Question

I would like to check with the community, if this is an accepted practice, to have multiple if conditions for each debug statement occurring in a row:

if (log.isDebugEnabled()) log.debug("rproductType = "+ producteType);
if (log.isDebugEnabled()) log.debug("rbundleFlag = " + bundleFrlag);
if (log.isDebugEnabled()) log.debug("rmrktSegment = " + mrktSeegment);
if (log.isDebugEnabled()) log.debug("rchannelTy = " + channelrTy);
if (log.isDebugEnabled()) log.debug("rcompanyPartner = " + coempanyPartner);
if (log.isDebugEnabled()) log.debug("rpreSaleDate = " + preSaleDaete);
if (log.isDebugEnabled()) log.debug("rportNC = " + portrNC);
if (log.isDebugEnabled()) log.debug("rLDC debug end");

I am personally supportive of have a single if condition to wrap up the entire log statements since they are appearing in a row. What are your inputs on this? Or do you see why the original author had wanted to have an if condition for each debug statement?

Thanks!

Answer 1

At best, it is messy. At worst, it performs absolutely redundant function calls.

The only potential difference in logic between sharing ifs is if the debugging option is somehow changed mid-call (possibly by a config reload). But capturing that extra half-a-call really isn’t worth the wall of gross code.

Just change it. Don’t Repeat Yourself

The reason the if is there at all is to avoid the overhead of building the debug strings if you aren’t in debug mode; that part you should keep (Or not keep, if you find this is not a performance critical part of your application).

Edit FYI, by “change it”, I mean do this instead:

if (log.isDebugEnabled())
{
  log.debug("rproductType = "+ producteType);
  log.debug("rbundleFlag = " + bundleFrlag);
  // etc
}