How to parse config files in php

Dynamo3209 · Jul 14, 2004

I need a cross platform config file for a project using both perl and php. I need help in parsing a config file which could be used both by perl and php
the file structure for the config file I am thinking could be something like this
Option1:/var/abc/
Option2:{Option1}/bcd
Option3:{Option1}/efg
Option4:{Option3}/hij

so that if changes are made to any Options it will be reflected throughout the programme.
I am not sure whether this is something which could be done in php.
Appreciate any help in this matter.
Thanks,
Dynamo.

sleipnir214 · Jul 14, 2004

Of course you can do this in PHP.

If your config file were of the form:

Option1:/var/abc
Option2:{Option1}/bcd
Option3:{Option1}/efg
Option4:{Option3}/hij

(I've removed the slash from the end of the definition of Option1)

Then the following code:

Code:

<?php
$fh = fopen ('test_option.txt', 'r') or die('Could not open config file');

$option_matches = array();
$option_replacements = array();
while ($line = fgets($fh))
{
        $line = rtrim($line);
        $option_array = explode (':', $line);

        if (preg_match('/\{/', $option_array[1]))
        {
                $option_array[1] = preg_replace($option_matches,
$option_replacements, $option_array[1]);
        }

        $option_matches[] = '/\{' . $option_array[0] . '\}/';
        $option_replacements[] = $option_array[1];
}

fclose($fh);

foreach ($option_matches as $id => $value)
{
        $option_matches[$id] = str_replace('/\{', '', $option_matches[$id]);
        $option_matches[$id] = str_replace('\}/', '', $option_matches[$id]);
}

$options = array_combine ($option_matches, $option_replacements);

unset ($option_matches);
unset ($option_replacements);

print_r ($options);
?>

Returns:

Code:

Array
(
    [Option1] => /var/abc
    [Option2] => /var/abc/bcd
    [Option3] => /var/abc/efg
    [Option4] => /var/abc/efg/hij
)

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sleipnir214 · Jul 14, 2004

Now that I think about it, my previous code post relies too heavily on the preg_* family of functions, which can impede performance.

Here's another version, which uses less resource-intensive functions:

Code:

function cleanup (&$item, $key)
{
        $item = str_replace('{', '', $item);
        $item = str_replace('}', '', $item);
}

$fh = fopen ('test_option.txt', 'r') or die('Could not open config file');

$option_matches = array();
$option_replacements = array();
while ($line = fgets($fh))
{
        $line = rtrim($line);
        $option_array = explode (':', $line);

        if (strstr($option_array[1], '{'))
        {
                $option_array[1] = str_replace($option_matches,
$option_replacements, $option_array[1]);

        }

        $option_matches[] = '{' . $option_array[0] . '}';
        $option_replacements[] = $option_array[1];
}

array_walk ($option_matches, 'cleanup');
$options = array_combine ($option_matches, $option_replacements);

unset ($option_matches);
unset ($option_replacements);

print_r ($options);
?>

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Dynamo3209 · Jul 15, 2004

hi sleipnir214,
Thanks for the solution. I think array_combine is in 5 version. I am using 4.1.x so looking for some way around the array_combine functionality

Can you suggest something.
Thanks,
Dynamo

sleipnir214 · Jul 15, 2004

Replace the invocation of array_combine() with:

Code:

$options = array();
for ($counter = 0; $counter < count($option_matches); $counter++)
{
        $options[$option_matches[$counter]] = $option_replacements[$counter];
}

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Dynamo3209 · Jul 15, 2004

Yep figured that out, but not getting the desired results.
the following results are returned

Code:

Array ( [Option1 ] => /var/abc; [Option2 ] => {Option1}/bcd; [Option3 ] => {Option1}/efg

Option1 is not replaced by its value i.e. /var/abc
whereas the result I want is the one you have mentioned earlier

Code:

Array
(
    [Option1] => /var/abc
    [Option2] => /var/abc/bcd
    [Option3] => /var/abc/efg
    [Option4] => /var/abc/efg/hij
)

sleipnir214 · Jul 15, 2004

I don't know what to tell you.

Here is my test configuration file:

Code:

Option1:/var/abc
Option2:{Option1}/bcd
Option3:{Option1}/efg
Option4:{Option3}/hij

here is my script:

Code:

<?php
function cleanup (&$item, $key)
{
        $item = str_replace('{', '', $item);
        $item = str_replace('}', '', $item);
}

$fh = fopen ('test_option.txt', 'r') or die('Could not open config file');

$option_matches = array();
$option_replacements = array();
while ($line = fgets($fh))
{
        $line = rtrim($line);
        $option_array = explode (':', $line);

        if (strstr($option_array[1], '{'))
        {
                $option_array[1] = str_replace($option_matches,
$option_replacements, $option_array[1]);

        }

        $option_matches[] = '{' . $option_array[0] . '}';
        $option_replacements[] = $option_array[1];
}

array_walk ($option_matches, 'cleanup');
//$options = array_combine ($option_matches, $option_replacements);

$options = array();
for ($counter = 0; $counter < count($option_matches); $counter++)
{
        $options[$option_matches[$counter]] = $option_replacements[$counter];
}

unset ($option_matches);
unset ($option_replacements);

print_r ($options);


?>

And here is my output:

Code:

Array
(
    [Option1] => /var/abc
    [Option2] => /var/abc/bcd
    [Option3] => /var/abc/efg
    [Option4] => /var/abc/efg/hij
)

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Dynamo3209 · Jul 15, 2004

Thanks a lot sleipnir214, it worked. I must be doing something wrong earlier.
Again thanks a lot for helping me out.
Dynamo.

sleipnir214 · Jul 15, 2004

Just keep one think in mind....

