tini Configuration Parser

4.0.0 · active · verified Fri Apr 17

tini is a lightweight and straightforward Python library designed for reading and parsing simple .ini and configuration files. It provides a dictionary-like interface for accessing sections and keys, with automatic type conversion for common data types. The current version is 4.0.0, and it follows an infrequent release cadence, with major versions tied to significant API changes or Python version support.

Common errors

```
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'tini'
```
cause The 'tini' library is not installed in your Python environment.

fix Run `pip install tini` to install the package.
```
AttributeError: 'Ini' object has no attribute 'read'
```
cause You are using the deprecated `read()` method on an `Ini` object in `tini` version 4.0.0 or later.

fix The method was renamed. Use `config.load()` instead of `config.read()`.
```
KeyError: 'some_missing_section'
```
cause You are attempting to access a configuration section or key that does not exist directly using `config['section']['key']` syntax.

fix Use the safe `.get()` method which allows providing a default value: `config.get('some_missing_section', {})` or `config['existing_section'].get('missing_key', 'default_value')`.
```
TypeError: argument of type 'int' is not iterable
```
cause You might be iterating over a configuration value that `tini` auto-converted to an integer or boolean, expecting it to be a string or list.

fix If you intend to parse a string value that `tini` auto-converts (e.g., '123' to 123), explicitly cast it back to a string: `str(config['section']['key'])` before iterating or processing as a string.

Warnings

breaking The `Ini.read()` and `Ini.save()` methods were renamed to `Ini.load()` and `Ini.dump()` respectively.
Fix: Replace `config.read()` with `config.load()` and `config.save()` with `config.dump()`.
breaking Python 2.7 and Python 3.6 support was dropped.
Fix: Ensure your project is running on Python 3.7 or newer. Upgrade your Python environment if necessary.
gotcha tini performs automatic type conversion (int, float, bool, list) for values it recognizes. If you need the raw string value, you must explicitly convert it.
Fix: If a raw string is required for a value that might be auto-converted, cast it: `str(config['section']['key'])`.
gotcha Accessing non-existent sections or keys directly (e.g., `config['missing_section']`) will raise a `KeyError`. Use `.get()` for safer access.
Fix: Use the `.get()` method with a default value: `config['section'].get('key', 'default_value')` or `config.get('missing_section', {})`.

Install

pip install tini Install stable version

Imports

Ini
```
from tini import Ini
```
This is the primary class for parsing .ini files.

Quickstart

This quickstart demonstrates how to load an INI file using `tini.Ini`, access sections and keys, and observe automatic type conversions for common types like integers, booleans, and comma-separated lists. It also shows how to use `.get()` with a default value.

import os
from tini import Ini

# Create a dummy ini file for demonstration
config_content = """
[server]
host = localhost
port = 8080
ssl = True

[database]
type = postgres
user = admin
password = mysecret
servers = db1,db2,db3
"""

config_file_path = "config.ini"
with open(config_file_path, "w") as f:
    f.write(config_content)

# Load the configuration
config = Ini(config_file_path)

# Access values
print(f"Server Host: {config['server']['host']}")
print(f"Server Port: {config['server']['port']} (type: {type(config['server']['port'])})")
print(f"SSL Enabled: {config['server']['ssl']} (type: {type(config['server']['ssl'])})")

print(f"Database User: {config['database']['user']}")
print(f"Database Servers: {config['database']['servers']} (type: {type(config['database']['servers'])})")

# Get a value with a default
print(f"API Key (default None): {config['api'].get('key')}")

# Clean up the dummy file
os.remove(config_file_path)

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