m3w-inicheck 0.3.0

inicheck is an high level configuration file checker enabling developers tight control over their users configuration files

What is inicheck?

inicheck is an advanced configuration file checker/manager enabling developers high end control over their users configuration files. inicheck is specifcially aimed at files that adhere to the .ini format. See wiki for more info on the file standards https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INI_file .

Objectives

The goal of inicheck was to reduce endless logic gates and repeat code for software that required complicated configuration files. We also wanted to centralize options for an ever changing repo. We have a lot of experience with codes that required config files that could easily have 1000 different configurations. So from that need inicheck has been born.

Basic Principles

inicheck requires a master config file to operate. The master config file is a gold standard files provided by the developer of a package. The master config (sometimes called the core config) provides the rules for every configuration file that is passed to the software. There the developer can set types, constrain options, documentation strings and defaults. The developer can also create recipes that can be triggered when a user has a specific combination of config file entries.

Once a master config file is created, all config files can be passed through the standards laid out in there. From there the software can provide feedback to the user about why their file is being rejected. The master file also enables the user to have really simple config files that have larger meaning. With recipes and defaults, a user can provide relatively little and the developer can still move forward without have a ridiculous amount of logic to handle scenarios.

• Free software: GNU General Public License v3

• Documentation: https://inicheck.readthedocs.io.

Features

• .ini file generating

• Config file checking

• Config file warning and error reporting

• Command line interface

• Apply defaults

• Auto cast items into the correct types.

• Constrain users by designated options

• Create recipes to ensure the right settings are in place

• Use custom types for your config file

• Use multiple master config files for cleaner files

• Auto config file documentation

• Create changelogs to automatically manage deprecated config options

Credits

inicheck has been developed at the USDA-ARS-NWRC during efforts towards creating highly configurable, physically based watershed modeling software.

inicheck originally was based on config parser and with time went away from it. We would not be here with that base and for that were grateful.

This package was created with Cookiecutter and the audreyr/cookiecutter-pypackage project template.