XDG spec for config files

[raffaem]

The XDG Base Directory specification states that config files should be located in $XDG_CONFIG_HOME, which should default to $HOME/.config.

Can we move nbstata.conf in e.g. $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/nbstata/nbstata.conf, while still reading from the old path ($HOME/.nbstata.conf) for backwards compatibility?

[hugetim]

I'm not familiar with Arch Linux or how it relates to other platforms. Is this XDG Base Directory spec universal?

I guess I'm also not clear on what you're requesting. A pull request would be the most direct way to show me. Otherwise, can you explain what we'd be doing different if we're "still reading from the old path"? How is that consistent with the request to "move nbstata.conf"?

[raffaem]

I'm not familiar with Arch Linux or how it relates to other platforms. Is this XDG Base Directory spec universal?

Yes

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedesktop.org#Base_Directory_Specification

I guess I'm also not clear on what you're requesting.

move ~/.nbstata.conf to ~/.config/nbstata/nbstata.conf

Otherwise, can you explain what we'd be doing different if we're "still reading from the old path"?

We would read from the new folder in addition to the old one, for backwards compatibility

How is that consistent with the request to "move nbstata.conf"?

If ~/.config/nbstata/nbstata.conf doesn't exist, you try the old ~/.nbstata.conf.

The point is that people rely on this standard to administer their system, for example they backup ~/.config instead of the entire home folder.

[huegerich]

Thank you, that clears it up for me.

I would have thought to move it to ~/.config/nbstata.conf. Just to double check, you'd prefer putting it within a nbstata directory, right?

Also, when checking the XDG spec path, we should actually use the environment variable $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/nbstata/nbstata.conf rather than $HOME/.config/nbstata/nbstata.conf, right?

The current code is here and here.

[raffaem]

I would have thought to move it to ~/.config/nbstata.conf. Just to double check, you'd prefer putting it within a nbstata directory, right?

We may want other files in the future.

For example, a ~/.config/nbstata/nbstata.d directory which contains user-defined STATA scripts to be run at startup. For instance to initialize the environment, or define variables or functions that the user frequently uses.

Or in the future we may want to support multiple STATA versions, so have a config file for each version.

Or the user may want to backup an old config file, keeping it in the same directory.

Also, when checking the XDG spec path, we should actually use the environment variable $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/nbstata/nbstata.conf rather than $HOME/.config/nbstata/nbstata.conf, right?

We check if XDG_CONFIG_HOME is defined. If it isn't, we define XDG_CONFIG_HOME=$HOME/.config. Then we always use $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/nbstata/nbstata.conf.

[hugetim]

Ok, that sounds good. If you know of another Python project that handles a configuration file in a similar way (the simpler, the better), that would be helpful to see. Otherwise, I think this is enough to go on.

[raffaem]

pybliometrics-dev/pybliometrics@b15ad45

[hugetim]

Hmm, this code example doesn't do anything with XDG_CONFIG_HOME, which is the part I was most looking for sample code for. But co-pilot or the like can probably help me with that, anyway.