Patent ID: 7448039

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for logging messages during the testing of a software application to a selected set of one or more instantiated logging software objects separate from the application being tested, the method comprising: receiving a configuration request, the configuration request indicating a selection of a set of one or more logging software objects separate from the application being tested that are to be instantiated for logging messages in a format different than the format used by the application being tested, the configuration request further indicating a plurality of configuration settings for each logging software object, the configuration settings including which type of information is to be logged by the logging software object and the format of the information that is to be logged, the information type, format type and members of the selected set of logging software objects having each been dynamically entered by a computer user; instantiating the set of one or more logging software objects according to the received configuration request, each logging software object of the set being individually instantiated according to the logging software format and type of information that is to be logged indicated in the configuration request; receiving a request to log a message from the application being tested; and publishing the message to the dynamically selected set of one or more logging software objects defined in the configuration request, the publishing comprising creating a trace object that includes the message formatted in a uniform format that is utilized by each logging software object selected by the computer user to receive the logging messages.