varfile 0.1.1

A simple parser for .var variable files with object-mapping support

varfile

varfile is a fast, lightweight, zero-dependency Python library for working with .var configuration files. It combines the simplicity of INI-style configs with Python-friendly object access, automatic type conversion, and easy file editing.

Features

• Dot Notation Access Access configuration values naturally:

  config.Database.host
  

  instead of:

  config["Database"]["host"]
  

• Automatic Type Conversion Values are automatically converted to the appropriate Python types:

  • int
  • float
  • bool
  • str

• Easy Editing Modify values directly in memory and save them back to disk with a single command.

• Robust Parsing Handles comments, special characters, URLs containing #, and other common edge cases.

• Clean Serialization Preserves formatting conventions such as lowercase booleans (true / false) when writing files.

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Installation

Install with pip:

pip install varfile

Or with uv:

uv add varfile

or

uv pip install varfile

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Quick Start

1. Create a .var File

Create a file named demo.var:

# Global settings
app_name = "Varfile Demo"
environment = "development"
debug_mode = true
max_users = 150

[Database]
host = "127.0.0.1"
port = 5432
timeout = 45.8
enabled = false
url = "https://varfiletest.com/#user1"

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2. Read Configuration Values

Load a file and access values using dot notation:

import varfile

config = varfile.load("demo.var")

print(config.app_name)          # Varfile Demo
print(config.max_users)         # 150
print(config.Database.port)     # 5432
print(config.Database.enabled)  # False

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3. Modify and Save Values

Update values in memory and write them back to the file:

import varfile

config = varfile.load("demo.var")

config.max_users = 100
config.Database.port = 5000

varfile.dump(config, "demo.var")

print("Configuration updated successfully!")

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4. Create a Configuration From Scratch

You can also build configuration files programmatically:

import varfile

config = varfile.VarConfig()

config.new_setting = "Hello World"
config.user_count = 1

config.FeatureToggle = {
    "dark_mode": True,
    "beta_tester": False
}

varfile.dump(config, "new_config.var")

Generated new_config.var:

new_setting = "Hello World"
user_count = 1

[FeatureToggle]
dark_mode = true
beta_tester = false

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API Reference

Function / Class	Description
varfile.load(filepath)	Load a .var file from disk and return a VarConfig object.
varfile.dump(config, filepath)	Save a VarConfig object to a .var file.
varfile.loads(string_data)	Parse .var content from a string.
varfile.dumps(config)	Convert a configuration object into .var formatted text.
varfile.VarConfig()	Create a new empty configuration container with dot notation support.

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Why varfile?

Many configuration formats are either too limited or unnecessarily complex. varfile aims to provide a middle ground:

• Easy to read
• Easy to edit
• Python-friendly
• No external dependencies
• Clean object-style access

Whether you're building a small script or a larger application, varfile keeps configuration management simple.