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Configuration of directory environment

Now that base scripts are installed, you will just need to create a basic .envrc script and a .envrc.ini file in the directory for which you want to create a directory environment.

A example of such file with all modules is provided in ~/.config/direnv/templates (if you cloned the repo in ~/.config/direnv). You can simply copy/paste it with the following command:

# Copy the example of `.envrc` and `.envrc.ini` provided
cp ~/.config/direnv/templates/envrc.template .envrc
cp ~/.config/direnv/templates/envrc.ini.template .envrc.ini

You do not need to modify the file .envrc. But you must update values in .envrc.ini. Indeed, most values in the example file are simply dummy values. In order to properly configure your .envrc.ini, first check available modules to know which value to set for each module.

Some last important things that can be usefull when setting up values.

  • For each modules, they have list of variable you can set. Variables in UPPERCASE are variable that are exported by the module, i.e. these variables will be accessible with echo ${VAR_NAME} or will be shown when using env command, once the directory environment is activated. Variables in lowercase are not exported and are only used by the module.

    Example of UPPERCASE and lowercase variable in .envrc.ini

    From below example, variable ANSIBLE_CONFIG will be exported (use by ansible) while variable inventory will not be exported but will be used by module ansible when generating the ansible.cfg file.

    # Ansible module
# ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Set ansible environment variable
[ansible]
# Choose the default configuration for the first initialisation
default_config="config_name_1"

[ansible:config_name_1]
# Set the path to ansible configuration file. If this file does not exists, it
# will be created from template in .direnv/templates/ansible.cfg.template
ANSIBLE_CONFIG="${DIRENV_ROOT}/${OS_PROJECT_NAME}.ansible.cfg"
# Path to inventory file or folder
inventory="${DIRENV_ROOT}/inventory"

  • If you plan to also version your .envrc.ini or simply if you do not want to store some information (like passwords) in plain text, every values in your .envrc.ini can be set to catch output of specific command. In order to do so, you must start the value with cmd: followed by the command that output the value you want to set.

    Use of cmd: in .envrc.ini

    Below is a short example to setup a value obtained from a command.

    # Assuming you store the value in the file /tmp/my_password
password=cmd: cat /tmp/my_password
# When `.envrc.ini` will be parsed, the value of password will be
# computed within the module. This allow to avoid storing password in
# plain text in `.envrc.ini`

  • Modules are loaded in the order provided in the .envrc.ini. Below are some example.

    Load module molecule first then load the module ansible 
    # Molecule module
# ------------------------------------------------------------------------
[molecule]
. . .

# Ansible module
# ------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ansible]
. . .
    Load module ansible first then load the module molecule 
    # Ansible module
# ------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ansible]
. . .

# Molecule module
# ------------------------------------------------------------------------
[molecule]
. . .

    This can be seen as not usefull, but read the next point.

  • Values in .envrc.ini can use variables exported from previously loaded module. In order to do so, variables must be called with the following syntax ${VAR_NAME}. This also apply to the variable ${DIRENV_ROOT} which specify the absolute path to the directory which host the directory environment configuration files.

    Use of exported variables from previously loaded module

    In the below example, module openstack is loaded first, so variable OS_PROJECT_NAME is exported once the module is loaded. Which is then accessible by module ansible.

    Important

    If module openstack is below module ansible in `.envrc.ini, then this will not work.

    # Openstack module
# ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Manage openstack environment variable. Main section [openstack] have only one
# parameter `default` to define default openstack project configuration name.
# Use section of the form [openstack:project_config_name_1] to define variable
# per project configuration name.
# **REMARK**: VALUE OF `default` MUST BE THE SAME VALUE OF A SUBSECTION AS SHOWN
# BELOW:
# ```
# [openstack]
# default=project_config_name_1
#
# [openstack:project_config_name_1]
# OS_AUTH_URL=https://test.com
# . . .
# ```
[openstack]
# Default project configuration name when activating the direnv for the first
# time
# NO DEFAULT VALUE
default=project_config_name_1

# Configuration for each openstack project
[openstack:project_config_name_1]
# Value of openstack variable OS_AUTH_URL in openrc.sh
OS_AUTH_URL=https://test.com
# Value of openstack variable OS_PROJECT_ID in openrc.sh
OS_PROJECT_ID=1234
# Value of openstack variable OS_PROJECT_NAME in openrc.sh
OS_PROJECT_NAME=project_name_1
# Value of openstack variable OS_USERNAME in openrc.sh
OS_USERNAME=username
# Value of openstack variable OS_PASSWORD in openrc.sh, to avoid setup a value
# in clear text, as for any other value in this ini file, start the value with
# `cmd:` to tell the parser that value will be obtain by executing the command
# specified after `¢md:`. In the example below, parser will execute command `echo
# "foo", so value of OS_PASSWORD will be `foo`
OS_PASSWORD=cmd:echo "foo"
# Value of openstack variable OS_INTERFACE in openrc.sh
OS_INTERFACE=interface
# Value of openstack variable OS_REGION_NAME in openrc.sh
OS_REGION_NAME=region_name
# Value of openstack variable OS_IDENTITY_API_VERSION in openrc.sh
OS_IDENTITY_API_VERSION=3
# Value of openstack variable OS_USER_DOMAIN_NAME in openrc.sh
OS_USER_DOMAIN_NAME=domain_name

# Ansible module
# ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Set ansible environment variable
[ansible]
# Choose the default configuration for the first initialisation
default_config="config_name_1"

[ansible:config_name_1]
# Set the path to ansible configuration file. If this file does not exists, it
# will be created from template in .direnv/templates/ansible.cfg.template
ANSIBLE_CONFIG="${DIRENV_ROOT}/${OS_PROJECT_NAME}.ansible.cfg"
# Path to inventory file or folder
inventory="${DIRENV_ROOT}/inventory"
Last update: January 7, 2022
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