Perl Config File

We can make use of Config::Simple module for this.
This library supports parsing, updating and creating configuration files.

Main Features of Config::Simple are as mentioned below:
1) It allows to read config file in different formats/styles like INI-FILE format and HTML format.
2) It allows to read config file in the form of objects and access the variables from the object.
3) It allows to fetch all the variables at into a hash/hashref using "vars" method.

Let's discuss how can we read/modify/write config files easily in perl as mentioned below :
Reading config file in INI-FILE (ini) style
Reading config file in HTTP-LIKE style
Creating config file in INI style

1) Reading/Updating config file in INI-FILE (ini) style

If the configuration file has different blocks, then this style is very useful
Let's explain with the below mentioned example

db_ini.cfg

[mysql]
host=DBI:mysql:host
login=mysql_user
password=mysql_pass
db_name=test
RaiseError=1
PrintError=1

[oracle]
host=DBI:oracle:host
login=oracle_user
password=oracle_pass
db_name=oracle_db
RaiseError=1
PrintError=1
  

Script

#!/usr/bin/perl

use strict;
use warnings;
use Data::Dumper;
use Config::Simple;

my $cfg = new Config::Simple('db_ini.cfg');

#Get Values from Config File
print "\n MySql DB Name     : " . $cfg->param("mysql.db_name");
print "\n MySql DB Password : " . $cfg->param("mysql.password");

print "\n\n Oracle DB Name     : " . $cfg->param("oracle.db_name");
print "\n Oracle DB Password : " . $cfg->param("oracle.password");
 
#Set/Update Values Config File
$cfg->param("mysql.db_name", "new_mysql_db_name");
$cfg->param("mysql.password", "new_mysql_password");

print "\n\n MySql DB Name     : " . $cfg->param("mysql.db_name");
print "\n MySql DB Password : " . $cfg->param("mysql.password");

$cfg->param("oracle.db_name", "new_orcl_db_name");
$cfg->param("oracle.password", "new_orcl_password");

print "\n\n Oracle DB Name     : " . $cfg->param("oracle.db_name");
print "\n Oracle DB Password : " . $cfg->param("oracle.password");

#Adding a new Variable to Config File
$cfg->param("mysql.new_var", "mysql_adding_variable");

print "\n\n MySql New Var     : " . $cfg->param("mysql.new_var");

$cfg->param("oracle.new_var", "oracle_adding_variable");

print "\n\n Oracle New Var     : " . $cfg->param("oracle.new_var");

print "\n\n Deleting Mysql New Var 'new_var' ... ";
$cfg->delete('mysql.new_var'); # deletes 'new_var' from [mysql] block

print "\n\n Deleting Oracle New Var 'new_var' ... ";
$cfg->delete('oracle.new_var'); # deletes 'new_var' from [oracle] block

#Config Vars
#Config::Simple also supports vars() method, which, depending on the context used, returns all the values either as hash or hashref
my %Config = $cfg->vars();
print "\n\n Config Hash Obj : " . Dumper(\%Config);

my $config_ref = $cfg->vars();
print "\n\n Config Hash Ref : " . Dumper($config_ref);
  

db_ini.cfg Output

 MySql DB Name     : test
 MySql DB Password : mysql_pass

 Oracle DB Name     : oracle_db
 Oracle DB Password : oracle_pass

 MySql DB Name     : new_mysql_db_name
 MySql DB Password : new_mysql_password

 Oracle DB Name     : new_orcl_db_name
 Oracle DB Password : new_orcl_password

 MySql New Var     : mysql_adding_variable

 Oracle New Var     : oracle_adding_variable

 Deleting Mysql New Var 'new_var' ... 
 
 Deleting Oracle New Var 'new_var' ... 
 
 Config Hash Obj : $VAR1 = {
          'mysql.PrintError' => '1',
          'mysql.db_name' => 'new_mysql_db_name',
          'oracle.password' => 'new_orcl_password',
          'oracle.host' => 'DBI:oracle:host',
          'mysql.host' => 'DBI:mysql:host',
          'mysql.password' => 'new_mysql_password',
          'oracle.PrintError' => '1',
          'oracle.login' => 'oracle_user',
          'mysql.RaiseError' => '1',
          'oracle.db_name' => 'new_orcl_db_name',
          'oracle.RaiseError' => '1',
          'mysql.login' => 'mysql_user'
        };


 Config Hash Ref : $VAR1 = {
          'mysql.PrintError' => '1',
          'oracle.password' => 'new_orcl_password',
          'mysql.db_name' => 'new_mysql_db_name',
          'oracle.host' => 'DBI:oracle:host',
          'mysql.host' => 'DBI:mysql:host',
          'oracle.PrintError' => '1',
          'mysql.password' => 'new_mysql_password',
          'oracle.login' => 'oracle_user',
          'mysql.RaiseError' => '1',
          'oracle.db_name' => 'new_orcl_db_name',
          'oracle.RaiseError' => '1',
          'mysql.login' => 'mysql_user'
        };
  

