.ds CP 2003-2004
.ds TC \'tconfpy\'
.TH TCONFPY 3 "TundraWare Inc."

.SH NAME tconfpy.py
 Configuration File Support For Python Applications

.SH SYNOPSIS

It is common to provide an external "configuration file" when writing
sophisticated applications.  This gives the end-user the ability to
easily change program options by editing that file.

\*(TC is a Python module for parsing such configuration files. \*(TC
understands and parses a configuration "language" which has a rich set
of string-substitution, variable name, conditional, and validation
features.

By using \*(TC, you unburden your program from the major responsibility
of configuration file parsing and validation, while providing your
users a rich set of configuration features.


.SH INSTALLATION
There are three ways to install \*(TC depending on your preferences
and type of system.  In each of these installation methods you must be
logged in with root authority on Unix-like systems or as the
Administrator on Win32 systems.


.SS Preparation - Getting And Extracting The Package


For the first two installation methods, you must first download the
latest release from:

.nf
   http://www.tundraware.com/Software/tconfpy/
.fi

Then unpack the contents by issuing the following command:

.nf
   tar -xzvf py-tconfpy-X.XXX.tar.gz   (where X.XXX is the version number)
.fi

Win32 users who do not have tar installed on their system can find
a Windows version of the program at:

.nf
    http://unxutils.sourceforge.net/
.fi


.SS Install Method #1 - All Systems (Semi-Automated)


Enter the directory created in the unpacking step above.  Then issue
the following command:

.nf
    python setup.py install
.fi

This will install the \*(TC module and compile it.

You will manually have to copy the 'test-tc.py' program to a directory
somewhere in your executable path.  Similarly, copy the documentation
files to locations appropriate for your system.


.SS Install Method #2 - All Systems (Manual)


Enter the directory created in the unpacking step above.  Then,
manually copy the tconfpy.py file to a directory somewhere in your
PYTHONPATH.  The recommended location for Unix-like systems is:

.nf
    .../pythonX.Y/site-packages
.fi

For Win32 systems, the recommended location is:

.nf
    ...\\PythonX.Y\\lib\\site-packages
.fi

Where X.Y is the Python release number.


You can pre-compile the \*(TC module by starting Python interactively
and then issuing the command:

.nf
    import tconfpy
.fi

Manually copy the 'test-tc.py' program to a directory
somewhere in your executable path.  Copy the documentation
files to locations appropriate for your system.


.SS Install Method #3 - FreeBSD Only (Fully-Automated)


Make sure you are logged in as root, then:

.nf
      cd /usr/ports/devel/py-tconfpy
      make install
.fi

This is a fully-automated install that puts both code and
documentation where it belongs.  After this command has completed
you'll find the license agreement and all the documentation (in the
various formats) in:

.nf
     /usr/local/share/doc/py-tconfpy
.fi

The 'man' pages will have been properly installed so either of these
commands will work:

.nf
    man tconfpy
    man test-tc
.fi

.SS Bundling \*(TC With Your Own Programs


If you write a program that depends on \*(TC you'll need to ensure
that the end-users have it installed on their systems.  There are two
ways to do this:

1) Tell them to download and install the package as described above.
   This is not recommended since you cannot rely on the technical
   ability of end users to do this correctly.

2) Just include 'tconfpy.py' in your program distribution directory.
   This ensures that the module is available to your program
   regardless of what the end-user system has installed.




.SH PROGRAMMING USING THE \*(TC API

\*(TC is a Python module and thus available for use by any Python
program.  This section discusses how to invoke the \*(TC parser, the
options available when doing so, and what the parser returns to
the calling program.

.SS API Overview

.nf
    
.B ParseConfig(cfgfile, InitialSymTbl={}, Debug=False, LiteralVars=False)

where:

.B cfgfile
    The the name of a file containing configuration information
.B InitialSymTbl
    A pre-populated symbol table.  Defaults to an empty symbol table.  As
    described below, this must contain valid \'VarDescriptor\' entries
    for each symbol in the table.
.B Debug
    Defaults to False.  If set to True, \*(TC will provide detailed
    debugging information about each line processed when it returns.
.B LiteralVars
    Defaults to False.  If set to True this option Enables variable 
    substitutions within \'.literal\' blocks of a configuration file.
    See the section in the language reference below on \'.literal\'
    usage for details.


.SS Parsing A Configuration File

.SS Passing An Initial Symbol Table

.SS The \'Debug\' Option

.SS The \'LiteralVars\' Option

.SS \*(TC Return Values



.SH CONFIGURATION LANGUAGE REFERENCE


\*(TC recognizes a full-featured configuration language that includes
variable creation and value assignment, a full preprocessor with
conditionals, type and value enforcement, and lexical namespaces.
This section of the document describes that language and provides
examples of how each feature can be used.

.SS General Rules For The \*(TC Configuration Language

.SS Variables And Variable References

.SS Predefined Variables

.SS The \'.include\' Directive

.SS Conditional Directives

.SS \'.literal\. - Using \*(TC As A Preprocessor For Other Languages

.SS Type And Value Enforcement

.SS Lexical Namespaces

.SH ADVANCED TOPICS

.SS Guaranteeing A Correct Base Configuration

.SS Enforcing Mandatory Configurations


.SH OTHER

\*(TC requires Python 2.3 or later.

.SH BUGS AND MISFEATURES
None known as of this release.

.SH COPYRIGHT AND LICENSING
\*(TC is Copyright(c) \*(CP TundraWare Inc.  For terms of use, see
the tconfpy-license.txt file in the program distribution.  If you
install \*(TC  on a FreeBSD system using the 'ports' mechanism, you
will also find this file in /usr/local/share/doc/py-tconfpy.

.SH AUTHOR
.nf
Tim Daneliuk
tconfpy@tundraware.com