Fix configuration

[michaeljoseph]

Exporting environment variables is wack.
We need a configuration file that peeps can customise.
Any objections to https://pypi.python.org/pypi/config/0.3.7 and json configs?

[skoczen]

I actually rather like exporting environment variables - it enforces that your secrets are never checked into your repo, Just Works on every platform, and makes it clear what info you're providing to the app.

I agree that there are a lot of vars to set for will, and that's annoying, but once they're set in your prod server, boxen, postactivate, etc, you're done.

What's the argument for their wack-itude?

[michaeljoseph]

Ok, so, what I'm looking for is a thing I can run, to run your application.
Also envvars are cool and portable but what I'd like, is a configuration file with the stuff that I have to copy+paste from the README.
And something standard, like config?
Also, we can support both?

[skoczen]

So what I do locally is put the exports in my bin/postactivate file in the virtualenv. It's a one-time set, and then things Just Work. My commands to run will:

workon my_will
./run_will.py

Such a setup is pretty standard from what I see colleagues do in entirely different codebases, and mirrors the best-practices of a number of PAAS stacks. In this space, the biggest bot of them all, github's hubot follows the same standard. Given all that, I'm a bit resistant to add another layer of config. However, if there's a strong case for it, I'm definitely listening!

As for supporting both, I yield to the Zen of Python:

There should be one-- and preferably only one --obvious way to do it.

[michaeljoseph]

Ok cool, then let's document and recommend that then?

[skoczen]

Sounds good - have a couple min this AM, so will get this and reqs pushed.

[skoczen]

Pushed, let me know if you think more documentation would be helpful!