NAME

       logger - log messages

SYNOPSIS

       logger string ...

DESCRIPTION

       The  logger  utility  saves a message, in an unspecified manner and format, containing the
       string operands provided by the user. The messages are expected to be evaluated  later  by
       personnel performing system administration tasks.

       It  is  implementation-defined  whether  messages  written in locales other than the POSIX
       locale are effective.

OPTIONS

       None.

OPERANDS

       The following operand shall be supported:

       string One of the string arguments whose contents are concatenated together, in the  order
              specified, separated by single <space>s.

STDIN

       Not used.

INPUT FILES

       None.

ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES

       The following environment variables shall affect the execution of logger:

       LANG   Provide  a  default  value for the internationalization variables that are unset or
              null. (See the  Base  Definitions  volume  of  IEEE Std 1003.1-2001,  Section  8.2,
              Internationalization Variables for the precedence of internationalization variables
              used to determine the values of locale categories.)

       LC_ALL If set to  a  non-empty  string  value,  override  the  values  of  all  the  other
              internationalization variables.

       LC_CTYPE
              Determine  the  locale for the interpretation of sequences of bytes of text data as
              characters (for  example,  single-byte  as  opposed  to  multi-byte  characters  in
              arguments).

       LC_MESSAGES
              Determine  the  locale  that  should  be  used to affect the format and contents of
              diagnostic messages written to standard error.  (This means diagnostics from logger
              to the user or application, not diagnostic messages that the user is sending to the
              system administrator.)

       NLSPATH
              Determine the location of message catalogs for the processing of LC_MESSAGES .

ASYNCHRONOUS EVENTS

       Default.

STDOUT

       Not used.

STDERR

       The standard error shall be used only for diagnostic messages.

OUTPUT FILES

       Unspecified.

EXTENDED DESCRIPTION

       None.

EXIT STATUS

       The following exit values shall be returned:

        0     Successful completion.

       >0     An error occurred.

CONSEQUENCES OF ERRORS

       Default.

       The following sections are informative.

APPLICATION USAGE

       This utility allows logging of information for later use  by  a  system  administrator  or
       programmer  in determining why non-interactive utilities have failed. The locations of the
       saved messages, their format, and retention period  are  all  unspecified.   There  is  no
       method for a conforming application to read messages, once written.

EXAMPLES

       A  batch  application,  running  non-interactively, tries to read a configuration file and
       fails; it may attempt to notify the system administrator with:

              logger myname: unable to read file foo. [timestamp]

RATIONALE

       The standard developers believed strongly that some method of alerting  administrators  to
       errors  was  necessary. The obvious example is a batch utility, running non-interactively,
       that is unable to read its configuration files or that is unable to create  or  write  its
       results  file.  However,  the  standard  developers  did  not wish to define the format or
       delivery mechanisms as they have historically been (and will probably continue to be) very
       system-specific,  as  well  as  involving  functionality clearly outside the scope of this
       volume of IEEE Std 1003.1-2001.

       The text with LC_MESSAGES about diagnostic messages means diagnostics from logger  to  the
       user  or  application,  not  diagnostic  messages  that  the user is sending to the system
       administrator.

       Multiple string arguments are allowed, similar to echo, for ease-of-use.

       Like the utilities mailx and lp, logger is admittedly difficult  to  test.  This  was  not
       deemed   sufficient   justification  to  exclude  these  utilities  from  this  volume  of
       IEEE Std 1003.1-2001. It is also arguable that they are, in fact, testable, but  that  the
       tests themselves are not portable.

FUTURE DIRECTIONS

       None.

SEE ALSO

       lp , mailx , write()

COPYRIGHT

       Portions  of  this  text  are  reprinted  and  reproduced in electronic form from IEEE Std
       1003.1, 2003 Edition, Standard for Information Technology  --  Portable  Operating  System
       Interface  (POSIX), The Open Group Base Specifications Issue 6, Copyright (C) 2001-2003 by
       the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc and  The  Open  Group.  In  the
       event  of  any  discrepancy  between this version and the original IEEE and The Open Group
       Standard, the original IEEE and The Open Group  Standard  is  the  referee  document.  The
       original Standard can be obtained online at http://www.opengroup.org/unix/online.html .