#2240: Improve the config system of TG2
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Reporter: chrisz | Owner:
Type: defect | Status: new
Priority: high | Milestone: __unclassified__
Component: TurboGears | Version: 2.0b6
Severity: major | Keywords: config
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The current configuration system of TG2 is somewhat confusing and error-
prone.
Actually we have two configuration systems which in my view are both
problematic: The `*.ini` files and the `*_cfg.py` files.
1) The problem with the `*.ini` files is that - unlike TG1 - the settings
are not evaluated. So if you set `my.setting = false`, your setting will
be actually the string `'false'`, not the boolean value `False`. Same
problem for ints, lists or other Python objects. So you need to evaluate
the config settings with functions like `asbool()` which is inconvenient,
not performant and you can easily forget to do this.
2) The problem with the `*._cfg.py` is that you have to write
`base_config['my.setting'] = False` instead of simply `my.setting = false`
which is much clearer and easier to write if you have many settings. Also,
persons who need to customize application specific settings may not always
be Python coders and can easily mess up things in the `*.py` files.
But the main problem is that both syntax and semantics of the 2 config
systems differ. I.e. if you move a setting from `app_cfg.py` to
`deployment.ini`, then you need to change the notation and you need to
change the way how you access the setting in your application in case it
is not a string.
Suggested solution:
1) Use !ConfigObj instead of !ConfigParser for the `*.ini` files (maybe
also rename them to `*.cfg` to make this change more obvious).
Alternatively, use !ConfigParser, but evaluate the settings immediately
after reading the config file. This is also how it is done by !CherryPy.
This way the TG2 config system would also become more compatible with TG1
again.
2) Maybe add a file `base_cfg.py` that gets imported as `base_config` in
`app_cfg.py`. Then you can simply set `setting = False` in `base_cfg.py`
instead of `base_config.setting = False` in `app_cfg.py`.
3) Alternatively or in addition to `base_cfg.py`, there should be a
normal `app.ini` resp. `app.cfg` file. In my projects I have many settings
that are application specific, but need to be customized by the person who
is deploying the application (who may not be a Python coder), not by an
application developer.
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Ticket URL: <http://trac.turbogears.org/ticket/2240>
TurboGears <http://www.turbogears.org/>
TurboGears front-to-back web development
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