/ 
Config-Model-2.154
River stage two • 11 direct dependents • 11 total dependents
/ Config::Model::Backend::Any

NAME

Config::Model::Backend::Any - Virtual class for other backends

VERSION

version 2.154

SYNOPSIS

package Config::Model::Backend::Foo ;
use Mouse ;

extends 'Config::Model::Backend::Any';

# mandatory
sub read {
   my $self = shift ;
   my %args = @_ ;

   # args are:
   # root       => './my_test',  # fake root directory, used for tests
   # config_dir => /etc/foo',    # absolute path
   # file       => 'foo.conf',   # file name
   # file_path  => Path::Tiny object for './my_test/etc/foo/foo.conf'
   # check      => yes|no|skip

   return 0 unless $args{file_path}->exists ; # or die, your choice

   # read the file line by line
   # we assume the file contain lines like 'key=value'
   foreach ($args{file_path}->lines_utf8) {
       chomp ;   # remove trailing \n
       s/#.*// ; # remove any comment
       next unless /\S/; # skip blank line

       # $data is 'foo=bar' which is compatible with load 
       $self->node->load(steps => $_, check => $args{check} ) ;
   }
   return 1 ;
}

# mandatory
sub write {
   my $self = shift ;
   my %args = @_ ;

   # args are:
   # root       => './my_test',  # fake root directory, used for tests
   # config_dir => /etc/foo',    # absolute path 
   # file       => 'foo.conf',   # file name
   # file_path  => Path::Tiny object for './my_test/etc/foo/foo.conf'
   # check      => yes|no|skip

   # read the content of the configuration tree
   my @lines;
   foreach my $elt ($self->node->children) {
       # read the value from element $elt
       my $v = $self->node->grab_value($elt) ;

       # write value in file
       push @lines,qq!$elt="$v"\n! if defined $v ;
   }

   $args{file_path}->spew_utf8(@lines);
   return 1;
}

DESCRIPTION

Some application have configuration files with a syntax which is not supported by existing Config::Model::Backend::* classes.

In this case a new backend must be written. Config::Model::Backend::Any was created to facilitate this task.

The new backend class must use Mouse and must extends (inherit) Config::Model::Backend::Any.

How to write your own backend

Declare the new backend in a node of the model

As explained in "Backend specification" in Config::Model::BackendMgr, the new backend must be declared as an attribute of a Config::Model::Node specification.

Let's say your new backend is Config::Model::Backend::Foo. This new backend can be specified with:

rw_config  => {
   backend    => 'Foo' , # can also be 'foo'
   config_dir => '/etc/cfg_dir'
   file       => 'foo.conf', # optional
}

(The backend class name is constructed with ucfirst($backend_name))

rw_config can also have custom parameters that are passed verbatim to Config::Model::Backend::Foo methods:

rw_config  => {
   backend    => 'Foo' , # can also be 'foo'
   config_dir => '/etc/cfg_dir'
   file       => 'foo.conf', # optional
   my_param   => 'my_value',
}

Config::Model::Backend::Foo class must inherit (extend) Config::Model::Backend::Any and is expected to provide the following methods:

read

read is called with the following parameters:

%custom_parameters,       # e.g. my_param   => 'my_value' in the example above
object     => $obj,         # Config::Model::Node object
root       => $root_dir,  # fake root directory, used for tests
backend    => $backend,   # backend name
config_dir => $read_dir,  # path below root
file       => 'foo.conf', # file name
file_path  => $full_name, # Path::Tiny object
check      => [yes|no|skip]

The IO::File object is undef if the file cannot be read.

This method must return 1 if the read was successful, 0 otherwise.

Following the my_param example above, %custom_parameters contains ( 'my_param' , 'my_value' ) , so read() is called with root, config_dir, file_path and my_param => 'my_value'.

write

write is called with the following parameters:

%$custom_parameters,         # e.g. my_param   => 'my_value' in the example above
object      => $obj,         # Config::Model::Node object
root        => $root_dir,    # fake root directory, used for tests
auto_create => $auto_create, # boolean specified in backend declaration
auto_delete => $auto_delete, # boolean specified in backend declaration
backend     => $backend,     # backend name
config_dir  => $write_dir,   # override from instance
file        => 'foo.conf',   # file name
file_path   => $full_name, # full file name (root+path+file)
write       => 1,            # always
check       => [ yes|no|skip] ,
backup      => [ undef || '' || suffix ] # backup strategy required by user

The IO::File object is undef if the file cannot be written to.

