File::ConfigDir(3pm)

NAME
File::ConfigDir - Get directories of configuration files

SYNOPSIS
    use File::ConfigDir ':ALL';

    my @cfgdirs = config_dirs();
    my @appcfgdirs = config_dirs('app');

    # install support
    my $site_cfg_dir = (site_cfg_dir())[0];
    my $vendor_cfg_dir = (site_cfg_dir()))[0];

DESCRIPTION
This module is a helper for installing, reading and finding configuration file locations. It's intended to work in every supported Perl5 environment and will always try to Do The Right Thing(TM).

"File::ConfigDir" is a module to help out when perl modules (especially applications) need to read and store configuration files from more than one location. Writing user configuration is easy thanks to File::HomeDir, but what when the system administrator needs to place some global configuration or there will be system related configuration (in "/etc" on UNIX(TM) or $ENV{windir} on Windows(TM)) and some network configuration in NFS mapped "/etc/p5-app" or "$ENV{ALLUSERSPROFILE} . "\\Application Data\\p5-app"", respectively.

"File::ConfigDir" has no "do what I mean" mode - it's entirely up to the user to pick the right directory for each particular application.

EXPORT
Every function listed below can be exported, either by name or using the tag ":ALL".

SUBROUTINES/METHODS
All functions can take one optional argument as application specific configuration directory. If given, it will be embedded at the right (TM) place of the resulting path.

  system_cfg_dir
Returns the configuration directory where configuration files of the operating system resides. For Unices this is "/etc", for MSWin32 it's the value of the environment variable "%windir%".

  machine_cfg_dir
Alias for desktop_cfg_dir - deprecated.

  xdg_config_dirs
Alias for desktop_cfg_dir

  desktop_cfg_dir
Returns the configuration directory where configuration files of the desktop applications resides. For Unices this is "/etc/xdg", for MSWin32 it's the value of the environment variable "%ALLUSERSPROFILE%" concatenated with the basename of the environment variable "%APPDATA%".

  core_cfg_dir
Returns the "etc" directory below $Config{prefix}.

  site_cfg_dir
Returns the "etc" directory below $Config{sitelib_stem} or the common base directory of $Config{sitelib} and $Config{sitebin}.

  vendor_cfg_dir
Returns the "etc" directory below $Config{vendorlib_stem} or the common base directory of $Config{vendorlib} and $Config{vendorbin}.

  singleapp_cfg_dir
Returns the configuration file for stand-alone installed applications. In Unix speak, installing JRE to "/usr/local/jre-<version>" means there is a "/usr/local/jre-<version>/bin/java" and going from it's directory name one above and into "etc" there is the singleapp_cfg_dir. For a Perl module it means, we're assuming that $FindBin::Bin is installed as a stand-alone package somewhere, e.g. into "/usr/pkg" - as recommended for pkgsrc <http://www.pkgsrc.org/>.

  vendorapp_cfg_dir
Returns the configuration file for vendor installed applications. In Unix speak, installing bacula to "/opt/${vendor}" means there is a "/opt/${vendor}/bin/bacula" and going from it's directory name one above and into "etc" there is the vendorapp_cfg_dir. For a Perl module it means, we're assuming that $FindBin::Bin is installed as a stand-alone package somewhere, e.g. into "/usr/pkg" - as recommended for pkgsrc <http://www.pkgsrc.org/>.

  local_cfg_dir
Returns the configuration directory for distribution independent, 3rd party applications. While this directory doesn't exists for MSWin32, there will be only the path "/usr/local/etc" for Unices.

  locallib_cfg_dir
Extracts the "INSTALL_BASE" from $ENV{PERL_MM_OPT} and returns the "etc" directory below it.

  here_cfg_dir
Returns the path for the "etc" directory below the current working directory.

  user_cfg_dir
Returns the users home folder using File::HomeDir. Without File::HomeDir, nothing is returned.

  xdg_config_home
Returns the user configuration directory for desktop applications. If $ENV{XDG_CONFIG_HOME} is not set, for MSWin32 the value of $ENV{APPDATA} is return and on Unices the ".config" directory in the users home folder. Without File::HomeDir, on Unices the returned list might be empty.

  config_dirs
    @cfgdirs = config_dirs();
    @cfgdirs = config_dirs( 'appname' );

Tries to get all available configuration directories as described above. Returns those who exists and are readable.

  _plug_dir_source
    my $dir_src = sub { return _better_config_dir(@_); }
    File::ConfigDir::_plug_dir_source($dir_src);

    my $pure_src = sub { return _better_config_plain_dir(@_); }
    File::ConfigDir::_plug_dir_source($pure_src, 1); # see 2nd arg is true

Registers more sources to ask for suitable directories to check or search for config files. Each "config_dirs" will traverse them in subsequent invocations, too.

Returns the number of directory sources in case of success. Returns nothing when $dir_src is not a code ref.

AUTHOR
Jens Rehsack, "<rehsack at cpan.org>"

BUGS
Please report any bugs or feature requests to "bug-File-ConfigDir at rt.cpan.org", or through the web interface at <http://rt.cpan.org/NoAuth/ReportBug.html?Queue=File-ConfigDir>. I will be notified, and then you'll automatically be notified of progress on your bug as I make changes.

SUPPORT
You can find documentation for this module with the perldoc command.

    perldoc File::ConfigDir

You can also look for information at:

•   RT: CPAN's request tracker

    <http://rt.cpan.org/NoAuth/Bugs.html?Dist=File-ConfigDir>

•   AnnoCPAN: Annotated CPAN documentation

    <http://annocpan.org/dist/File-ConfigDir>

•   CPAN Ratings

    <http://cpanratings.perl.org/d/File-ConfigDir>

•   Search CPAN

    <http://search.cpan.org/dist/File-ConfigDir/>

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thanks are sent out to Lars Dieckow (daxim) for his suggestion to add support for the Base Directory Specification of the Free Desktop Group. Matthew S. Trout (mst) earns the credit to suggest "singleapp_cfg_dir" and remind about "/usr/local/etc".

LICENSE AND COPYRIGHT
Copyright 2010-2018 Jens Rehsack.

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of either: the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; or the Artistic License.

See http://dev.perl.org/licenses/ for more information.

SEE ALSO
File::HomeDir, File::ShareDir, File::BaseDir (Unices only)