Ruby - share logger instance among module/classes

I like to have a logger method available in my classes, but I don't like sprinkling @logger = Logging.logger in all my initializers. Usually, I do this:

module Logging
  # This is the magical bit that gets mixed into your classes
  def logger
    Logging.logger
  end

  # Global, memoized, lazy initialized instance of a logger
  def self.logger
    @logger ||= Logger.new(STDOUT)
  end
end

Then, in your classes:

class Widget
  # Mix in the ability to log stuff ...
  include Logging

  # ... and proceed to log with impunity:
  def discombobulate(whizbang)
    logger.warn "About to combobulate the whizbang"
    # commence discombobulation
  end
end

Because the Logging#logger method can access the instance that the module is mixed into, it is trivial to extend your logging module to record the classname with log messages:

module Logging
  def logger
    @logger ||= Logging.logger_for(self.class.name)
  end

  # Use a hash class-ivar to cache a unique Logger per class:
  @loggers = {}

  class << self
    def logger_for(classname)
      @loggers[classname] ||= configure_logger_for(classname)
    end

    def configure_logger_for(classname)
      logger = Logger.new(STDOUT)
      logger.progname = classname
      logger
    end
  end
end

Your Widget now logs messages with its classname, and didn't need to change one bit :)

With the design you've laid out, it looks like the easiest solution is to give Crawler a module method that returns a module ivar.

module Crawler
  def self.logger
    @logger
  end
  def self.logger=(logger)
    @logger = logger
  end
end

Or you could use "class <<self magic" if you wanted:

module Crawler
  class <<self
    attr_accessor :logger
  end
end

It does the exact same thing.

As Zenagray points out, logging from class methods was left out of Jacob's answer. A small addition solves that:

require 'logger'

module Logging
  class << self
    def logger
      @logger ||= Logger.new($stdout)
    end

    def logger=(logger)
      @logger = logger
    end
  end

  # Addition
  def self.included(base)
    class << base
      def logger
        Logging.logger
      end
    end
  end

  def logger
    Logging.logger
  end
end

The intended use is via "include":

class Dog
  include Logging

  def self.bark
    logger.debug "chirp"
    puts "#{logger.__id__}"
  end

  def bark
    logger.debug "grrr"
    puts "#{logger.__id__}"
  end
end

class Cat
  include Logging

  def self.bark
    logger.debug "chirp"
    puts "#{logger.__id__}"
  end

  def bark
    logger.debug "grrr"
    puts "#{logger.__id__}"
  end
end

Dog.new.bark
Dog.bark
Cat.new.bark
Cat.bark

Produces:

D, [2014-05-06T22:27:33.991454 #2735] DEBUG -- : grrr
70319381806200
D, [2014-05-06T22:27:33.991531 #2735] DEBUG -- : chirp
70319381806200
D, [2014-05-06T22:27:33.991562 #2735] DEBUG -- : grrr
70319381806200
D, [2014-05-06T22:27:33.991588 #2735] DEBUG -- : chirp
70319381806200

Note the id of the logger is the same in all four cases. If you want a different instance for each class, then don't use Logging.logger, rather use self.class.logger:

require 'logger'

module Logging
  def self.included(base)
    class << base
      def logger
        @logger ||= Logger.new($stdout)
      end

      def logger=(logger)
        @logger = logger
      end
    end
  end

  def logger
    self.class.logger
  end
end

The same program now produces:

D, [2014-05-06T22:36:07.709645 #2822] DEBUG -- : grrr
70350390296120
D, [2014-05-06T22:36:07.709723 #2822] DEBUG -- : chirp
70350390296120
D, [2014-05-06T22:36:07.709763 #2822] DEBUG -- : grrr
70350390295100
D, [2014-05-06T22:36:07.709791 #2822] DEBUG -- : chirp
70350390295100

Note that the first two id's are the same but are different from the 2nd two ids showing that we have two instances -- one for each class.