Groups | Search | Server Info | Keyboard shortcuts | Login | Register [http] [https] [nntp] [nntps]


Groups > comp.lang.python > #94967

Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration

Newsgroups comp.lang.python
Date 2015-08-04 07:53 -0700
References <87k2teq9tb.fsf@Equus.decebal.nl>
Message-ID <663ad259-48e0-4eec-a946-7cd03805ddb1@googlegroups.com> (permalink)
Subject Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration
From marco.nawijn@colosso.nl

Show all headers | View raw


On Sunday, August 2, 2015 at 12:14:51 PM UTC+2, Cecil Westerhof wrote:
> There are a lot of ways to store configuration information:
> - conf file
> - xml file
> - database
> - json file
> - and possible a lot of other ways
> 
> I want to write a Python program to display cleaned log files. I do
> not think I need a lot of configuration to be stored:
> - some things relating to the GUI
> - default behaviour
> - default directory
> - log files to display, including some info
>   - At least until where it was displayed
> 
> Because of this I think a human readable file would be best.
> Personally I do not find XML very readable. So a conf or json file
> looks the most promising to me. And I would have a slight preference
> for a json file.
> 
> Any comments, thoughts or tips?
> 
> -- 
> Cecil Westerhof
> Senior Software Engineer
> LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/cecilwesterhof

Why not use Python files itself as configuration files?
I have done so several times and I am very pleased with
it. I have tried both INI and JSON, but in the end always
settled on using Python itself. If I have to share the
configuration information with other languages (like C++
or Javascript) I use JSON as the 

For those who are interested, I provide a short summary
below on how I handle configuration files.

The scenario I want to support is that there is a hierarchical
set of configuration files (as typically found in Unix like
systems) that can be stored in a system wide folder (like 
/etc/app), in a user folder (like /home/user/.config/app) and
in a local folder.

Each configuration file has a fixed name, not necessarily ending
in ".py". So for example, the name of the configuration file
is "config.myapp".

Next I start looking for the existence of these files and once
I find them I start merging all the configuration settings into
one Python dictionary. The function that I use can be found below.  
(you need proper import statements, but this is standard Python).

def load_config(config_file, checked=False):
    '''Small utility function to load external configuration files.
    
    '''
    if checked is False:
        if not isfile(config_file) or islink(config_file):
            msg = 'Config file "%s" does not exist.'
            LOGGER.warning(msg)
            return {}

    # Load the module object; we use the imp.load_source function because
    # the module configuration typically has a non-standard file extension
    # (by default the file is called "config.myapp")

    module_name = 'm%s' % str(uuid.uuid1()).replace('-', '')

    # Prevent bytecode generation for configuration files
    sys.dont_write_bytecode = True

    config_module = imp.load_source(module_name, config_file)

    # Continue with bytecode generation for other normal modules
    sys.dont_write_bytecode = False

    if not hasattr(config_module, '__config__'):
        msg = 'Missing "__config__" attribute in configuration file.'
        LOGGER.warning(msg)
        return {}

    else:
        return config_module.__config__

Back to comp.lang.python | Previous | NextPrevious in thread | Next in thread | Find similar | Unroll thread


Thread

Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration Cecil Westerhof <Cecil@decebal.nl> - 2015-08-02 12:11 +0200
  Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-08-02 20:49 +1000
  Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration Ben Finney <ben+python@benfinney.id.au> - 2015-08-02 21:54 +1000
    Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration Cecil Westerhof <Cecil@decebal.nl> - 2015-08-02 18:51 +0200
      Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration Lele Gaifax <lele@metapensiero.it> - 2015-08-02 22:02 +0200
      Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration Cameron Simpson <cs@zip.com.au> - 2015-08-03 08:49 +1000
      Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration Ben Finney <ben+python@benfinney.id.au> - 2015-08-03 11:16 +1000
  Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2015-08-02 16:12 +0100
  Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration Tim Chase <python.list@tim.thechases.com> - 2015-08-02 16:11 -0500
    Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration Dan Sommers <dan@tombstonezero.net> - 2015-08-03 04:02 +0000
      Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration Steven D'Aprano <steve@pearwood.info> - 2015-08-03 23:38 +1000
        Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-08-03 23:46 +1000
        Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2015-08-03 15:37 +0100
  Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration marco.nawijn@colosso.nl - 2015-08-04 07:53 -0700
    Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration Irmen de Jong <irmen.NOSPAM@xs4all.nl> - 2015-08-04 19:06 +0200
      Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration marco.nawijn@colosso.nl - 2015-08-04 11:37 -0700
    Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration Ben Finney <ben+python@benfinney.id.au> - 2015-08-05 05:59 +1000
      Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2015-08-05 18:32 +1000
        Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-08-05 20:01 +1000
    Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration Michael Torrie <torriem@gmail.com> - 2015-08-04 19:32 -0600
      Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration Grant Edwards <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2015-08-05 14:00 +0000
    Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration random832@fastmail.us - 2015-08-04 22:44 -0400
    Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration Michael Torrie <torriem@gmail.com> - 2015-08-04 22:48 -0600
      Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration Rustom Mody <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2015-08-04 21:55 -0700
        Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration Lele Gaifax <lele@metapensiero.it> - 2015-08-05 08:54 +0200
  Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration Tim Chase <python.list@tim.thechases.com> - 2015-08-05 08:18 -0500
    Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration Rustom Mody <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2015-08-05 06:37 -0700
      Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration Tim Chase <python.list@tim.thechases.com> - 2015-08-05 15:55 -0500
        Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2015-08-06 00:47 +0300
          Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration Tim Chase <python.list@tim.thechases.com> - 2015-08-05 18:43 -0500
          Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-08-06 10:07 +1000
            Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2015-08-06 17:33 +1000
              Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-08-06 17:51 +1000
        Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration Rustom Mody <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2015-08-05 18:01 -0700
          Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration Rustom Mody <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2015-08-05 18:06 -0700
  Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration Rustom Mody <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2015-08-05 06:46 -0700
    Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration Steven D'Aprano <steve@pearwood.info> - 2015-08-06 00:08 +1000
      Re: Most Pythonic way to store (small) configuration Rustom Mody <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2015-08-05 07:25 -0700

csiph-web