C++:
Writing to standard error

How to:

In C++, writing to standard error can be achieved using the cerr stream, which is part of the standard library. Here’s a basic example:

#include <iostream>

int main() {
    // Writing to standard output
    std::cout << "This is a normal message." << std::endl;
    
    // Writing to standard error
    std::cerr << "This is an error message." << std::endl;
    
    return 0;
}

Sample Output:

This is a normal message.
This is an error message.

In this case, both messages will typically appear on your terminal, but you can redirect them separately in a shell. For instance, you can send standard output to a file while allowing errors to be displayed on the screen.

For more advanced logging and error handling, third-party libraries like spdlog or boost.log can be employed. These libraries offer enhanced features for logging, including formatting, log levels, and file output.

Here’s how you might use spdlog to write an error message:

#include "spdlog/spdlog.h"

int main() {
    // Initialize spdlog
    spdlog::info("This is a normal message.");
    spdlog::error("This is an error message.");
    
    return 0;
}

Note: To use spdlog, you need to add it to your project. You can do this by cloning the repository from GitHub or using a package manager like vcpkg or conan.

Remember, the choice between using standard streams directly or a library like spdlog depends on the complexity of your application and your specific needs regarding error handling and logging.