Re: [Fab-user] Completed suggestions: load and config (#1, #2, #3)

[Christian Vest Hansen]

On Sat, Oct 25, 2008 at 1:32 AM, Jeff Forcier <address@hidden> wrote:
> Finally getting around to, you know, reading the stuff I asked Niklas
> to write out in the first place :) sorry for the delay!
>
> Regarding these first 3 changes: I like :)
>
> Looks like we're keeping get()/set() as well as the config object?
> That might be a good idea;

I'm not so sure about that. The idea was, at least partly, to be rid
of the `set` operation because it shadows the data-type of the same
name. I just didn't go through and remove-slash-fold-them-into-config
because there were so many other changes to look at.

> I like the 'config' name for DEFAULT_ENV,
> because those values are "configuration" material. Doing something
> like "print config.fab_mode" has a nice sound to it.
>
> But don't really like the idea of using it for
> *non-configuration-related variables*. In my mind there's a difference
> between "core" settings/configuration directives and a user's own
> namespace of information he wants to keep track of or pass between
> commands.

... which is currently done with the convention of having all
fabric-internals related stuff prefixed with `fab_`.

I don't like splitting this into two seperate namespaces for two
reasons: 1) people risk setting `fab_` variables in their own
namespace and 2) we'd have to decide on a name resolution order, might
be different from what people expect and/or make it harder for them to
reason about the code.

Also, I actually don't see what the advantage would be to having these
two namespaces.

>
> So I'd actually be happy with what I assume is currently possible, a
> use case like this:
>
> def other_command():
>    # Using 'user' variable
>    sudo('rm -rf $(homedir)')
>
> def my_command():
>    # Doing something setting/config related
>    config.fab_mode = 'deep'
>    # Modifying 'user' variable
>    set(homedir='/home/jforcier')
>    # Using 'user' variable
>    if int(run('du -sm $(homedir)')) > 1024:
>        # This command (above) also uses a 'user' variable
>        other_command()
>
> If I read the code correctly, the above fabfile would actually be
> updating 'config' with that 'homedir' mapping, so the use of get/set
> is rather arbitrary. I'd almost like to add another dict to
> _new_namespace() so that config and user vars are physically separate.
>
> -Jeff
>



-- 
Venlig hilsen / Kind regards,
Christian Vest Hansen.