# Exporting logs to an external folder

You can export the engine logs to a dedicated folder for a third-party tool to handle the log files.

You need to maintain and clean up this folder by yourself.

## Procedure

1. Open the <RemoteEngineInstallationDirectory>/etc/org.ops4j.pax.logging.cfg file and add the following lines:
   ### Example
   ```
   # Activate the External folder appender.
   # Be sure to configure/change the MY_EXTERNAL_FOLDER to have logs at the place you want.
   log4j2.rootLogger.appenderRef.ExternalFolder.ref = ExternalFolder
   # External folder appender
   log4j2.appender.external.type = Routing
   log4j2.appender.external.name = ExternalFolder
   log4j2.appender.external.rewritePolicy.type = TalendKarafRewritePolicy
   log4j2.appender.external.routes.type = Routes
   log4j2.appender.external.routes.pattern = $\\{ctx:flowExecutionId\\}
   log4j2.appender.external.routes.route1.type = Route
   log4j2.appender.external.routes.route1.rolling.type = RollingFile
   log4j2.appender.external.routes.route1.rolling.name = flowexecution-$\\{ctx:flowExecutionId\\}
   log4j2.appender.external.routes.route1.rolling.fileName = MY_EXTERNAL_FOLDER/$\\{ctx:flowID\\}/$\\{ctx:flowExecutionId\\}.log
   log4j2.appender.external.routes.route1.rolling.filePattern = MY_EXTERNAL_FOLDER/$\\{ctx:flowID\\}/$\\{ctx:flowExecutionId\\}.log.%i
   # Use the 3 lines below for json pattern
   log4j2.appender.external.routes.route1.rolling.layout.type = JsonTemplateLayout
   log4j2.appender.external.routes.route1.rolling.layout.eventTemplateUri=${karaf.base.uri}/etc/jsonLogMinTemplate.json
   log4j2.appender.external.routes.route1.rolling.layout.stackTraceElementTemplateUri=${karaf.base.uri}/etc/StackTraceElementLayout.json
   # Uncomment two lines below for text pattern 
   #log4j2.appender.external.routes.route1.rolling.layout.type = PatternLayout
   #log4j2.appender.external.routes.route1.rolling.layout.pattern = ${log4j2.pattern}
   log4j2.appender.external.routes.route1.rolling.policy.type = SizeBasedTriggeringPolicy
   log4j2.appender.external.routes.route1.rolling.policy.size = 100MB
   log4j2.appender.external.routes.route1.rolling.strategy.type = DefaultRolloverStrategy
   log4j2.appender.external.routes.route1.rolling.strategy.max = 1
   # By having this set to ${ctx:flowExecutionId} it will match when flowExecutionId is not set in the context
   log4j2.appender.external.routes.route2.type = Route
   log4j2.appender.external.routes.route2.key = $\\{ctx:flowExecutionId\\}
   log4j2.appender.external.routes.route2.null.type = CountingNoOp
   log4j2.appender.external.routes.route2.null.name = CountingNoOp
   ```

   This code is only an example. When you copy it to use it in your system, do not forget to change MY\_EXTERNAL\_FOLDER to the actual directory in which you want to store the logs, for example, /home/usr/my-re-log on Linux or D:/remote-engine/my-log-folder on Windows.

   The $\\{ctx:flowID\\}/$\\{ctx:flowExecutionId\\} part represents the variables to be used to name the log files. If you do not need a dynamically generated log file name, replace them with plain text.

   All these changes make the log4j2.appender.external.routes.route1.rolling.fileName and the log4j2.appender.external.routes.route1.rolling.filePattern lines look like:
   * On Windows:
     ```
     log4j2.appender.external.routes.route1.rolling.fileName = C:/my-personal-folder/my-log-foler/my-log.log
     log4j2.appender.external.routes.route1.rolling.filePattern = C:/my-personal-folder/my-log-foler/my-log.log.%i
     ```
   * On Linux:
     ```
     log4j2.appender.external.routes.route1.rolling.fileName = /home/usr/my-re-log/my-log.log
     log4j2.appender.external.routes.route1.rolling.filePattern = /home/usr/my-re-log/my-log.log.%i
     ```
2. Save the file.