# RailsConfig

## Summary

RailsConfig helps you easily manage environment specific Rails settings in an easy and usable manner

## Features

* simple YAML config files
* config files support ERB
* config files support inheritance
* access config information via convenient object member notation

## Compatibility

* Rails 3.0

For older versions of Rails and other Ruby apps, use [AppConfig](http://github.com/fredwu/app_config).

## Installing on Rails 3

Add this to your `Gemfile`:

    gem "rails_config"

## Customizing RailsConfig

You may customize the behavior of RailsConfig by generating an initializer file:

    rails g rails_config:install

This will generate `config/initializers/rails_config.rb` with a set of default settings as well as to generate a set of default settings files:

    config/settings.yml
    config/settings/development.yml
    config/settings/production.yml
    config/settings/test.yml

## Accessing the Settings object

After installing this plugin, the Settings object will be global available. Entries are accessed via object member notation:

    Settings.my_config_entry

Nested entries are supported:

    Settings.my_section.some_entry

If you have set a different constant name for the object in the initializer file, use that instead.

## Common config file

Config entries are compiled from

    config/settings.yml
    config/settings/#{environment}.yml
    config/environments/#{environment}.yml

settings defined in files that are lower in the list override settings higher

### Reloading config files

You can reload the Settings from file at any time by running Settings.reload!

### Environment specific config files

You can have environment specific config files.  Environment specific config entries take precedence over common config entries.

Example development environment config file:

    #{Rails.root}/config/environments/development.yml

Example production environment config file:

    #{Rails.root}/config/environments/production.yml

## Embedded Ruby (ERB)

Embedded Ruby is allowed in the configuration files.  See examples below.

## Accessing Configuration Settings

Consider the two following config files.

 #{Rails.root}/config/settings.yml:

    size: 1
    server: google.com

 #{Rails.root}/config/environments/development.yml:

    size: 2
    computed: <%= 1 + 2 + 3 %>
    section:
      size: 3
      servers: [ {name: yahoo.com}, {name: amazon.com} ]

Notice that the environment specific config entries overwrite the common entries.

    Settings.size   # => 2
    Settings.server # => google.com

Notice the embedded Ruby.

    Settings.computed # => 6

Notice that object member notation is maintained even in nested entries.

    Settings.section.size # => 3

Notice array notation and object member notation is maintained.

    Settings.section.servers[0].name # => yahoo.com
    Settings.section.servers[1].name # => amazon.com

## Authors

* [Jacques Crocker](http://github.com/railsjedi)
* [Fred Wu](http://github.com/fredwu)
* Inherited from [AppConfig](http://github.com/cjbottaro/app_config) by [Christopher J. Bottaro](http://github.com/cjbottaro)