Nlog: set user/session id possible?

[fabsenet]

I have nlog logging to appinsights. it is configured in the app.config without any keys.

in the program startup I call:

    const string ik = "123123123...";
    TelemetryConfiguration.Active.InstrumentationKey = ik;
    var tc = new TelemetryClient
    {
        InstrumentationKey = ik
    };

    tc.Context.User.Id = settings.InstallationId.ToString();
    tc.Context.Session.Id = Guid.NewGuid().ToString();

I use the TelemetryClient to log pageviews. I see pageviews and traces from nlog in my appinsights. What I want now is to provide the user_id and the session_id in each trace but I do not know how to set this up? the pageviews have a user/session id already.

thanks

[snakefoot]

You can setup a custom layout renderer to return the wanted values:

https://github.com/nlog/nlog/wiki/How-to-write-a-custom-layout-renderer

And add contextproperty to output them (See example):

#183

[Dmitry-Matveev]

Another way you can try is to implement your own Telemetry Initializer and assign required properties on the outgoing telemetry. Chances are that TelemetryClient used in NLog adapter is actually created with TelemetryConfiguration.Active as a configuration, so any initializer you add into applicationinsights.config should be executed for those traces. This is more-less generic AI approach on adding custom properties to the outgoing item.

snakefoot's suggestion, however, seems to be right approach from NLog view on this - you simply expose/propagate the properties you care about.

[fabsenet]

It works.

solution was to add this to the app.config:

<target type="ApplicationInsightsTarget" name="aiTarget">
        <contextProperty name="user_id" layout="${gdc:item=user_id}" />
        <contextProperty name="session_id" layout="${gdc:item=session_id}" />
</target>

and somewhere in the app startup:

GlobalDiagnosticsContext.Set("user_id", "some user id");
GlobalDiagnosticsContext.Set("session_id", "some session id");

thanks!