }

vlib/log/log.v

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ module log
 
 import os
 import time
+import io
 
 // TimeFormat define the log time string format, come from time/format.v
 pub enum TimeFormat {
@@ -25,10 +26,12 @@ pub enum TimeFormat {
 	tf_custom_format // 'MMMM Do YY N kk:mm:ss A' output like: January 1st 22 AD 13:45:33 PM
 }
 
+const stderr = os.stderr()
+
 // Log represents a logging object
 pub struct Log {
 mut:
-	level              Level
+	level              Level = .debug
 	output_label       string
 	ofile              os.File
 	output_target      LogTarget // output to console (stdout/stderr) or file or both.
@@ -36,6 +39,9 @@ mut:
 	custom_time_format string     = 'MMMM Do YY N kk:mm:ss A' // timestamp with custom format
 	short_tag          bool
 	always_flush       bool // flush after every single .fatal(), .error(), .warn(), .info(), .debug() call
+	output_stream      io.Writer = stderr
+	//
+	show_notice_about_stdout_to_stderr_change bool = true // this field is temporary, and should be deleted after 2025-03-01
 pub mut:
 	output_file_name string // log output to this file
 }
@@ -77,6 +83,12 @@ pub fn (mut l Log) set_output_path(output_file_path string) {
 	l.ofile = ofile
 }
 
+// set_output_stream sets the output stream to write log e.g. stderr, stdout, etc.
+pub fn (mut l Log) set_output_stream(stream io.Writer) {
+	l.show_notice_about_stdout_to_stderr_change = false
+	l.output_stream = stream
+}
+
 // log_to_console_too turns on logging to the console too, in addition to logging to a file.
 // You have to call it *after* calling .set_output_path(output_file_path).
 pub fn (mut l Log) log_to_console_too() {
@@ -131,14 +143,31 @@ fn (mut l Log) log_file(s string, level Level) {
 	}
 }
 
-// log_cli writes log line `s` with `level` to stdout.
+// log_stream writes log line `s` with `level` to stderr or stderr depending on set output stream.
-fn (l &Log) log_cli(s string, level Level) {
+fn (mut l Log) log_stream(s string, level Level) {
-	timestamp := l.time_format(time.utc())
+	if l.show_notice_about_stdout_to_stderr_change {
-	e := tag_to_cli(level, l.short_tag)
+		l.show_notice_about_stdout_to_stderr_change = false
-	println('${timestamp} [${e}] ${s}')
+		// Show a warning at runtime, once, before the first logged message, that describes the stdout -> stderr change,
-	if l.always_flush {
+		// and how to opt in explicitly for the old behaviour:
+		println('   NOTE: the `log.Log` output goes to stderr now by default, not to stdout.')
+		println('      Call `l.set_output_stream(os.stdout())` explicitly, to opt in for the previous behavior.')
+		println('      Call `l.set_output_stream(os.stderr())` explicitly, if you want to silence this message (it will be removed after 2025-03-01 .')
 		flush_stdout()
 	}
+	timestamp := l.time_format(time.utc())
+	tag := tag_to_console(level, l.short_tag)
+	msg := '${timestamp} [${tag}] ${s}\n'
+	arr := msg.bytes()
+	l.output_stream.write(arr) or {}
+	if l.always_flush {
+		if mut l.output_stream is os.File {
+			match l.output_stream.fd {
+				1 { flush_stdout() }
+				2 { flush_stderr() }
+				else {}
+			}
+		}
+	}
 }
 
 // send_output writes log line `s` with `level` to either the log file or the console
@@ -148,7 +177,7 @@ pub fn (mut l Log) send_output(s &string, level Level) {
 		l.log_file(s, level)
 	}
 	if l.output_target == .console || l.output_target == .both {
-		l.log_cli(s, level)
+		l.log_stream(s, level)
 	}
 }
 

vlib/v/slow_tests/inout/dump_expression.out

@@ -1,36 +1,28 @@
-[vlib/v/slow_tests/inout/dump_expression.vv:5] 1: 1
+[vlib/v/slow_tests/inout/dump_expression.vv:4] 1: 1
-[vlib/v/slow_tests/inout/dump_expression.vv:10] 'a': a
+[vlib/v/slow_tests/inout/dump_expression.vv:9] 'a': a
-[vlib/v/slow_tests/inout/dump_expression.vv:34] a: Aa{
+[vlib/v/slow_tests/inout/dump_expression.vv:33] a: Aa{
-    log: &log.Logger(log.Log{
+    cmd: &os.Command{
-        level: disabled
+        f: 0
-        output_label: ''
+        eof: false
-        ofile: os.File{
+        exit_code: 0
-            cfile: 0
+        path: ''
-            fd: 0
+        redirect_stdout: false
-            is_opened: false
+    }
-        }
-        output_target: console
-        time_format: tf_rfc3339_micro
-        custom_time_format: 'MMMM Do YY N kk:mm:ss A'
-        short_tag: false
-        always_flush: false
-        output_file_name: ''
-    })
 }
-[vlib/v/slow_tests/inout/dump_expression.vv:35] p: Point{
+[vlib/v/slow_tests/inout/dump_expression.vv:34] p: Point{
     x: 1
     y: 2
     z: 3
 }
-[vlib/v/slow_tests/inout/dump_expression.vv:36] p_mut: Point{
+[vlib/v/slow_tests/inout/dump_expression.vv:35] p_mut: Point{
     x: 1
     y: 2
     z: 3
 }
-[vlib/v/slow_tests/inout/dump_expression.vv:37] p_ptr: &Point{
+[vlib/v/slow_tests/inout/dump_expression.vv:36] p_ptr: &Point{
     x: 1
     y: 2
     z: 3
 }
-[vlib/v/slow_tests/inout/dump_expression.vv:48] os.file_name(vfile): dump_expression.vv
+[vlib/v/slow_tests/inout/dump_expression.vv:47] os.file_name(vfile): dump_expression.vv
-[vlib/v/slow_tests/inout/dump_expression.vv:51] f.read(mut buf): 10
+[vlib/v/slow_tests/inout/dump_expression.vv:50] f.read(mut buf): 10

vlib/v/slow_tests/inout/dump_expression.vv

@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 import os
-import log
 
 fn dump_of_int() {
 	x := dump(1) + 1
@@ -19,16 +18,16 @@ mut:
 }
 
 struct Aa {
-	log &log.Logger
+	cmd &os.Command
 }
 
 fn dump_of_struct() {
 	p := Point{1, 2, 3}
 	mut p_mut := Point{1, 2, 3}
 	p_ptr := &Point{1, 2, 3}
-	l := &log.Log{}
+	c := &os.Command{}
 	a := Aa{
-		log: l
+		cmd: c
 	}
 
 	dump(a)