= KVC

http://github.com/stephencelis/kvc


== DESCRIPTION

KVC (Key-Value Configuration) provides a powerful, transparent way to maintain
mutable app settings in the database.


== FEATURES/PROBLEMS

* Transparent: no generators or migrations to run.
* Powerful: quick access; automatic updates; scales quickly.

For more rigidity/safety: http://github.com/stephencelis/acts_as_singleton


== SYNOPSIS

Need a mutable setting in the database? Just add it, KVC-style:

  KVC.key = "value"


You're set.

Any value will do:

  KVC.last_import = Time.zone.now


However you do:

  KVC.site_messages.unshift("Downtime expected at 0800.").pop


Store related settings together in a hash to reduce queries:

  KVC.homepage_settings = { ... }.with_indifferent_access
  KVC.homepage_settings # => { ... }


If need be, validate specific key values in an initializer:

  # config/initializers/kvc_config.rb
  KVC::Settings.config do
    validates("password") { |value| value =~ /\d+/ }
  end


== REQUIREMENTS

* Rails 2.3.2 or greater.


== INSTALL

=== As a gem

Install:

  % gem install stephencelis-kvc --source=http://gems.github.com


And configure:

  config.gem "stephencelis-kvc",
    :lib => "kvc",
    :source => "http://gems.github.com"


=== As a plugin

Install:

  % script/plugin install git://github.com/stephencelis/kvc.git


Or submodule:

  % git submodule add git://github.com/stephencelis/kvc.git vendor/plugins/kvc


=== Anything else?

Just restart your server, and you should be good to go. The key-value table
will migrate transparently when the model first loads.

If you uninstall the plugin, you will be prompted to drop the table (to drop
the table at any time, execute the "kvc:drop_table" Rake task).


== LICENSE

(The MIT License)

(c) 2009-* Stephen Celis, stephen@stephencelis.com.

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy 
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal 
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights 
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell 
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is 
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.