setlevel

Setlevel is a term used in software engineering to describe a function, method, or command that assigns a 'level' attribute to a target object. The exact meaning of 'level' depends on the context, but it typically represents a severity, privilege, or state value. Implementations may be exposed as a function named setlevel or as a method such as setLevel, with the parameter indicating the desired level.

In logging systems, a level controls which messages are recorded or displayed. A call to setlevel (or an equivalent method) updates the minimum severity threshold; subsequently generated messages at lower severities may be ignored. Levels are often expressed as numeric codes or named labels (for example, DEBUG, INFO, WARNING, ERROR, CRITICAL).

Beyond logging, setlevel is used in access control, feature toggling, or workflow state management to limit operations or visibility. For example, an application may setlevel to reflect a user's role or a configuration tier, thereby enabling or restricting functionality.

Implementation notes: the interface varies by language and library. Some APIs accept a numeric level; others require a symbolic constant. Input validation, type checking, and persistence of the level are common concerns. Documentation should describe the allowed values and the effect on downstream components.

See also: log level, severity, runlevel, access control level, configuration.