Switching Trace Level

Learn about trace switches in C# for debugging, and source code logging.

The Trace.WriteLine calls are left in our code even after release. So, having fine control over when they are output would be great. This is something we can do with a trace switch. The value of a trace switch can be set using a number or a word. For example, the number 3 can be replaced with the word Info, as shown in the following table:

Number

Word

Description

0

Off

This will output nothing.

1

Error

This will output only errors.

2

Warning

This will output errors and warnings.

3

Info

This will output errors, warnings, and information.

4

Verbose

This will output all levels

Let’s explore using trace switches. First, we will add some NuGet packages to our project to enable loading configuration settings from a JSON appsettings file.

Adding packages to a project in Visual Studio 2022

Visual Studio has a graphical user interface for adding packages:

Step 1: In Solution Explorer, right-click the Instrumenting project and select the “Manage NuGet Packages” option.

Step 2: Select the “Browse” tab.

Step 3: In the search box, enter Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration.

Step 4: Select each of these NuGet packages and click the “Install” button, as shown in the figure:

  • Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration

  • Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration.Binder

  • Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration.FileExtensions

  • Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration.Json

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Installing NuGet packages using Visual Studio 2022
Installing NuGet packages using Visual Studio 2022

Adding packages to a project in Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code does not have a mechanism to add NuGet packages to a project, so we will use the command-line tool:

Step 1: ...