What does Guarded Logging check before executing a log statement?

Guarded Logging is an important feature within Guidewire that optimizes performance by preventing unnecessary log statements from being executed when they won't contribute useful information. It primarily checks if the logging level is enabled before executing a log statement.

When logging within applications, especially in production environments, excessive logging can lead to degraded performance and increased resource consumption. By implementing Guarded Logging, the system ensures that log messages are only processed and generated when the defined logging level (e.g., ERROR, WARN, INFO, DEBUG) is enabled for that particular log statement. This approach reduces the overhead of string concatenation and other processing that would occur if the log statement were executed regardless of the logging level.

This methodology allows developers and system administrators to manage log output effectively, ensuring that only pertinent information is logged, which can be crucial for maintaining system performance and making the logs more meaningful for troubleshooting and audits.