Catalyst::Plugin::ConfigLoader::Manual(3)

NAME
Catalyst::Plugin::ConfigLoader::Manual - Guide to using the ConfigLoader plugin

BASIC USAGE
    package MyApp;

    use Catalyst qw( ConfigLoader ... );

ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES

•   "MYAPP_CONFIG" - specific config file to load for "MyApp"

•   "CATALYST_CONFIG_LOCAL_SUFFIX" - global suffix for extra config files

•   "MYAPP_CONFIG_LOCAL_SUFFIX" - suffix specifically for "MyApp"

CONFIG FORMATS

  Config::General
Extensions

•   cnf

•   conf

Example Config

    name = TestApp
    <Component Controller::Foo>
        foo bar
    </Component>
    <Model Baz>
        qux xyzzy
    </Model>

  INI
Extensions

•   ini

Example Config

    name=TestApp

    [Controller::Foo]
    foo=bar

    [Model::Baz]
    qux=xyzzy

  JSON
Extensions

•   jsn

•   json

Example Config

    {
        "name": "TestApp",
        "Controller::Foo": {
            "foo": "bar"
        },
        "Model::Baz": {
            "qux": "xyzzy"
        }
    }

  Perl
Extensions

•   pl

•   perl

Example Config

    {
        name => 'TestApp',
        'Controller::Foo' => {
            foo => 'bar'
        },
        'Model::Baz' => {
            qux => 'xyzzy'
        }
    }

  XML
Extensions

•   xml

Example Config

    <config>
        <name>MyApp::CMS</name>
        <paths>
            <upload_dir>/var/www/docs/myapp-cms/uploads</upload_dir>
        </paths>
        <model name="DB">
            <connect_info>dbi:mysql:cmsdb</connect_info>
            <connect_info>user</connect_info>
            <connect_info>password</connect_info>
        </model>
        <component name="View::TT">
            <INCLUDE_PATH>__path_to(root,templates)__</INCLUDE_PATH>
            <ENCODING>UTF-8</ENCODING>
            <TRIM>1</TRIM>
            <PRE_CHOMP>2</PRE_CHOMP>
            <POST_CHOMP>2</POST_CHOMP>
        </component>
    </config>

Note that the name attribute for the "model" tag should be the relative namespace of the Catalyst model, not the absolute one. That is for "MyApp::Model::Something" the "name" attribute should be "Something".

  YAML
Extensions

•   yml

•   yaml

Example Config

    ---
    name: TestApp
    Controller::Foo:
        foo: bar
    Model::Baz:
        qux: xyzzy

COOKBOOK

  Configuring a Catalyst::Model::DBIC::Schema model from a YAML config
    Model::MyModel:
        schema_class: MyApp::MySchema
        connect_info:
            - dbi:SQLite:myapp.db
            - ''
            - ''
            - AutoCommit: 1

  Converting your existing config to Config::General format
As of Catalyst::Devel 1.07, a newly created application will use Config::General for configuration. If you wish to convert your existing config, run the following one-liner (replacing MyApp with your app's name):

    perl -Ilib -MMyApp -MConfig::General -e 'Config::General->new->save_file("myapp.conf", MyApp->config);'

  Using UTF-8 strings in a Config::General file
If you have UTF-8 strings in your Config::General-based config file, you should add the following config information to MyApp.pm:

    __PACKAGE__->config( 'Plugin::ConfigLoader' => {
        driver => {
            'General' => { -UTF8 => 1 },
        }
    } );

  Using a local configuration file
When ConfigLoader reads configurations, it starts by reading the configuration file for "myapp" with one of the supported extensions as listed above.

For example, A Config::General config file is myapp.conf.

If a configuration file called "myapp_local" exists with one of the supported file extensions, it will also be read, and values from that file will override values from the main config file.

A Config::General local configuration file would be called myapp_local.conf.

The "local" suffix can be changed. See "get_config_local_suffix" in Catalyst::Plugin::ConfigLoader for the details of how.

This is useful because it allows different people or environments to have different configuration files. A project with three developers, Tom, Dick, and Harry as well as a production environment can have a myapp_tom.conf, a myapp_dick.conf, a myapp_harry.conf, and a myapp_production.conf.

Each developer, and the web server, would set the environment variable to load their proper configuration file. All of the configurations can be stored properly in source control.

If there is no myapp_local.ext (where ".ext" is a supported extension), and the individual configuration files contain something required to start the application, such as the Model's data source definition, the applicaton won't start unless the environment variable is set properly.