EventLog.GetEventLogs Method

Definition

Namespace:

System.Diagnostics

Assembly:

System.Diagnostics.EventLog.dll

Creates an array of the event logs.

Overloads

GetEventLogs(String)	Searches for all event logs on the given computer and creates an array of EventLog objects that contain the list.
GetEventLogs()	Searches for all event logs on the local computer and creates an array of EventLog objects that contain the list.

GetEventLogs(String)

Source:

EventLog.cs

Searches for all event logs on the given computer and creates an array of EventLog objects that contain the list.

C#

public static System.Diagnostics.EventLog[] GetEventLogs(string machineName);

Parameters

machineName

String

The computer on which to search for event logs.

Returns

EventLog[]

An array of type EventLog that represents the logs on the given computer.

Exceptions

ArgumentException

The machineName parameter is an invalid computer name.

InvalidOperationException

You do not have read access to the registry.

-or-

There is no event log service on the computer.

Examples

The following example gets a list of logs on the computer "myServer". It then outputs the name of each log.

C#

using System;
using System.Diagnostics;

class MySample
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        EventLog[] remoteEventLogs;

        remoteEventLogs = EventLog.GetEventLogs("myServer");

        Console.WriteLine("Number of logs on computer: " + remoteEventLogs.Length);

        foreach (EventLog log in remoteEventLogs)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Log: " + log.Log);
        }
    }
}

Remarks

The array of EventLog objects is a snapshot of all event logs on the computer specified by the machineName parameter when the call to GetEventLogs is made. This is not a dynamic collection, so it does not reflect the deletion or creation of logs in real time. You should verify that a log in the array exists before you read or write to it. The array usually includes at least three logs: Application, System, and Security. If you created custom logs on the specified computer, they will appear in the array as well.

GetEventLogs is a static method, so it can be called on the EventLog class itself. It is not necessary to create an instance of an EventLog object to make a call to the method.

To retrieve the list of event logs, you must have the appropriate registry permissions. These permissions are identical to those required to call Exists and SourceExists.

See also

• Exists(String)
• Log
• MachineName

GetEventLogs()

Source:

EventLog.cs

Searches for all event logs on the local computer and creates an array of EventLog objects that contain the list.

C#

public static System.Diagnostics.EventLog[] GetEventLogs();

Returns

EventLog[]

An array of type EventLog that represents the logs on the local computer.

Exceptions

SystemException

You do not have read access to the registry.

-or-

There is no event log service on the computer.

Examples

The following example enumerates the event logs defined on the local computer, and displays configuration details for each event log.

C#

static void DisplayEventLogProperties()
{
    // Iterate through the current set of event log files,
    // displaying the property settings for each file.

    EventLog[] eventLogs = EventLog.GetEventLogs();
    foreach (EventLog e in eventLogs)
    {
        Int64 sizeKB = 0;

        Console.WriteLine();
        Console.WriteLine("{0}:", e.LogDisplayName);
        Console.WriteLine("  Log name = \t\t {0}", e.Log);

        Console.WriteLine("  Number of event log entries = {0}", e.Entries.Count.ToString());

        // Determine if there is an event log file for this event log.
        RegistryKey regEventLog = Registry.LocalMachine.OpenSubKey("System\\CurrentControlSet\\Services\\EventLog\\" + e.Log);
        if (regEventLog != null)
        {
            Object temp = regEventLog.GetValue("File");
            if (temp != null)
            {
                Console.WriteLine("  Log file path = \t {0}", temp.ToString());
                FileInfo file = new FileInfo(temp.ToString());

                // Get the current size of the event log file.
                if (file.Exists)
                {
                    sizeKB = file.Length / 1024;
                    if ((file.Length % 1024) != 0)
                    {
                        sizeKB++;
                    }
                    Console.WriteLine("  Current size = \t {0} kilobytes", sizeKB.ToString());
                }
            }
            else
            {
                Console.WriteLine("  Log file path = \t <not set>");
            }
        }

        // Display the maximum size and overflow settings.

        sizeKB = e.MaximumKilobytes;
        Console.WriteLine("  Maximum size = \t {0} kilobytes", sizeKB.ToString());
        Console.WriteLine("  Overflow setting = \t {0}", e.OverflowAction.ToString());

        switch (e.OverflowAction)
        {
            case OverflowAction.OverwriteOlder:
                Console.WriteLine("\t Entries are retained a minimum of {0} days.",
                    e.MinimumRetentionDays);
                break;
            case OverflowAction.DoNotOverwrite:
                Console.WriteLine("\t Older entries are not overwritten.");
                break;
            case OverflowAction.OverwriteAsNeeded:
                Console.WriteLine("\t If number of entries equals max size limit, a new event log entry overwrites the oldest entry.");
                break;
            default:
                break;
        }
    }
}

Remarks

The array of EventLog objects is a snapshot of all event logs on the local computer when the call to GetEventLogs is made. This is not a dynamic collection, so it does not reflect the deletion or creation of logs in real time. You should verify that a log in the array exists before you read or write to it. The array usually includes at least three logs: Application, System, and Security. If you created custom logs on the local computer, they will appear in the array as well.

To retrieve the list of event logs, you must have the appropriate registry permissions. These permissions are identical to those required to call Exists and SourceExists.

See also

• Exists(String)
• Log