3 ms·

If configuration starts becoming more complex than looking up key value pairs, why not just write it in the programming language you are using? More languages /

If configuration starts becoming more complex than looking up key value pairs, why not just write it in the programming language you are using? More languages / serialisation just adds another layer of complexity. Config as code is actually really neat.

_def 7y ago
- can only be done in script languages(?) - syntax errors I get what you're saying and it can be neat, but I don't think it's universally applicable
zeckalpha 7y ago
What if you're using multiple programming languages?
- hestefisk 7y ago
  Then cue might be a good idea.
- prepend 7y ago
  Then just pick one of them. This may be simpler than introducing another language to the project.
  - zeckalpha 7y ago
    What if you are interfacing between multiple projects? It’s not about introducing another language, it’s about integrating pre-existing systems.
  - pmontra 7y ago
    Some web projects validate inputs in JavaScript, then in a possibly different backend language, then (unusually) in the database with CHECK statements. Even when it's all JavaScript the validations are different because the frontend and backend frameworks are different. And some projects have multiple backend services written in multiple languages.
locusofself 7y ago
how does this apply to compiled languages though?
- hestefisk 7y ago
  Recompile when config changes.
  - cwp 7y ago
    If you're going to do that, you don't need configuration at all. Just hardcode everything.
    - johnisgood 7y ago
      Yeah, and it is not really new either. ioquake3 did that, it had a header file for some values. If you changed them, you had to recompile the QVMs. So then we added cvars, and some values such as HP, DMG, etc. stayed in the header file. I learnt programming C by fiddling around with ioquake3 and its forks, Tremulous especially. Good times.
otabdeveloper2 7y ago
> If configuration starts becoming more complex than looking up key value pairs, why not just write it in the programming language you are using? Because you want to write a config file, not a program? What next, config files, build systems and unit tests for your config files? No thanks.
- Existenceblinks 7y ago
  But this is a language, so it needs to be a program to run? Oh wait.. feel like I miss the joke.

_def 7y ago

- can only be done in script languages(?) - syntax errors I get what you're saying and it can be neat, but I don't think it's universally applicable

zeckalpha 7y ago

What if you're using multiple programming languages?

hestefisk 7y ago
Then cue might be a good idea.
prepend 7y ago
Then just pick one of them. This may be simpler than introducing another language to the project.
- zeckalpha 7y ago
  What if you are interfacing between multiple projects? It’s not about introducing another language, it’s about integrating pre-existing systems.
- pmontra 7y ago
  Some web projects validate inputs in JavaScript, then in a possibly different backend language, then (unusually) in the database with CHECK statements. Even when it's all JavaScript the validations are different because the frontend and backend frameworks are different. And some projects have multiple backend services written in multiple languages.

locusofself 7y ago

how does this apply to compiled languages though?

hestefisk 7y ago
Recompile when config changes.
- cwp 7y ago
  If you're going to do that, you don't need configuration at all. Just hardcode everything.
  - johnisgood 7y ago
    Yeah, and it is not really new either. ioquake3 did that, it had a header file for some values. If you changed them, you had to recompile the QVMs. So then we added cvars, and some values such as HP, DMG, etc. stayed in the header file. I learnt programming C by fiddling around with ioquake3 and its forks, Tremulous especially. Good times.

otabdeveloper2 7y ago

> If configuration starts becoming more complex than looking up key value pairs, why not just write it in the programming language you are using? Because you want to write a config file, not a program? What next, config files, build systems and unit tests for your config files? No thanks.

Existenceblinks 7y ago
But this is a language, so it needs to be a program to run? Oh wait.. feel like I miss the joke.