How to log in a Ruby worker script of a Rails app that does not have the environment?

Question

I'm using rufus-scheduler for handling cron jobs for a Rails 3.2.x app. The root worker.rb is being fired off by foreman (actually upstart on this particular server) and therefore when it starts off it does not have the Rails context in which to operate. Obviously when I attempt to call logger or Rails.logger it will fail each time.

I'm using log4r as a replacement for the default Rails Logger, which is quite nice, but I am wondering what the proper solution for this problem would be:

1) Do I need to give the script the Rails context at startup (it is simply running rake tasks right now so it ends up getting the Rails environment when the worker script hands off to the rake task and I fear giving the script the Rails env before running the timed task would be overkill since it takes so long to fire up the env)? or

2) Should I just set up log4r as one would do in a non-Rails Ruby script that simply reads in the same log4r.yml config that the Rails app is using and therefore participate in the same log structure?

3) Or some other option I'm not thinking of?

Additionally, I would appreciate either an example or the steps that I should consider with the recommended implementation.

For reference, I followed "How to configure Log4r with Rails 3.0.x?" and I think this could be helpful when integrated with the above: "Properly using Log4r in Ruby Application?"

Answer 1

I think this might be what you're looking for..

Use this within the worker itself, and create a custom named log file

require 'log4r'

logger = Log4r::Logger.new('test')
logger.outputters << Log4r::Outputter.stdout
logger.outputters << Log4r::FileOutputter.new('logtest', :filename =>  'logtest.log')
logger.info('started script')

## You're actual worker methods go here

logger.info('finishing')