The Python Way for module configuration?

Ben Finney ben+python at benfinney.id.au
Sat Jun 27 23:28:31 EDT 2009


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kj <no.email at please.post> writes:

> But, minimally, the module needs to have some configuration details to
> know where to get the data. There are many ways to provide this
> configuration data to the module, but I would like to know what's
> considered "best practice" for this type of problem in the Python
> world.
> 
> Ideally, I'm looking for a system that is unobtrusive under normal
> operations, but easy to override during testing and debugging.

The standard library provides the ability to parse plain text
configuration files and populate a collection of values for
configuration. The module's name is changing to conform to the library
standards; see <URL:http://docs.python.org/library/configparser>.

This way, you can customise the execution of your program by modifying
configuration settings in a non-executable configuration file. It also
allows a cascade of overrides, for e.g. user-specific configuration
overrides or test-specific overrides, etc.

-- 
 \          “It is well to remember that the entire universe, with one |
  `\   trifling exception, is composed of others.” —John Andrew Holmes |
_o__)                                                                  |
Ben Finney



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