Configuring toString via a public static variable

Sometimes I need toString() to be quite verbose, normally I don't. It can't be nicely solved by using other methods as toString() is what gets shown in debugger (and also in the logs unless I call some method explicitly). As nobody should ever rely on its behavior, I wonder if the following is acceptable

public static boolean volatile verboseToString;

public String toString() {
    return toString(verboseToString);
}

public String toString(boolean verbose) {
    if (verbose) {
        return longDescription();
    } else {
        return shortDescription();
    }
}

Is there any better solution?

You could try to use Logger level to control verbose mode.

public String toString() {
    return toString(logger.isDebugEnabled());
}

public String toString(boolean verbose) {
    if (verbose) {
        return longDescription();
    } else {
        return shortDescription();
    }
}

Advantage of this approach is that it's easier to control toString() verbosity level - simply by config file for you logging framework, JMX extension, ...

This could also give you more flexibility - based on log level (INFO, DEBUG, TRACE), your could control how much information you put into toString().

StackExchange Code Review Q#16071, answer score: 6