# Logging system

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Published 2024-05-13

The logging system of Blueprint Utilities allows you to get rid of all the print string/print text in your project. Thanks to its centralized management in the project settings, you can control all your Log nodes at once. This new system also allows you to bring the power of C++ logs into your blueprint code, enabling you to create logs compatible with shipping builds without leaving blueprint.

# The Log node

The Log node has two static input pins. The first one is a FGameplayTag selector that represent the LogProfile associated to this node, and the second one is Message pin that contain the string to print.

Formatted messages

The Message pin will transform any expression surounded with {} into an argument pin.

# Log profiles

To use this system properly you need to create some Log profiles. Log profiles represent a logging behavior that you want to use in your project. Log profiles are represented by a name and a FGameplayTag to allow you to assign them to each of your blueprint nodes with one click!

Attribute	Type	Description
Name	Fname	Human readable identifier used to make it simple for you to find a profile in settings. Also used to log it in error/warning's message.
Identifier	FGameplayTag	Identifier used to bind a log profile to a Log node.
Color	FColor	Color of the message if the `Print to Screen` is enabled.
Log Permission	EBULogPermission	Define where the log node is authorised to log or not. It is based on the `who can do more, can do less` pattern. It means that if you select Shipping it will print in Shipping, development and editor. To enable log in shipping refer to the Log in shipping section
Verbosity	ELogVerbosity	The verbosity to use for the message if the `Print to Log`is enabled.
Print to Log	Bool	Whether to print or not the message to the logs.
Print to Screen	Bool	Whether to print or not the message to the screen. Ignored in shipping
Prefix	FString	String to add before the message to log.
Suffix	FString	String to add after the message to log.

# Other Settings

Attribute	Type	Description
Display profile's name in node title	Bool	If true, the LogProfile name will be display in the node title. E.g.: `Log - MyCustomLogProfile`
Should error if no profile selected	Bool	If true, any Log node with no LogProfile selected will trigger an error during blueprint compilation.
Log node color	FColor	The default color of the Log node.
Disabled node color	FColor	The color of the node when his associated LogProfile is disabled.

# Log in shipping

Danger zone

Before enable log in shipping, ensure you are aware of what your doing. Log in shipping can lead to severe data leaks.

To log in shipping you need to use an Unreal Engine version From source. See : Unreal Engine from source documentation. Then in your project’s Target.cs file add the following lines to force enable the log in shipping.

PROJECT/Source/PROJECT.Target.cs
public class PluginSandboxProjectTarget : TargetRules
{
	public PluginSandboxProjectTarget(TargetInfo Target) : base(Target)
	{
		Type = TargetType.Game;
		DefaultBuildSettings = BuildSettingsVersion.V4;
		
		BuildEnvironment = TargetBuildEnvironment.Unique;
		bUseLoggingInShipping = true;

		ExtraModuleNames.AddRange( new string[] { "PluginSandboxProject" } );
	}
}

# Example

Once you have finished setting up your log profiles, all that's left is to use the Log node in your project. Easy, isn't it? 😜

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