Loading configuration files in an OS-agnostic way

ruby-talk
1

Hi,
  I downloaded ruby-google and tried to run the sample code when I noticed that the code was unusable as is, in Windows, because it assumed that the configuration file is named .google_key and Win 2000 Professional atleast does not allow '.' to be the first character of a filename.

KEY = File.open("#{ENV['HOME']}/.google_key") {|kf| kf.readline.chomp}

I made a quick modification just so I could get it working. (Ugly, I know)

KEY =
  begin
    File.open("#{ENV['HOME']}/.google_key") {|kf| kf.readline.chomp}
  rescue
    File.open("#{ENV['HOME']}/~google_key") {|kf| kf.readline.chomp}
  end

What I'd like to know is what is the ruby idiom for choosing configuration files in an OS-agnostic way? (Emacs does this, choosing ~emacs on Win and .emacs on Linux) . Or is this too simple an issue to require an idiom?

thanks,
gavri

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2

Are you sure? That strikes me as odd, and Windows XP (which is essentially 2000+goodies anyway) is fine with it. Most systems I have encountered which are attempting to be agnostic use a period regardless (or a tilde, as you have).

Pete

···

On 17 Dec 2004, at 07:52, Gavri Savio Fernandez wrote:

unusable as is, in Windows, because it assumed that the configuration file is named .google_key and Win 2000 Professional atleast does not allow '.' to be the first character of a filename.

3

Peter Cooper schrieb:

···

On 17 Dec 2004, at 07:52, Gavri Savio Fernandez wrote:

unusable as is, in Windows, because it assumed that the configuration file is named .google_key and Win 2000 Professional atleast does not allow '.' to be the first character of a filename.

Are you sure? That strikes me as odd, and Windows XP (which is essentially 2000+goodies anyway) is fine with it. Most systems I have encountered which are attempting to be agnostic use a period regardless (or a tilde, as you have).

At least on Win 2000, you can't create such a file in the Windows Explorer, but you sure can in Ruby:

   File.open ".google_key", "w" do |out| out.puts "# config" end

Regards,
Pit