2) Reading/Updating config file in HTTP-LIKE style

When we just key and value pairs, this simple HTTP-Like style works.
Let's explain with the below mentioned example

db_http.cfg

host:'DBI:mysql:host'
login:user
password:secret
db_name:test
RaiseError:1
PrintError:1
  

Script

#!/usr/bin/perl

use strict;
use warnings;
use Data::Dumper;
use Config::Simple;

my $cfg = new Config::Simple('db_http.cfg');

#Get Values from Config File
print "\n DB Name     : " . $cfg->param("db_name");
print "\n DB Password : " . $cfg->param("password");
 
#Set/Update Values Config File
$cfg->param("db_name", "new_db_name");
$cfg->param("password", "new_password");

print "\n\n DB Name     : " . $cfg->param("db_name");
print "\n DB Password : " . $cfg->param("password");

#Adding a new Variable to Config File
$cfg->param("new_var", "adding_variable");

print "\n\n New Var     : " . $cfg->param("new_var");

print "\n\n Deleting New Var 'new_var' ... ";
$cfg->delete('new_var'); # deletes 'new_var'

#Config Vars
#Config::Simple also supports vars() method, which, depending on the context used, returns all the values either as hash or hashref
my %Config = $cfg->vars();
print "\n\n Config Hash Obj : " . Dumper(\%Config);

my $config_ref = $cfg->vars();
print "\n\n Config Hash Ref : " . Dumper($config_ref);

db_http.cfg Output

 DB Name     : test
 DB Password : secret

 DB Name     : new_db_name
 DB Password : new_password

 New Var     : adding_variable

 Deleting New Var 'new_var' ... 
 
 Config Hash Obj : $VAR1 = {
          'db_name' => 'new_db_name',
          'password' => 'new_password',
          'RaiseError' => '1',
          'PrintError' => '1',
          'login' => 'user',
          'host' => 'DBI:mysql:host'
        };

 Config Hash Ref : $VAR1 = {
          'db_name' => 'new_db_name',
          'password' => 'new_password',
          'RaiseError' => '1',
          'host' => 'DBI:mysql:host',
          'login' => 'user',
          'PrintError' => '1'
        };
  

3) Creating config file in INI style

Creating a config file is explained as mentioned below.

$cfg = new Config::Simple(syntax=>'ini');
$cfg->write("test.cfg");

Supported "syntax" keywords are "ini", "simple" or "http"

write()
Alternatively, you can pass a name to either write() or save() to indicate the name of the file to create instead of modifying existing configuration file

Since we are trying to create a new config file, we need to pass the file name.

Script

$cfg = new Config::Simple(syntax=>'ini');

$cfg->param("mysql.dsn", "DBI:mysql:db;host=localhost.com");
$cfg->param("mysql.user", "username");
$cfg->param("mysql.pass", 'secret');
$cfg->write("test.cfg");
  

test.cfg Output

[mysql]
dsn:mysql:db;host=localhost.com
user:username
pass:secret
  

Loop through Directory and read the files in Perl

Now, we discuss about how to loop through a directory and read all the files in Perl
I have a directory with name "humanists" which has different files as mentioned below :

humanists :
abraham_lincon.txt
alfred_nobel.txt
mahatma_gandhi.txt
mother_teresa.txt
winston_churchill.txt

All the files has details in the following format
Name: <>
Born: <>
Died: <>

Now we have to loop thorugh all the files in the directory and get the information from these files and create a hash object.

Lets dive into this example. Please drop me a comment if you have any doubts on the same.


read_humanists.pl

#!/usr/bin/perl

use strict;
use warnings;
use Data::Dumper;

my $dir_path = "/home/prabhath/prabhath_test/test/humanists";

my %humanists_list;

opendir(IN_DIR, $dir_path) or die $!; 
open (LOG_FILE, "> read_humanists.log") or die $!; 

unless ( -d $dir_path) {
   print "\n Path not present: " . $dir_path;
} else {
   print "\n Path is present: " . $dir_path;
}


while (my $file = readdir(IN_DIR)) {
    next if $file =~ /^\./;
    
    unless (-f "$dir_path/$file") {
        print "\n -W- Not a File, Ignoring : " . "$dir_path/$file" . "\n";
        next;
    }   

    open(IN_FILE, "< $dir_path/$file")
                    ||  die "\n Cant open file for reading: " . "$dir_path/$file";

    my @lines = ;
    close(IN_FILE);

    my @newlines;
    foreach my $each_line (@lines) {
        if ($each_line =~ /^Name:/) {
           my ($name) = $each_line =~ /Name:\s(.*)$/;
           $humanists_list{$file}{"name"} = $name;
        }

        if ($each_line =~ /^Born:/) {
           my ($dob) = $each_line =~ /Born:\s(.*)$/;
           $humanists_list{$file}{"date_of_birth"} = $dob;
        }

        if ($each_line =~ /^Died:/) {
           my ($dod) = $each_line =~ /Died:\s(.*)$/;
           $humanists_list{$file}{"died"} = $dod;
        }
    }   
} 

