Constructor method to create a new Badger::Config object. Configuration data can be specified as the data named parameter:

my $config = Badger::Config->new(
    data => {
        name  => 'Arthur Dent',
        email => 'arthur@dent.org',
    },
);

The items parameter can be used to specify the names of other valid configuration values that this object supports.

my $config = Badger::Config->new(
    data => {
        name  => 'Arthur Dent',
        email => 'arthur@dent.org',
    },
    items => 'planet friends',
);

Any data items defined in either data or items can be accessed via methods.

print $config->name;                # Arthur Dent
print $config->email;               # arthur@dent.org
print $config->planet || 'Earth';   # Earth

As a shortcut you can also specify configuration data direct to the method.

my $config = Badger::Config->new(
    name  => 'Arthur Dent',
    email => 'arthur@dent.org',
);

You should avoid this usage if there is any possibility that your configuration data might contain the data or items items.

Method to retrieve a value from the configuration.

my $name = $config->get('name');

This can also be used to fetch nested data. You can specify each element as a separate argument, or as a string delimited with any non-word characters. For example, given the following configuration data:

my $config = Badger::Config->new(
    user => {
        name => {
            given  => 'Arthur',
            family => 'Dent',
        },
        email => [
            'arthur@dent.org',
            'dent@heart-of-gold.com',
        ],
    },
);

You can then access data items using any of the following syntax:

print $config->get('user', 'name', 'given');    # Arthur
print $config->get('user.name.family');         # Dent
print $config->get('user/email/0');             # arthur@dent.org
print $config->get('user email 1');             # dent@heart-of-gold.com

In addition to accessing list and hash array items, the get() will call subroutine references and object methods, as shown in this somewhat contrived example:

# a trivial object class
package Example;
use base 'Badger::Base';

sub wibble {
    return 'wobble';
}

package main;

# a config with a function that returns a hash containing an object
my $config = Badger::Config->new(
    function => sub {
        return {
            object => Example->new(),
        }
    }
);
print $config->get('function.object.wibble');   # wobble

Method to store a value in the configuration.

$config->set( friend  => 'Ford Prefect' );
$config->set( friends => ['Ford Prefect','Trillian','Marvin'] );

At present this does not allow you to set nested data items in the way that the get() method does.

Replacement for the can() method that would otherwise be inherited from UNIVERSAL. If the named method doesn't exist and is one of the known configuration items for this object then it calls generate_config_method() to automatically generate an accessor method. A CODE reference to this method is then returned.

The AUTOLOAD method automatically generates a method on demand for any valid configuration items.

Internal method used to generate accessor methods on demand.