When you are using a reference to another setting's value within a setting definition (as in the second line of the example config file), the setting referenced must have already been defined.

In other words, this will work:

Option1:/var/abc
Option2:{Option1}/bcd

This will not

Option2:{Option1}/bcd
Option1:/var/abc

because in the first line, Option1 has not yet been defined.

You probably already realized this, but I wanted to explicitly state it.

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Dynamo3209 · Jul 22, 2004

hi sleipnir214,
Run into one more problem
how do we parse this case

Code:

hostDomain: abc.com
BASEPATHSECURE : [URL unfurl="true"]http://users.{hostDomain}/[/URL]

Thanks,
Mohit

sleipnir214 · Jul 22, 2004

You mean to deal with spurious whitespace and the presence of colons in the option values?

Change this:

$option_array = explode (':', $line);

To read:

$option_array = explode (':', $line[red],2[/red]);

[red] $option_array[0] = trim($option_array[0]);
$option_array[1] = trim($option_array[1]);[/red]

This will make the script assume that the first colon in a line is the separator between an option name and an option value. Any additional colons in a line are considered parts of values.

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Dynamo3209 · Jul 23, 2004

hi sleipnir214,
Thanks for the help.
Dynamo.

Dynamo3209 · Aug 30, 2004

Hi sleipnir214,
As in the parsing routine you had mentioned that the setting referenced must have already been defined. However now I have to make some more changes in the parsing routine.
As we have two server, one development and one production so for ease of portability I divided the file to be parsed into two different file, while one file contains the global variables and other file contains variables specific to a server (development or production).
the two files are

Code:

 a.conf which contains 
HostDomain : domain.tld
User : XYZ

the second file is b.conf which contains

Code:

BASEPATH = [URL unfurl="true"]http://users.{HostDomain}[/URL]

now I have to parse the two files and then somehow put the parsed valued from file a.conf into file b.conf i.e. the value of the HostDomain from a.conf into b.conf.
I am unable to find a way of doing this. Would appreciate any help.
Thanks,
Dynamo

sleipnir214 · Aug 31, 2004

Is the equals-sign in b.conf a typo or have you changed your own data specification?

Assume a.conf should read:

Code:

HostDomain : domain.tld
User : XYZ

And assume b.conf should have read:

Code:

BASEPATH [red]:[/red] [URL unfurl="true"]http://users.{HostDomain}[/URL]

And further assume c.conf contains:

Code:

USERPATH : [URL unfurl="true"]http://{User}.{HostDomain}[/URL]

Then it is a fairly simple matter of changing the code so that it loops through multiple files:

Code:

<?php
function cleanup (&$item, $key)
{
	$item = str_replace('{', '', $item);
	$item = str_replace('}', '', $item);
}

function read_options ($filenames)
{
	$options = array();
	$option_matches = array();
	$option_replacements = array();
	
	foreach ($filenames as $filename)
	{
		$fh = fopen ($filename, 'r') or die('Could not open config file');
		
		while ($line = fgets($fh))
		{
			$line = rtrim($line);
			$option_array = explode (':', $line, 2);
	
			$option_array[0] = trim($option_array[0]);
			$option_array[1] = trim($option_array[1]);		
	
			if (strstr($option_array[1], '{'))
			{
				$option_array[1] = str_replace($option_matches, $option_replacements, $option_array[1]);
			}
			
			$option_matches[] = '{' . $option_array[0] . '}';
			$option_replacements[] = $option_array[1];
		}
	}
		
	array_walk ($option_matches, 'cleanup');
	
	for ($counter = 0; $counter < count($option_matches); $counter++)
	{
		$options[$option_matches[$counter]] = $option_replacements[$counter];
	}
	
	return $options;
}

$filenames = array ('a.conf', 'b.conf', 'c.conf');

$options = read_options ($filenames);
print '<pre>';
print_r ($options);	
?>

returns:

Code:

Array
(
    [HostDomain] => domain.tld
    [User] => XYZ
    [BASEPATH] => [URL unfurl="true"]http://users.domain.tld[/URL]
    [USERPATH] => [URL unfurl="true"]http://XYZ.domain.tld[/URL]
)

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Dynamo3209 · Aug 31, 2004

Hi,
Appreciate your quick response.
But I am getting these error msgs

Code:

Warning: Wrong parameter count for fgets() in /usr/local/abc/web/users.abc.com/parsing.php on line 18

Warning: Wrong parameter count for fgets() in /usr/local/abc/web/users.abc.com/parsing.php on line 18

Array
(
)

Line 18 is

Code:

foreach ($filenames as $filename)
    {
        [COLOR=red]$fh = fopen ($filename, 'r') or die('Could not open config file');[/color]
        
        while ($line = fgets($fh))

the error msg is because $filename is empty.
in place of $filename if $filenames is used it gives the following error msg

Code:

fopen("Array", "r") - No such file or directory

Yes "=" is a typo.
Thanks,
Dynamo

Dynamo3209 · Aug 31, 2004

Hi,
Found out what the problem is with fgets you have to define the lenght which will be returned/read from the file pointed to by handle
like fgets($file, 1000)

Thanks,
Dynamo

sleipnir214 · Aug 31, 2004

What version of PHP are you running? The second parameter became optional in PHP 4.2.0.

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How to parse config files in php

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