NAME

cfgread, cfgget, cfgget2 —

functions to read and parse configuration files

SYNOPSIS

#include <strfunc.h>

int
cfgread(char *filename);

char *
cfgget(char *key);

svect *
cfgget2(char *key);

DESCRIPTION

These routines give the user an easy way of creating nice configuration files. The basic idea of configuration files is the attribute=value scheme. Attribute may be writtten as the ordinary english literal word, or placed into the quotes, like a value. Value may also be quoted or be an ordinary english word or combination of alphanumeric characters. Attributes and values may be quoted using the double or single quotes. When quotes are used, escaping can be made much like as in Bourne shell or in the C code. Once read, file is closed, but attribute and values stored internally and may be used multiple times.

There are two general forms of defining an attribute=value pairs. Two forms are defined using the following BNF:

	<simple_word>	:=	1*<A-Z0-9>

	<quoted_string>	:=	<QUOTE> *<any character except 0> <QUOTE>

	<attr>		:= <simple_word> | <quoted_string>

	<value>		:= <quoted_string> | <simple_word>

	<generic_form>	:= <attribute> = <value> [ ; ]

	<multiple>	:= <attribute> { <value> *<[ , <value> ]> }  [ ; ]

cfgread() function used to read and parse the configuration file.

cfgget() returns an appropriate value for the specified key, or NULL if key is not found.

cfgget2() may be required if multiple values are expected. It allocates the svect * structure that must be freed by caller with sfree(). It will return NULL if svect allocation failed. If no key values found, it will return valid, but empty string vector.

EXAMPLE

void cfgparse() {
	char *value1;
	svect *values2;
	svect *values3;
	int r;

	if((r=cfgread("/path/to/config.file")) != 0) {
		if(r > 0) {
			printf("Wrong file format.0);
		} else {
			printf("File access failed.0);
		};
		return;
	};

	value1	= cfgget("key1");
	values2	= cfgget2("key2");
	values3	= cfgget2("key3");

	/* Free allocated structures */
	sfree(values2);
	sfree(values3);

};

CONFIGURATION FILE EXAMPLE


key1 = "value";

key2 = "this multiline
		value will be
		\"passed\" to values2.";

key3 = {
	"value1",
	"value2",
	"value3"
};


key2 = "Hello again!";

AUTHORS

Lev Walkin <vlm@lionet.info>