NAME
    File::UserConfig - Get a user's existing config directory, or copy in
    defaults

      # The most simple Do What I Mean usage.
      $configdir = File::UserConfig->configdir;
  
      # Or without taking advantage of convention-based defaults
      $configdir = File::UserConfig->new(
            dist     => 'My-Application',
            module   => 'My::Application',
            dirname  => '.myapp',
            sharedir => $defaults_here,
            )->configdir;

DESCRIPTION
    Many modules or applications maintain a user-spec configuration data
    directory. And the implementation pattern is generally the same.

    A directory like /home/myuser/.application is created and populating by
    a set of default files the first time an application runs, and from
    there on, the files in that directory are modified.

    "File::UserConfig" provides standard, light and sub-classable default
    implementation of this concept that Does The Right Thing with the
    directory names.

  Applying Perl Conventions
    "File::UserConfig" applies and automates the following conventions.

    1. We are using the distribution name?

    The use of "File::ShareDir" is based on distribution name (more on that
    later) so we need to know it.

    The CPAN convention is for a dist to be named "Foo-Bar" after the main
    module "Foo::Bar" in the distribution, but sometimes this varies, and
    sometimes you will want to call "File::UserConfig" from other than the
    main module. But unless you say otherwise, "File::UserConfig" will
    assume that if you call it from "Module::Name", that is probably the
    main module, and thus your dist is probably called "Module-Name".

    2. What config directory name is used

    On platforms which keep application-specific data in its own directory,
    well away from the data the user actually create themself, we just use
    the dist name.

    On Unix, which has a combined home directory, we remap the dist name to
    be a lowercase hidden name with all '-' chars as '_'.

    So on unix only, "Module::Name" will become ".module_name". Most of the
    time, this well end up what you would have used anyway.

    3. Where does the config directory live

    "File::UserConfig" knows where your home directory is by using
    File::HomeDir. And more specifically, on platforms that support
    application data being kept in a subdirectory, it will use that as well.

    On Unix, Windows, and Mac OS X, it will just Do The Right Thing.

    4. Where do the defaults come from?

    The ability for a distribution to provide a directory full of default
    files is provided in Perl by File::ShareDir.

    Of course, we're also assuming you are using Module::Install so you have
    access to its "install_share" command, and that the only thing your dist
    is going to install to it will be the default config dir.

METHODS
    The 6 accessors all feature implicit constructors.

    In other words, the two following lines are equivalent.

      # Explicitly
      $configdir = File::UserConfig->new( ... )->configdir;
  
      # Auto-construction
      $configdir = File::UserConfig->configdir( ... );
  
      # Thus, using all default params we can just
      $configdir = File::UserConfig->configdir;

  new
      my $config = File::UserConfig->new(
          dist      => 'Not-This-Class',
          dirname   => '.myconfig',
          sharedir  => 'defaultconfig',
          homedir   => $username,
          );

    The "new" constructor takes a set of optional named params, and finds
    the user's configuration directory, creating it by copying in a default
    directory if an existing one cannot be found.

    In almost every case, you will want to use all the defaults and let
    everything be determined automatically for you. The sample above tries
    to show some of the limited number of situations in which you might want
    to consider providing your own values.

    But most times, you don't want to or need to. Try it without params
    first, and add some params if it isn't working for you.

    If you want to do some custom actions after you copy in the directory,
    the subclass and add it after you call the parent "new" method.

    Returns a new "File::UserConfig" object, or dies on error.

  dist
      $name = File::UserConfig->new(...)->dist;
  
      $name = File::UserConfig->dist(...);

    The "dist" accessor returns the name of the distribution.

  module
      $name = File::UserConfig->new(...)->module;
  
      $name = File::UserConfig->module(...);

    The "module" accessor returns the name of the module.

    Although the default dirname is based off the dist name, the module name
    is the one used to find the shared dir.

  dirname
      $dir = File::UserConfig->new(...)->dirname;
  
      $dir = File::UserConfig->dirname(...);

    The "dirname" accessor returns the name to be used for the config
    directory name, below the homedir. For example '.foo_bar'.

  sharedir
      $dir = File::UserConfig->new(...)->sharedir;
  
      $dist = File::UserConfig->sharedir(...);

    The "sharedir" accessor returns the name of the directory where the
    shared default configuration is held.

    Returns a path string, verified to exist before being returned.

  homedir
      $dir = File::UserConfig->new(...)->homedir;
  
      $dist = File::UserConfig->homedir(...);

    The "homedir" accessor returns the location of the home direcotry, that
    the config dir will be created or found below.

    Returns a path string, verified to exist before being returned.

  configdir
      $dir = File::UserConfig->new(...)->configdir;
  
      $dist = File::UserConfig->configdir(...);

    The "sharedir" accessor returns the name of the directory where the
    shared default configuration is held.

    Returns a path string, verified to exist before being returned.

SUPPORT
    Bugs should always be submitted via the CPAN bug tracker

    <http://rt.cpan.org/NoAuth/ReportBug.html?Queue=File-UserConfig>

    For other issues, contact the maintainer

AUTHOR
    Adam Kennedy <cpan@ali.as>, <http://ali.as/>

SEE ALSO
    File::HomeDir, File::ShareDir

COPYRIGHT
    Copyright (c) 2006 Adam Kennedy. All rights reserved.

    This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
    under the same terms as Perl itself.

    The full text of the license can be found in the LICENSE file included
    with this module.

