[Web-SIG] WSGI and Configuration

[Ian Bicking]

Robert Brewer wrote:
> Ian Bicking wrote:
> 
>>Has anyone thought about what configuration might look like in a WSGI 
>>context?  I'd like to set up some interface where 
>>configuration can be 
>>shared between frameworks.  It's also important to me that 
>>configuration 
>>can be local in some fashion, not process- or installation-wide.  For 
>>instance, override some configuration values for a specific 
>>URL hierarchy.
> 
> 
> Given: Application <-> gateway <-> ... <-> gateway <-> server
> 
> I can't think of any config data that would mean anything to any WSGI
> layer other than the application. Can you give an example of such?

Well, sure.  WSGIKit implements a lot of the pieces as middleware, and 
most of them could use some configuration.  Right now that configuration 
is in the constructor (i.e., keyword arguments to the middleware).

For instance URL Parsing is middleware.  You tell the URL parser where 
to look for applications, and it delegates to the application it finds. 
      It needs configuration to tell it where to look, how to map 
extensions, what files are private, etc.  Sessions are also middleware, 
and obviously could use some configuration.  One thing I'm dealing with 
now is the notion of an application root and working directory (since 
Webware has these notions, but WSGI doesn't); those will probably end up 
being configuration values.

Hmm... but now I'm feeling confused about it.  I'd like the session 
middleware to adopt configuration as it is defined when the session is 
used (which may be later than when the middleware is first invoked).  So 
I don't know how that fits into it all.

-- 
Ian Bicking  /  ianb at colorstudy.com  /  http://blog.ianbicking.org