Add Line Break After Log Statement Example

Omozegie AziegbeJune 10th, 2025Last Updated: June 10th, 2025

0 103 3 minutes read

Logging is critical for understanding how an application behaves at runtime, aiding debugging, performance analysis, and monitoring. However, raw logs can become overwhelming and difficult to parse when entries run together without clear separation.

One simple and effective way to improve log readability is by adding a line break or blank line after log statements. This visual separation helps us quickly distinguish between different operations or phases of an application.

This article explores multiple methods to add line breaks or blank lines after log statements in Java.

1. Using `System.lineSeparator()`

Java provides a system-independent way to get the platform-specific line separator via System.lineSeparator(). We can append it to log messages to add extra blank lines.

public class LogLineBreakExample {

    private static final Logger LOGGER = Logger.getLogger(LogLineBreakExample.class.getName());

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        String personName = "Thomas";
        // Log statement with a blank line appended using System.lineSeparator()
        LOGGER.info(String.format("Person's name is %s.%s", personName, System.lineSeparator()));
        // Another log statement to show separation
        LOGGER.info("Person's age is 30.");
    }
}

Here, System.lineSeparator() dynamically provides the newline string for the running platform (Windows, Linux, macOS), and by passing it as a separate parameter, we ensure the logger interprets it as part of the message. The above example prints the name, then adds a newline after it, creating a blank line before the next log.

If we use SLF4J or a similar framework with placeholders, the approach is similar:

LOGGER.info("Person's name is {}.{}", personName, System.lineSeparator());

Output Example

Jun 06, 2025 1:37:11 P.M. com.jcg.example.LogLineBreakExample main
INFO: Person's name is Thomas.

Jun 06, 2025 1:37:11 P.M. com.jcg.example.LogLineBreakExample main
INFO: Person's age is 30.

Notice the blank line after the first log, improving readability.

1.1 Using `System.getProperty("line.separator")`

Before Java 7 introduced System.lineSeparator(), the line separator was retrieved via system properties.

public class LogLineBreakExample {

    private static final Logger LOGGER = Logger.getLogger(LogLineBreakExample.class.getName());

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        String personName = "Thomas";
        String newLine = System.getProperty("line.separator");

        // Log statement with a blank line 
        LOGGER.info(String.format("Person's name is %s.%s", personName, newLine));

        // Another log statement
        LOGGER.info("Person's age is 30.");
    }
}

This approach is functionally similar to System.lineSeparator(), but it was commonly used in older versions of Java. In modern code, however, it is generally preferred to use System.lineSeparator() for better clarity and cross-platform consistency.

2. Configure Global Blank Lines in Log Format Patterns (Logging Framework Configuration)

Instead of adding blank lines manually in code, we can configure our logging framework’s layout or pattern to add extra space between log entries globally. For example, we can modify our src/main/resources/logback.xml configuration to include a blank line after each log entry by adjusting the Pattern Layout settings.

Java Class Using Logback

public class LogLineBreakExample {

    private static final Logger LOGGER = LoggerFactory.getLogger(LogLineBreakExample.class.getName());

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        String personName = "Thomas";     
        LOGGER.info("Person's name is {} ", personName);
        LOGGER.info("Person's age is 30.");
    }
}

logback.xml Configuration to Add a Global Blank Line

Place this file in src/main/resources/logback.xml:

<configuration>
    <appender name="STDOUT" class="ch.qos.logback.core.ConsoleAppender">
        <encoder>
            <!-- Pattern ends with %n%n to add an extra blank line -->
            <pattern>%d{HH:mm:ss.SSS} [%thread] %-5level %logger{36} - %msg%n%n</pattern>
        </encoder>
    </appender>

    <root level="INFO">
        <appender-ref ref="STDOUT" />
    </root>
</configuration>

%n is the newline character in Logback patterns.
Adding %n%n at the end of the pattern inserts an extra blank line after each log message, globally.
This affects all logs that use this appender (console output here).
We can adjust the pattern to include date/time, thread name, log level, logger name, and message.

Sample Output

14:34:30.029 [main] INFO  com.jcg.example.LogLineBreakExample - Person's name is Thomas 

14:34:30.052 [main] INFO  com.jcg.example.LogLineBreakExample - Person's age is 30.

Similarly, for Log4j2, modify your src/main/resources/log4j2.xml to add a blank line after each log entry.:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Configuration status="WARN">
    <Appenders>
        <Console name="ConsoleAppender" target="SYSTEM_OUT">
            <PatternLayout pattern="%d{HH:mm:ss.SSS} [%t] %-5level %logger{36} - %msg%n%n"/>
            <!-- Note the double %n%n at the end to add an extra blank line -->
        </Console>
    </Appenders>

    <Loggers>
        <Root level="info">
            <AppenderRef ref="ConsoleAppender"/>
        </Root>
    </Loggers>
</Configuration>

3. Conclusion

In this article, we explored several effective ways to add blank lines after log statements in Java to improve log readability. We examined techniques ranging from appending line separators to log messages to configuring global patterns in Logback or Log4j2. The most maintainable and clean solution often lies in configuring the logger pattern globally to add blank lines after each entry, making logs easier to scan without cluttering our code.