Re: Configuration.... XML.... Life

Do you really have to use attributes for things like name? And the sense of having section-description inside section escapes me. Regards, Manuzhai "Michael Dransfield" <mike@blueroot.net> wrote in message news:5.1.0.14.0.20020516195251.00a6c098@mail.blueroot.net... > I have started writing an app which helps (mainly win32, new) users to > generate config files correctly to prevent glaring security holes on > production servers. > > I started by using parse_config_file(), but this ends up causing problems > because it strips comments. This means that some variables which are > commented are lost from the program. There are also potential problems > because some of the config file has [sections] and some of it doesnt. Some > of this is valid in win32 environments and some are not. This can cause > problems if users download the win32 default config file and then upload it > to Linux or BSD, it will fail. > > Will uncommenting some of the variables (and then setting them to the > default) affect the running of php at all? is there a reason why they are > commented and not just set with their default / NULL value? > > I then began playing with an xml file which stores the comments and > variables along with other useful information relating to the configuration > variable. I then added warnings to the XML document so that the front-end > can read if a setting is potentially insecure (in the current > environment). I think the best way to explain it is by looking at the > attached file, most of it is obvious, i have commented where necessary. > > Do you think this format looks OK, I am sure i have missed a lot of > information which could be of interest, for example storing a default value > with each variable, which could be different in different environments (eg > <default env="dev" value="1"/>). Maybe add a severity to the > warning. > > What would you think about the possibility of including the XML ini file > format in later release of php? it is easy enough to parse the file when > the server is started as easilly as it can parse the current ini > file(?). It could enable many possibilities because is can store multiple > environments within it, along with relavent information about the setting > itself, which would make overall administration much much easier, and > quicker. ini files are soooo Windows 95, dont you think? > > I am going to write the front-end as a web application and as a php-gtk app > (hopefully with the same code). > > Does anybody have any comments or suggestions (or would like to > help)? (please try to keep them constructive ;) i have looked for similar > projects, but cant find any. > > Regards > Mike >