Read config file(s) with Python module

Description

This module is a set of OOP methods to read a config file and provide access to its sections, keywords and values. A section is a grouping of keyword = values. A section begins at the beginning of a line and the keywords for that section are indented. A keyword can point to a scalar value, an array of values, or an associative array of values.

Lines can be continued across multiple lines by ending a line with a backslash. Values are separated by commas. To have a comma or a backslash as part of the data, escape them with a backslash.

Other config files can be included, to any depth, via a #include line.

Comments begin with a '#' character (if it isn't a #include) and blank lines are ignored.

To preserve whitespace around values, use matching single or double quotes around a value.

An optional definitions file can be provided so that a different separator than a comma can be given, restriction to a set of allowed values, and provide the type of value there instead of in the main config file. These can be specified for a specific keyword within a section, or globally to a keyword that may be present in multiple sections.

If a definitions file is provided, then keywords cannot be in the config file, unless they are defined in the definitions file. Unless the option 'AcceptUndefinedKeywords' is provided and set to 'yes'.

If a 'type' is provided in both the config file and the definitions file for a section/keyword, then they must match. One does not over-ride the other.

To see documentation, do a pydoc config

Class methods

• set_debug()

Instance methods

• get_sections()
• get_keywords()
• get_type()
• get_values()

Config file example

# This is a comment
section-name1:
    keyword1 (scalar) = value1
    keyword2          = value2
    keyword3          = 'this is a really big multi-line \
                         value with spaces on the end   '
    keyword4 (array)  = val1, val2, 'val 3   ', val4
    keyword5 (hash)   = v1 = this, \
                        v2 = " that ", \
                        v3 = fooey

#include some/other/file.conf

section-name2:
    keyword4      = This keyword4 is separate from the \
                    keyword4 in the section section-name1
    something     = 'This has a comma here \, in the data'

section-name1:
    more-stuff    = more stuff for section-name1

Definitions file example

 # This keyword1 will only apply to section section-name1
 keyword                = section-name1:keyword1
 type                   = array
 separator              = ;
 allowed-values         = val1, val2, val3, \
                          'val 4   '

 # this keyword2 will apply to all sections
 keyword                = keyword2
 type                   = hash
 separator              = ,

Code example

#!/usr/bin/env python3

from config_moxad import config
import sys

try:
    conf = config.Config( 'configs/config.conf', 'configs/config-defs.conf',
                           AcceptUndefinedKeywords=1)
except ( IOError, SyntaxError, ValueError ) as err:
    sys.stderr.write( '%s\n' % str(err))
    sys.exit(1)

sections = conf.get_sections()
for section in sections:
    print( section + ':' )
    keywords = conf.get_keywords( section )
    for keyword in keywords:
        print( "\t" + keyword + ':' )

        try:
            type = conf.get_type( section, keyword )
        except ( ValueError ) as err:
            sys.stderr.write( '%s\n' % str(err))
            sys.exit(1)

        try:
            values = conf.get_values( section, keyword )
        except ( ValueError ) as err:
            sys.stderr.write( '%s\n' % str(err))
            sys.exit(1)

        if type == 'scalar':
            print( '\t\t\'' + values + "'" )
        elif type == 'array':
            for v in values:
                print( "\t\t\'" + v + "\'" )
        elif type == 'hash':
            keys = list( values )
            for key in keys:
                print( '\t\t' + key + ' = ' + "\'" + values[ key ] + "\'" )
        else:
            print( '\t\tunknown type: ' + type )