Python: How would you save a simple settings/config file?

Question

I don\'t care if it\'s JSON, pickle, YAML, or whatever.

All other implementations I have seen are not forwards compatible, so

Answer 1

ConfigParser Basic example

The file can be loaded and used like this:

#!/usr/bin/env python

import ConfigParser
import io

# Load the configuration file
with open("config.yml") as f:
    sample_config = f.read()
config = ConfigParser.RawConfigParser(allow_no_value=True)
config.readfp(io.BytesIO(sample_config))

# List all contents
print("List all contents")
for section in config.sections():
    print("Section: %s" % section)
    for options in config.options(section):
        print("x %s:::%s:::%s" % (options,
                                  config.get(section, options),
                                  str(type(options))))

# Print some contents
print("\nPrint some contents")
print(config.get('other', 'use_anonymous'))  # Just get the value
print(config.getboolean('other', 'use_anonymous'))  # You know the datatype?

which outputs

List all contents
Section: mysql
x host:::localhost:::
x user:::root:::
x passwd:::my secret password:::
x db:::write-math:::
Section: other
x preprocessing_queue:::["preprocessing.scale_and_center",
"preprocessing.dot_reduction",
"preprocessing.connect_lines"]:::
x use_anonymous:::yes:::

Print some contents
yes
True

As you can see, you can use a standard data format that is easy to read and write. Methods like getboolean and getint allow you to get the datatype instead of a simple string.

Writing configuration

import os
configfile_name = "config.yaml"

# Check if there is already a configurtion file
if not os.path.isfile(configfile_name):
    # Create the configuration file as it doesn't exist yet
    cfgfile = open(configfile_name, 'w')

    # Add content to the file
    Config = ConfigParser.ConfigParser()
    Config.add_section('mysql')
    Config.set('mysql', 'host', 'localhost')
    Config.set('mysql', 'user', 'root')
    Config.set('mysql', 'passwd', 'my secret password')
    Config.set('mysql', 'db', 'write-math')
    Config.add_section('other')
    Config.set('other',
               'preprocessing_queue',
               ['preprocessing.scale_and_center',
                'preprocessing.dot_reduction',
                'preprocessing.connect_lines'])
    Config.set('other', 'use_anonymous', True)
    Config.write(cfgfile)
    cfgfile.close()

results in

[mysql]
host = localhost
user = root
passwd = my secret password
db = write-math

[other]
preprocessing_queue = ['preprocessing.scale_and_center', 'preprocessing.dot_reduction', 'preprocessing.connect_lines']
use_anonymous = True

XML Basic example

Seems not to be used at all for configuration files by the Python community. However, parsing / writing XML is easy and there are plenty of possibilities to do so with Python. One is BeautifulSoup:

from BeautifulSoup import BeautifulSoup

with open("config.xml") as f:
    content = f.read()

y = BeautifulSoup(content)
print(y.mysql.host.contents[0])
for tag in y.other.preprocessing_queue:
    print(tag)

where the config.xml might look like this

    
        localhost
        root
        my secret password
        write-math
    
    
        
            
preprocessing.scale_and_center
            
preprocessing.dot_reduction
            
preprocessing.connect_lines