Better behavior when no configuration file is found

[ehmicky]

Follow-up on #497.

Using a configuration file is optional. As such, the configuration defaults to an empty object when no configuration file is found. No exceptions are thrown.

Please note:

• when no configuration file is found, we do print some message indicating no configuration file was found.
• when a --config path was explicitly specified, we do throw an error if it cannot be found

However it might be possible that no configuration files might have been found due to wrong user configuration. The only way I can think of would be when the configuration file was saved under a wrong filename. We could use Levenshtein distance or similar approach to try to guess when this happens, in order to print an error message.

[jlengstorf]

I would just print a notice:

NOTICE: No config file found. Using default settings. For more info: <link>

That way we're not guessing (that could bite us), but we're making it clear that their settings aren't being picked up.

Could also be good to notify where the config came from:

Reading config from `/netlify.toml`. Any settings not declared will use the defaults. For more info: <link>

[ehmicky]

This should already be the current behavior:

• when no configuration file is found, we print a similar notice
• when a configuration file is found, we print its location

Do you think this is enough? If so, I can close this issue.

[jlengstorf]

Do we have docs on how config works (e.g. do defaults get inherited? is that consistent across .toml/.yml/Netlify dev?)? if so, I'd love to see those linked from the notice.

If not, maybe that's a new issue?

[DavidWells]

@jlengstorf the values in the config file take precedence, if required values are missing they are inherited from the site settings from the UI

[DavidWells]

Netlify dev doesn't read json/yml yet. It will once this is merged in a day or so netlify/cli#616

[jlengstorf]

@DavidWells I don't think that's universally true. For example setting any config in the dev section causes dev to break without all options being set (as far as I can tell; lots of port errors).

Either way, it would be good to link people to the docs where we explain this so they can learn for themselves how config is managed.

[DavidWells]

For example setting any config in the dev section causes dev to break without all options being set (as far as I can tell; lots of port errors).

This sounds like a dev error in the CLI. There is a-lot of confusion around the netlify dev settings and ports in general netlify/cli#563. If you have ideas to make netlify dev and it's related configuration please let me know 😃

[ehmicky]

@jlengstorf @DavidWells Should this issue be closed?

[jlengstorf]

Personally, I wouldn't close this until there are links to docs in the warnings and/or an issue is open to create clearer docs around defaults and config composition.

[github-actions]

This issue has been automatically marked as stale because it has not had activity in 1 year. It will be closed in 14 days if no further activity occurs. Thanks!

[github-actions]

This issue was closed because it had no activity for over 1 year.