Re: A standard package for config files is needed

[Preben Randhol <randhol+abuse@pvv.org>]

On 30 May 2002 10:52:28 -0700, Ted Dennison wrote:
> "Marin David Condic" <dont.bother.mcondic.auntie.spam@[acm.org> wrote in message news:<ad3bbh$p54$1@nh.pace.co.uk>...
>> Well, my understanding of the original post was that it was a hypothetical
> ...
>> registry???" Not that it had to duplicate exactly what the registry does -

No.

> The file format for something like this has to be flat text for a
> number of reasons, not limited to:
> 
>    o Useability - On many systems the whole point of a configuration
> file is that it can be edited off-line without using any special tools
> or programs.
>    o Portability - Use of this package should not, in and of itself,
> render a system non-portable. It would be almost impossible to come up
> with a binary format that is portable. It can be done, but using text
> as the format is probably the easiest way.

Good.

> You are absolutely right that this opens a big can of worms as to what
> the proper format should be. That's why I'm most interested in if its
> possible to reach some kind of consensus on what the format should be.

Yes

> Just to lift another rock; I've seen programs that use CSV for
> configuration files. This allows the files to be easily manipluated
> with common database or spreadsheet tools. It also allows for easy
> addition of all sorts of attributes.

Lets keep it simple. I don't know what CSV is, but if somebody has to
install a database to use my small program then I think they would look
elsewhere. Me too for that matter :-)

Although tangent-surfing can be fun exercise for the mind, let's try not
to do it. I would like a package that can be used on any platform without
problems. If I am to run an application on both windows and linux (as
Ada gives me this possibility) I am not interested in configuring the
program twice. I want to do it on one of the platforms and then simply
copy the configuration file to the other. The only exception is of
course when directory paths are in the configuration file, but this is
of no concern to the package in question.

If people want to use the Window register and make a Windows only
application, it is fine by me, but at least this should be put in a
separate package.

Preben