Configlayer: an attempt to simplify working with configurations

Python	Linux	Windows	MacOS
3.10
3.11

Features

Initially positioned as a convenient bridge between dataclass and ConfigParser,
but later was split into optional modules and added extra functionality:

• Profiles module (cfg.profiles) - a lot of functions for config profiles manipulation:
  • Profiles: get, set, clear, rename and switch
  • Groups: get and del, set at init only ('group' keyword)
• I/O module (cfg.io) - export/import functions, if needed custom save/load
• File module (cfg.file) - save/load functions for ini config files (use I/O)
• Config groups - simultaneous switch/rename of several configs profiles (use profiles)
• On set handlers (cfg.*_on_set) - calling a user-defined function for changed field(s)
• Options (cfg.options) - change defaults in several functions (waits rewrite in future)
• Data validation (implemented in utils module, but maybe pydantic should be used)
• Batch fields get (cfg.get_*) - data, defaults, types, changed states, params, on_set handlers
• Batch fields set (cfg.set_*) - data and defaults only
• Besides ConfigBase, there is also LanguageBase - use fixed 'language' group, and 'str' type

Todo list

• Add docs..
• Add optional autosave (time interval, at exit)
• Add optional get_value_func and pooling_sec to Field (for environment variables, etc.)
• Add optional history of fields/profiles changes (for undo/redo)
• Add config versions (import from older configs by dev-provided functions)
• Add multiple configs in single file (if profiles disabled)
• Add modules support, for example __init__(modules={'db': DataBaseBridge}) (cfg.db)
• Add several active profiles support (with different active fields, override by last one)
• Add logging..
• Do something with utils module - make a separate library or simplify it
• Rebuilt Options to set default methods params at init and change it during execution

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Installing

Recommended way (without '--user' - elevated privileges needed, if a system interpreter is used)

pip install --user configlayer

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Minimal usage example

from configlayer import ConfigBase


class Config(ConfigBase):
    param: str = 'Some str'


data = Config('cfg.ini')  # Load from file if exists, else check save file possibility 
data.param = 'Another str'
data.cfg.file.save()

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Other examples

Common part

from ast import literal_eval                # Needed only for custom fields import from str
from configlayer import ConfigBase, Field   # Field is needed only for custom fields I/O


# Configuration fields with types and factory defaults
class Config(ConfigBase):
    """Main"""  # optional verbose config name at first __doc__ line
    auto: bool = False
    tab: int = 0
    param: str = 'factory default'
    items: list = []
    items_custom_io: list = Field([], lambda x: f'{x}custom', lambda x: literal_eval(x[:-6]))

Simple config file

# Init config from file, if it exists
data = Config('config simple.ini')

# Set fields ways
data.param = 'field'
data.cfg.set_fields({'auto': True, 'items': ['some']})

# Set user defaults 
data.cfg.set_defaults({'tab': 1, 'items_custom_io': ['default']})

# Save changes to file (no autosave yet, planned)
data.cfg.file.save()

Profiles config file

# Init config with profiles support (file has additional internal section)
data = Config('config profiles.ini', profiles=True)
profiles = data.cfg.profiles

# Set defaults ways (at this stage - default profile selected, set fields ways change defaults)
data.param = 'default'
data.cfg.set_fields({'auto': True, 'tab': 2})
data.cfg.set_defaults({'items': ['default'], 'items_custom_io': ['default']})

# Add new profiles and switch to it ways
profiles.set('Profile 1', {'auto': False, 'tab': 0})

## 'auto' and 'tab' at factory defaults, 'items' and 'items_custom_io' at user defaults
profiles.switch('Profile 1')

## the same as 'Profile 1', due to copy from currently selected profile
profiles.switch('Profile 2', add=True, add_current=True)

## all fields copied from user defaults
profiles.switch('Profile 3', add=True)

# Rename current profile
profiles.rename('New profile')

# Rename selected profile
profiles.rename('New profile 2', 'Profile 2')

# Save changes to file (no autosave yet, planned)
data.cfg.file.save()

Simple RAM-only config, with I/O operations

# Init config only in RAM with export/import functions access
data1 = Config(io=True)
data1.param = 'field'
exported = data1.cfg.io.export_config()

data2 = Config(io=True)
data2.cfg.io.import_config(exported)
assert data1 == data2