ArgusLogs.DataAnnotation — Declarative logging

Section 1 of 4 ArgusLogs.DataAnnotation

Declarative logging

ArgusLogs provides standard C# attributes to declare logging policies on your classes and methods without cluttering your business logic.

Step 0 — Install NuGet packages

Install ArgusLogs.DataAnnotation from NuGet:

Terminal

dotnet add package ArgusLogs.DataAnnotation --version 1.0.11-alpha.2608292142

[LogMethod] Attribute

Purpose — Automatically logs method entry, exit duration, success status, exceptions raised, and arguments/return values.
Scope — Can be applied to individual Methods or entire Classes (which automatically intercepts all methods in the class).

LogMethod properties

Property	Type	Default	Description
Level	LogLevel	LogLevel.Information	The level used for successful execution logs (Debug, Information, etc.).
Message	string?	null	A custom message prefixed to the log entry.
LogParameters	bool	true	If true, logs all incoming parameter names and values.
LogReturnValue	bool	true	If true, logs the method's returned value upon successful completion.

Method-level example

PaymentService.cs

using ArgusLogs.DataAnnotation;
using ArgusLogs.Logging;

public class PaymentService
{
    [LogMethod(Level = LogLevel.Information, Message = "Processing Credit Card", LogParameters = true, LogReturnValue = false)]
    public PaymentResult ProcessPayment(string cardHolder, decimal amount)
    {
        // Business logic here
        return new PaymentResult { Success = true };
    }
}

Class-level example

UserService.cs

[LogMethod(Level = LogLevel.Debug)]
public class UserService
{
    public void CreateUser(string username) { /* ... */ } // Intercepted automatically
    public void DeleteUser(int id) { /* ... */ }          // Intercepted automatically
}

Ignoring logging with [ArgusLogsIgnore]

Purpose — Prevents telemetry interception on specific methods when applied to a class marked with [LogMethod], or redacts sensitive method parameters.
Scope — Applied to Methods or Parameters.

AuthManager.cs

[LogMethod]
public class AuthManager
{
    public void RegisterUser(string email) { /* ... */ } // Intercepted

    [ArgusLogsIgnore]
    public bool VerifyPassword(string email, string password)
    {
        // This entire method will bypass automatic logging
        return true;
    }
}

Redacting data with [Sensitive]

Purpose — Identifies parameters, properties, or fields that hold sensitive information. When logged automatically by [LogMethod], decorated values are redacted/masked (or encrypted depending on sink settings) to prevent data leaks.
Scope — Applied to Parameters, Properties, or Fields.
Package — Defined in ArgusLogs.Attributes (not DataAnnotation); used together with [LogMethod] for automatic redaction.

AccountManager.cs

using ArgusLogs.Attributes;
using ArgusLogs.DataAnnotation;

[LogMethod]
public class AccountManager
{
    // The creditCardNumber value will be automatically masked in the emitted JSON logs
    public void ChargeSubscription(string accountId, [Sensitive] string creditCardNumber, decimal amount)
    {
        // Payment processing logic...
    }
}