Question

In C-derivative languages there is the possibility to have conditional code for debug and runtime. That way there is no overhead left in the runtime.

How would I do this with Java/Android and the Log.i statements? If I just use a constant global boolean debugOn that obviously leaves the redundant checks in the runtime.

What is the best approach for conditional Log-statements?

Many thanks

EDIT:

Since there are quite some comments following the accepted answer I post my conclusion here….

private static final boolean DEBUG = true;

if (DEBUG) Log.i("xxx",this.getClass().getName()+ "->" + Thread.currentThread().getStackTrace()[2].getMethodName() );

…just like in xCode 🙂

Answer 1

Android build system started providing a constant BuildConfig.DEBUG some time ago, so I suggest using it and writing the code like this:

if (BuildConfig.DEBUG) Log.i(TAG, "Message");

No redundant checks will be made since it’s a constant. This code will be optimized even by compiler, but you also have ProGuard at your disposal. Even if the checks are in place, any possible impact on performance should be negligible.

This approach used to have one drawback that you had to edit this constant yourself, either manually or through a custom rule in the build file. Now, however, this is handled automatically by the build system, so you don’t have to do anything yourself.