Why config_cascade merge is not recursive

[sinavir]

$config_cascade is merged with default values here : https://github.com/splitbrain/dokuwiki/blob/6fd2d4b07c014a9eb907759ea660163bf766558e/inc/config_cascade.php#L8

It seems to me that a recursive merge with array_merge_recursive function would be more appropriate in order to avoid redefining large blocks of $config_cascade in preload.php

Is there any reasons against using a deep merge ?

[Klap-in]

So you mean that if I add to preload.php:
$config_cascade['main']['protected']=array('extrafile')
It will overwrite array(DOKU_CONF . 'local.protected.php')?
Does this also happen for if you set the it to another key?
$config_cascade['main']['protected'][1]='extrafile'

I understand it as that array_merge() overrides entries with the same key? That can also be considered as intentional in this design. That current design allows you to override entries. But indeed, extending the array is then more effort.

I do not know what the intention was exactly. The text above the config cascade suggests override is on purpose. Also changing to array_merge_recursive() is probably not directly backwards compatible.
This often is used to change current path to other file structure, e.g. with a farm/animal structure.

[Chris--S]

per Klap-in, that is the intention, to allow people to override particular parts of the config. array_merge does that, array_merge_recursive doesn't.

I do that to keep the server updatable local files (users.auth.php, acl.auth.php) in a separate part of the file system*. I assign just those keys to $config_cascade in preload.php.

If you wish to make larger changes, include config_cascade.php from your preload.php and assign the extra keys you wish.

• makes it much easier to make archive policies by whole parts of the directory tree (i.e. exclude source controlled areas) and easier to replicate environments.

[sinavir]

Ok I understand why recursive is not the right solution : With that you're not able to override paths, just to add some.

The goal I wanted to achieve was to override $config_cascade['main']['local'] without having to specify $config_cascade['main']['protected'] in preload.php (because when preload.php gets executed, we don't have DOKU_CONF so we can't copy-paste the default and must give a hardcoded path)

[Klap-in]

Aha, so the issue for you is that if you set main-local, also main-protected is deleted. Is that because the key ‘main’ is the same, and therefore the entire array set to ‘main’ is overriden?

[Chris--S]

@Klap-in yes, the top level of the array is merged, so ['main'] will be replaced. An argument could be made for a config_merge() which would iterate over the top level keys and perform array_merge on each. Possibly that wouldn't be a breaking change - guessing that people replacing config keys at the top level are using the same key names at the second level.

[Klap-in]

Ok, in that case a pull request is welcome including unit tests.

Eventually, inspiration from existing test: https://github.com/splitbrain/dokuwiki/pull/3349/files

[sinavir]

Ok, I can write the PR but I'm not confident in writing the unit test. Any help is welcome