[PEAK] Specifying an .ini file

[Phillip J. Eby]

At 04:57 PM 6/17/04 -0700, darryl wrote:
>Is this terribly bad form?
>
>root = 
>config.makeRoot(iniFiles=[('peak','peak.ini'),('mypackage','myconfig.ini')]))

Nope; that's (partly) what 'iniFiles' is there for, if you want to create a 
custom startup script.

But I find it hard to think of a circumstance where I'd do that, 
personally.  I suppose on Windows it might be convenient to be able to 
double-click on a .py file and launch it, in place of trying to launch an 
.ini file.

(However, there's nothing stopping you in that case from using a '.peak' 
extension and configuring Windows to run 'python.exe peak runIni' on them!)

Anyway, there are several other methods available to do what you're asking 
about, I mention them here so you have a choice and so that other people 
aren't led to believe that your suggestion is the only way or even the 
preferable way for their circumstance.  :)

You can:

* Specify one or more .ini files in the PEAK_CONFIG environment variable, 
using the platform's path separator (e.g. ':' on Posix-like OSes, ';' on 
DOS/Windows) to separate them

* Create an .ini file that loads other .ini files, using:

     [Load Settings From]
     file = "some.filename"

* Create an .ini file that runs your application, rather than an 
application that loads an .ini file.  You do this by specifying something like:

     [Import on Demand]
     my_appmodule = "some.package.containing.my_appmodule"

     [peak.running]
     app = my_appmodule.MyAppClass

  And then you can run it using 'peak runIni myApp.ini'

* Make your .ini file executable, by putting '#!peak runIni' or something 
similar at the top of it

* Name .ini files something other than .ini, if you like; it's the 'peak 
runIni' that causes them to be interpreted as that format.

* You can manually load an .ini file into *any* configurable component, 
using 'config.loadConfigFile(component,filename)'.

Hmm, is that everything?  Anyway, there are a great many ways to do it, 
although which one is the One Obvious Way To Do It may vary according to 
your circumstances.  :)

For me, the One Obvious Way is executable .ini files in Posix runtime 
environments.  For Windows, just make program shortcut icons that run the 
equivalent of 'peak runIni' on your root configuration file.  This is the 
method requiring the least boilerplate to activate an application, because 
you need only add the 'peak.running.app' definition to the .ini file, and 
don't have to write any extra setup code in a script.