INN config file parsing infrastructure

[Bill Davidsen]

On 30 Apr 2000, Russ Allbery wrote:

> I've been thinking about this off and on for the past few weeks and
> fiddling with a few things, and I think I'm ready to start writing code.
> So before I did that, I figured I should try to write out my ideas.  :)
> 
> The goal is to implement one configuration file parsing library that all
> parts of INN can use and which understands one standard syntax.  After
> some various discussions here and elsewhere, I'm currently favoring the
> following syntax:
> 
> A parameter takes the form:
> 
>     parameter: value
> 
> with arbitrary leading whitespace.  The parameter itself should consist of
> alphanumeric characters plus '-' and is taken from a fixed set of valid
> parameters.  There should be an option in the parser saying whether or not
> to ignore unknown parameters or complain about them.

The use of the # comment character should be clearly defined. My thought
is that it should introduce a comment to end of line whenever it is found
unescaped and unquoted. But if people really want it only as the first
character of a line the spec should say so.

I may have some additional comments on the "one true parser" after I think
about it this weekend.

-- 
bill davidsen <davidsen at tmr.com>
  CTO, TMR Associates, Inc
Doing interesting things with little computers since 1979.