This method must return 1 if the write was successful, 0 otherwise

How to test your new backend

Using Config::Model::Tester, you can test your model with your backend following the instructions given in Config::Model::Tester.

You can also test your backend with a minimal model (and Config::Model::Tester). In this case, you need to specify a small model to test in a *-test-conf.pl file. See the IniFile backend test for an example and its examples files.

CONSTRUCTOR

new

The constructor should be used only by Config::Model::Node.

Parameter:

node

Calling node object. Node ref is weakened,

name

Backend name

auto_create

Boolean. Set to true to create the configuration file if this one is missing (default 0)

auto_delete

Boolean. Set to true to remove the configuration file if this one no longer contain configuration information. (default 0)

Methods to override

annotation

Whether the backend supports reading and writing annotation (a.k.a comments). Default is 0. Override this method to return 1 if your backend supports annotations.

read

Read the configuration file. This method must be overridden.

write

Write the configuration file. This method must be overridden.

Methods

node

Return the node (a Config::Model::Node) holding this backend.

instance

Return the instance (a Config::Model::Instance) holding this configuration.

show_message

Parameters: ( string )

Show a message to STDOUT (unless overridden). Delegated to "show_message" in Config::Model::Instance.

read_global_comments

Parameters:

  • array ref of string containing the lines to be parsed

  • A string to specify how a comment is started. Each character is recognized as a comment starter (e.g '#;' allow a comment to begin with '#' or ';')

Read the global comments (i.e. the first block of comments until the first blank or non comment line) and store them as root node annotation. Note that the global comment must be separated from the first data line by a blank line.

Example:

$self->read_global_comments( \@lines, ';');
$self->read_global_comments( \@lines, '#;');

associates_comments_with_data

Parameters:

  • array ref of string containing the lines to be parsed

  • A string to specify how a comment is started. Each character is recognized as a comment starter (e.g '#;' allow a comment to begin with '#' or ';')

This method extracts comments from the passed lines and associate them with actual data found in the file lines. Data is associated with comments preceding or on the same line as the data. Returns a list of [ data, comment ].

Example:

my @lines = (
  '# Foo comments',
  'foo= 1',
  'Baz = 0 # Baz comments'
);
my @res = $self->associates_comments_with_data( \@lines, '#')
# @res is:
# ( [ 'foo= 1', 'Foo comments' ] , [ 'Baz = 0' , 'Baz comments' ] )

write_global_comments

Return a string containing global comments using data from configuration root annotation.

Requires one parameter: comment_char (e.g "#" or '//' )

Example:

my $str = $self->write_global_comments('#')

write_data_and_comments

Returns a string containing comments (stored in annotation) and corresponding data. Comments are written before the data. If a data is undef, the comment is written on its own line.

Positional parameters are ( comment_char , data1, comment1, data2, comment2 ...)

Example:

print $self->write_data_and_comments('#', 'foo', 'foo comment', undef, 'lone comment','bar')
# returns "# foo comment\nfoo\n#lon

Use undef as comment char if comments are not supported by the syntax of the configuration file. Comments will then be dropped.

Replacing a custom backend

Custom backend are now deprecated and must be replaced with a class inheriting this module.

Please:

  • Rename your class to begin with Config::Model::Backend::

  • Add use Mouse ; and extends 'Config::Model::Backend::Any'; in the header of your custom class.

  • Add my $self = shift; as the beginning of read and write functions... well... methods.

Here's an example of such a change.

AUTHOR

Dominique Dumont, (ddumont at cpan dot org)

SEE ALSO

Config::Model, Config::Model::BackendMgr, Config::Model::Node,

AUTHOR

Dominique Dumont

COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE

This software is Copyright (c) 2005-2022 by Dominique Dumont.

This is free software, licensed under:

The GNU Lesser General Public License, Version 2.1, February 1999