I ran into an issue recently, where an existing log4j.xml configuration file was built into a jar file I was referencing and I was unable to get Java to recognize another file that I wanted it to use instead. Fortunately, the solution to this problem is fairly straightforward and simple.
I was running a standalone application in linux, via a bash shell script; but this technique can be used in other ways too. You simply add a parameter to the JVM call like the example below.
So the syntax is basically:
java -Dlog4j.configuration="file:<full path to file>" -cp <classpath settings> <package name where my main function is located> |
Lets say I have a file named log4j.xml in /opt/tools/myapp/ which I want to use when my application runs, instead of any existing log4j.xml files. This can be done by passing a JVM flag -Dlog4j.configuration to Java.
Here is an example:
java -Dlog4j.configuration="file:/opt/tools/myapp/log4j.xml" -cp $CLASSPATH my.standalone.mainClass; |
With that change, as long as your log4j file is set up properly, your problems should be behind you.