Output:

          'abraham_lincon.txt' => {
                                    'died' => 'April 15, 1865',
                                    'date_of_birth' => 'February 12, 1809',
                                    'name' => 'Abraham Lincon'
                                  },
          'winston_churchill.txt' => {
                                       'died' => 'January 24, 1965',
                                       'date_of_birth' => 'November 30, 1874',
                                       'name' => 'Winston Churchill'
                                     },
          'alfred_nobel.txt' => {
                                  'died' => 'December 10, 1896',
                                  'date_of_birth' => 'October 21, 1833',
                                  'name' => 'Alfred Nobel'
                                },
          'mother_teresa.txt' => {
                                   'died' => 'September 5, 1997',
                                   'date_of_birth' => 'August 26, 1910',
                                   'name' => 'Mother Teresa'
                                 },
          'mahatma_gandhi.txt' => {
                                    'died' => 'January 30, 1948',
                                    'date_of_birth' => 'October 2, 1869',
                                    'name' => 'Mahatma Gandhi'
                                  }
  

Please refer to other topics on Unix like :
Unix Delete Duplicated Lines in a File
Unix Unique Lines in a File
Unix Grep Examples
Unix Cut Command Examples
Search a Directory in Unix
Unix For Loop
pushd & popd in Unix
Find Size of Directory
Word Count

Please refer to other topics on AWK like :
Awk Examples
Print First Two Columns of File
Print Last Two Columns of File

Please refer to other topics on Dict like :
Dict in Python
Dict keys and values in Python

Please refer to other topics on List like :
List in Python
Append to list in Python
Delete the last name from the list in Python
Remove an element from List in Python
Check an element exists in an list in Python
Python Filter Vs Map Vs List Comprehension

Please refer to other topics on File Concepts like :
Print File Content in Python
Print File in Reverse Order in Python

Please refer to Regular Expressions Concepts :
Brief on Regular Expressions
Greedy Operators in Regular Expressions in Perl
Modifiers in Regular Expressions in Perl
Capturing concept in Regular Expressions in Perl
Capture Pre Match ,Post Match, Exact match in Regular Expressions in Perl
Non Capturing Paranthesis in Regular Expressions in Perl
Substitute nth occurance in Regular Expressions in Perl
All Topics in Regular Expressions in Perl

You might also wish to read other topics like :
Python Class and Object Example
Inheritance in Python
Packages in Python
Exceptions in Python
How to remove duplicate lines from a file in Perl
How to remove duplicate lines from a file in Pyhton

Perl File Operations Read, Write

Reading from File:
#########################
 #!/usr/local/bin/perl

 my $filename = '/path/to/your/data.txt';

  unless (-e $filename) {
    print "File Doesn't Exist!";
 }

 open (MYFILE, $filename);
 while (<MYFILE>) {
     chomp;
     print "$_\n";
 }
 close (MYFILE);

Writing to File
######################
 #!/usr/local/bin/perl

 my $filename = '/path/to/your/data.txt';

 if (-e $filename) {
    print "File Exists!";
 }

 unless (-e $filename) {
    print "File Doesn't Exist!";
 }

 open (MYFILE, ">>$filename");
 print MYFILE "Bob\n";
 close (MYFILE);

 use the > single greater than symbol to tell the open function that you want a fresh file each time.
 use the >> to append to the file data.txt


File::Basename for type of file
##################################
#!/usr/bin/perl
use 5.010;
use strict;
use warnings;
use File::Basename;

    #my($filename, $directories, $suffix) = fileparse($path);
    #my($filename, $directories, $suffix) = fileparse($path, @suffixes);
    #my $filename = fileparse($path, @suffixes);
   
    #fileparse("/foo/bar/baz");        - On Unix returns ("baz", "/foo/bar/", "")       
    #fileparse('C:\foo\bar\baz');    - On Windows returns ("baz", 'C:\foo\bar\', "")
    #fileparse("/foo/bar/baz/");    - On Unix returns ("", "/foo/bar/baz/", "")

my @exts = qw(.txt .zip);
   
while (my $file = <DATA>) {
  chomp $file;
  my ($dir, $name, $ext) = fileparse($file, @exts);
   
  given ($ext) {
    when ('.txt') {
      say "$file is a text file";
    }
    when ('.zip') {
      say "$file is a zip file";
    }
    default {
      say "$file is an unknown file type";
    }
  }
}

__DATA__
file.txt
file.zip
file.pl


File::Type (mime_type)
##########################
use strict;
use warnings;
use File::Type;

my $file      = '/path/to/file.ext';
my $ft        = File::Type->new();
my $file_type = $ft->mime_type($file);

if ( $file_type eq 'application/octet-stream' ) {
    # possibly a text file
}
elsif ( $file_type eq 'application/zip' ) {
    # file is a zip archive
}