ZFResource^beta

This example illustrates a basic use of Zend_Config_Ini for loading configuration data from an INI file. In this example there are configuration data for both a production system and for a staging system. Because the staging system configuration data are very similar to those for production, the staging section inherits from the production section. In this case, the decision is arbitrary and could have been written conversely, with the production section inheriting from the staging section, though this may not be the case for more complex situations. Suppose, then, that the following configuration data are contained in /path/to/config.ini:

; Production site configuration data
[production]
webhost           = www.example.com
database.type     = pdo_mysql
database.host     = db.example.com
database.username = dbuser
database.password = secret
database.name     = dbname

; Staging site configuration data inherits from production and
; overrides values as necessary
[staging : production]
database.host     = dev.example.com
database.username = devuser
database.password = devsecret
        

Next, assume that the application developer needs the staging configuration data from the INI file. It is a simple matter to load these data by specifying the INI file and the staging section:

<?php
require_once 'Zend/Config/Ini.php';

$config = new Zend_Config_Ini('/path/to/config.ini', 'staging');

echo $config->database->host; // prints "dev.example.com"
echo $config->database->name; // prints "dbname"