[request] Clarify Behavior When Using Environment Specific .env Alongside a Generic .env in README

[Undistraction]

From trawling through the issues it appears that Dotenv will load a .env file and then any environment specific files: env.staging etc.

However this isn't clear from the README. Please add clarification for the behaviour:

1. Does Dotenv always load a .env file even if there is an environmental specific file aswell? In what order?
2. If so, and a variable is defined in the .env file, what happens if it is defined again in the environmental specific file? Is it overridden?

It would also be worth mentioning that Dotenv is used by Foreman as I think that is a good selling point.

[allaire]

Yes, clarification would be gladly appreciated. Meanwhile, can anyone explain @1ndivisible 's questions?

Thanks!

[nelsonenzo]

Along these lines, are there extra configuration requirements for it to load the .env.development file? I can only define variables in .env right now, using Rails 2.3.5., the .env.development does not appear to be loading when I start the application.

[Undistraction]

@nelsonenzo

From dotenv/lib/dotenv/railtie.rb you can see that Dotenv loads two files. A file called .env and a file whos name is build using .env. suffixed by the the name of the current environment:

Dotenv.load ".env.#{Rails.env}", '.env'

[chischaschos]

I'm under the same confusion, I thought the .env.ENVIRONMENT files would be up loaded automatically, but it doesn't.

I read this https://github.com/bkeepers/dotenv/blob/master/lib/dotenv/railtie.rb#L14, so basically if you don't use rails you need to manually indicate the .env files you want (when using environment specific settings).

I think the README should specify this.

I ended up doing this: https://github.com/chischaschos/scanty/blob/master/main.rb#L5

[bkeepers]

Pull requests are welcome.

Note that the auto-loading of ".env.#{Rails.env}" is going to be split out into a separate gem soon (#95).