INI-files parser with schemes and types

Application settings must be simple! In it should be a code or complex structures. Must be only a simple types.

JSON is uncomfortable and unextendable.

The YAML is like a garden of rakes. It's very complex format. I do not need all it's features.

1. Configparser is ugly;
2. Configparser is overengineered;
3. Configparser does not have type casting;
4. Configparser does not have type checking;
5. Configparser is... configparser.

boolean

simple true or false, e.g. key = true

int

simple numeric type, e.g. key = 13

float

float type, e.g. key = 3.14

string

strings always uses quotes, e.g. key = "some string"

datetime

datetime formated as ISO 8601

• YYYY-MM-DD
• YYYY-MM-DD hh:mm
• YYYY-MM-DD hh:mm:ss
• YYYY-MM-DD hh:mm:ss.sss

When specifying the time, you can set timezone as Z or ±hh:mm.

E.g.:

• key = 2005-01-13
• key = 2005-01-13 18:05:00
• key = 2005-01-13 15:05:00 +03:00
• key = 2005-01-13 15:00Z

timedelta

durations:

• key = 20m — 20 minutes
• key = 10h2m — 10 hours and 2 minutes
• key = 1w2s — one week (7 days) and 2 seconds
• key = 1s20ms — one 2 second and 20 milliseconds
• key = 1w1d1h1m1s1ms — 694861001 milliseconds

list

list of values:

key =
    "string value"
    2005-01-13 18:00:05
    13

$ cat tests/test.ini

# first comment
[first]
boolean = false
integer = 13

[second]
; second comment
boolean = true
string = "some string"

[complex]
list =
    "string"
    "string too"
    "else string"

>>> from zini import Zini
>>> ini = Zini()
>>> result = ini.read('tests/test.ini')
>>> isinstance(result, dict)
True
>>> result['first']['boolean'] is False  # automatic type casting
True
>>> result['first']['integer'] == 13
True
>>> result['second']['string'] == "some string"
True
>>> result['complex']['list'] == ["string", "string too", "else string"]
True

>>> from zini import Zini
>>> ini = Zini()
>>> ini['first']['integer'] = str  # set type
>>> result = ini.read('tests/test.ini')
zini.ParseError: error in line 3: 'integer = 13'

>>> from zini import Zini
>>> ini = Zini()
>>> ini['second']['boolean'] = "string"  # set type and default value
>>> result = ini.read('tests/test.ini')
zini.ParseError: error in line 7: 'boolean = true'

>>> import zini
>>> ini = zini.Zini()
>>> ini['third']['generic'] = [str]
>>> result = ini.read('tests/test.ini')
ParseError: error in line 20: '    10'