[Python-Dev] Fixing #7175: a standard location for Python config files

[Tim Golden]

On 12/08/2010 12:17, Michael Foord wrote:
>
> How is ~/python not memorable or consistent? (And cross-platform
> memorability and consistency is valuable too.)

I was thinking outside Python rather than inside it (where ~ has no
meaning on Windows) but you make a good point here. If we were just
discussing Python code this would effectively be a winning point IMO.

> Another issue is discoverability. Many users won't know about these
> config files unless they *see* them.

While I sympathise with this, I'm not sure how much weight
one should give it in the context of this discussion. In the Unix
world, if I were guessing, I would justifiably look in
~/.myapp followed perhaps by /etc/myapp. On Windows, I might go
for the registry, as you mention elsewhere, and look in
HKLM\Software\MyApp but for actual files I'm not sure where
"discoverable" would be.

re: using the Registry: To be honest, I was answering the literal
question posed by Eric: where to put config files? Not the wider
question: how should config data be stored? Where the answer to
the latter question might be: the Registry -- much as I find it
awkward to work with at times.

One very definite point in its favour as regards this discussion
is that Python on Windows *already* defines a key in the Registry
(and has done so since v2.0 at least) and it would make some sense
to place things under there.

Ultimately, I don't feel very strongly about this subject. I'm more
concerned that the chosen location (file or registry or whatever) be
documented -- and documented from a Windows perspective as well, so
you don't have to guess what "HOME" means in this context.


TJG