README.md

Future-Config

Future config is a configuration system and a set of libraries to make this system work in different programming languages. Currently supported languages are Python and Java.

Why another config format?

Future-Config is designed for complicated projects with dozens or hundereds configurable properties that needs to be appropriately structured. If you want a very basic config system, you should opt for some well-established alternative. The following table lists the features of Future-Config and the support of those features in different config formats.

	Future-Config	ini	XML	YAML	TOML	JSON
Simple Datatypes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Objects	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Arrays	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes
Variables	yes	no	no	no	no	no
Unlimited Hierarchy	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes
Comments	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no
Config Class Generation	yes	no	yes	yes	no	yes
Master/Local Configs	yes	no	no	no	no	no
Config Inheritance	yes	no	no	no	no	no

Usage

Python

1. pip install fconfig
2. Create your master config file in your project's resources
3. Generate config classes:

   from fconfig import configuration
   configuration.generate_config()
   

4. Use the generated config classes:

   import yourproject.confi.zourproject_config.config
   

Java

Syntax

Base Types

string: "String"

int: 1

float: 1.0

boolean: true

negative_int: -3

negative_float: -2.0

Objects

object:
{
	string: 'test'
	integer: 9
	float: 1.23
}

Arrays

array:
[
	1
	5
	6
]

Variables

string: 'string'

composed_string: 'composed ' + $string

Complex Example

object_hierarchy:
{
	inner_object:
	{
		integer: 987654
		composed: $string + ' is funny to compose'
		inner_inner_object:
		{
			float: 9.87654
			composed: $object_hierarchy.inner_object.composed + ' multiple times'
			array:
			[
				1
				2
				3
			]
		}
		boolean: false
	}
	another_string: 'another_string'

	array_of_objects:
	[
		{
			animal: "bear"
			legs: 4
		}
		{
			animal: "chicken"
			legs: 2
		}
	]
}

Principles

• Config propagation to config instances of the dependencies is handled automatically by the builder. The data transfer is a part of the generated code.
• There is only one config instance per project. Dependency config instance in the main/child project is the same as in the dependency project.
• dependency configs need to be specified in a form of key value pairs, where:
  • key is the name (key) of the in the master config file of the main project
  • value is the specification of the dependency config