Configuration File Standard

File Formats/Documents/Config.md

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+# *COS 1:* Configuration File
+
+## Quick information
+
+| Information |                           |
+| ----------- | ------------------------- |
+| Type        | Plain text file format    |
+| MIME        | `text/config`             |
+| Extensions  | `.cfg` or `.config`       |
+
+## Technical Details
+This format is based upon plain text and as such technical details that apply to plain text also apply to this format.
+
+##Config data
+
+Config data is saved in the following way:
+
+```
+Key1: Value1
+Key2: Value2
+```
+
+Values are saved in the normal Lua way(Strings are enclosed with "", tables are enclosed with {},...)
+
+Every entry has to have it's own line, the following is __wrong__:
+```
+Key1:{Hello="World",
+World="Hello"}
+```
+Correct way:
+```
+Key1:{Hello="World",World="Hello"}
+```
+##API to Convert config format to table and vice versa:
+http://pastebin.com/1GGq3fyw
+##Code for making a table from a config:
+```lua
+if type("config") ~= "string" then
+  return nil,"Config must be a string"
+end
+local lines = {}
+for line in (config.."\n"):gmatch("([^\n]*)\n") do
+  table.insert(lines,line)
+end
+local result = {}
+for i,v in pairs(lines) do
+  local t = {}
+  for a in (v..":"):gmatch("([^:]*):") do
+    table.insert(t,a)
+  end
+  if #t ~= 2 then
+    return nil,"Line "..i.." is invalid!"
+  else
+    result[t[1]] = loadstring("return "..t[2])()
+  end
+end
+return result
+```
+##Code for making a config from a table:
+```lua
+local s = ""
+local tk, tv
+for k, v in pairs(configTable) do
+  tk, tv = type(k), type(v)
+  if tk == "string" or tk == "number" then
+    if tv ~= "string" and tv ~= "nubmer" and tv ~= "boolean" and tv ~= "table" then
+      error("Invalid type for value: Expected string, number, boolean, table; got "..tv)
+    end
+    if tv == "table" then
+      tv = tostring(textutils.serialize(tv)):gsub("\n", "")
+    end
+    s = s .. tk .. ": " ..tostring(tv) .. "\n"
+  else
+    error("Invalid type for key: Expected string, number; got "..tk)
+  end
+end
+return s
+```