Python Configparser Module
The configparser module provides a way to handle configuration files which are similar to Microsoft Windows INI files. It is part of the standard library.
Importing the Module
import configparserThe Configuration File Format
Configuration files are organized into sections, and each section contains key-value pairs.
config.ini:
[DEFAULT]
ServerAliveInterval = 45
Compression = yes
CompressionLevel = 9
[bitbucket.org]
User = hg
[topsecret.server.com]
Port = 50022
ForwardX11 = noCreating a Config File
You can create a configuration file programmatically.
import configparser
config = configparser.ConfigParser()
config['DEFAULT'] = {'ServerAliveInterval': '45',
'Compression': 'yes',
'CompressionLevel': '9'}
config['bitbucket.org'] = {}
config['bitbucket.org']['User'] = 'hg'
config['topsecret.server.com'] = {}
topsecret = config['topsecret.server.com']
topsecret['Port'] = '50022'
topsecret['ForwardX11'] = 'no'
with open('example.ini', 'w') as configfile:
config.write(configfile)Reading a Config File
import configparser
config = configparser.ConfigParser()
config.read('example.ini')
# List sections
print(config.sections())
# Output: ['bitbucket.org', 'topsecret.server.com']Accessing Values
You can access values like a dictionary. By default, values are strings. Use helper methods for types.
print(config['bitbucket.org']['User']) # 'hg'
# Get Integer
port = config['topsecret.server.com'].getint('Port')
# Get Boolean (handles 'yes', 'no', 'on', 'off', '1', '0')
forward_x11 = config['topsecret.server.com'].getboolean('ForwardX11')