Add "library_json" setting
#128
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feltech
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hutchinson,
foundry-markf and
SamCrooksFoundry
Closes OpenAssetIO#51. Presently, BAL can only be configured using a JSON library file. This causes several problems with the authoring of automated tests within host integrations: * It is difficult to single-source inputs and expected values without authoring a JSON file in the test case. * It requires additional side-car data files to accompany the tests which may not be desirable. So add a new setting, `"library_json"`. This allows hosts to query for the current internal BAL library via `settings()`, and then mutate it and update BAL via a re-`initialize()`. The JSON must be passed from/to the manager in serialised form, since the settings dictionary must be coerced to/from a (C++) `InfoDictionary`, which is a simple key-value map, rather than an arbitrarily nested dictionary. In addition, calculated `"variables"` (e.g. `"bal_library_dir_url"`) cannot be provided when the library is given as a JSON string, since they are based on the location of the `library_path`. If both `library_path` and `library_json` are provided, then `library_json` takes precedence. This allows a JSON library file to be provided initially, then the library mutated during test cases. Recall that the OpenAssetIO `initialize` method can accept partial settings updates, meaning the manager retains any previous settings that are not explicitly overridden in the new settings dict. However, this does not apply to the special `library_json` setting here. This is a bit of an abuse for convenience. E.g. if we re-initialize with an empty settings dict, the initialization process falls back to using the previously-set `library_path` (if available) and resets the library to match the file. This compromise is somewhat justified by analogy to current behaviour when BAL is re-initialised after entities have been published. In this case the new entities only exist in memory, and are lost when re-initialising, since the library JSON file is re-read and overwrites any changes. This is similar to how the `library_json` changes are lost by default when re-initializing. Signed-off-by: David Feltell <david.feltell@foundry.com>
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Closes #51.
Presently, BAL can only be configured using a JSON library file. This causes several problems with the authoring of automated tests within host integrations:
So add a new setting,
"library_json". This allows hosts to query for the current internal BAL library viasettings(), and then mutate it and update BAL via a re-initialize().The JSON must be passed from/to the manager in serialised form, since the settings dictionary must be coerced to/from a (C++)
InfoDictionary, which is a simple key-value map, rather than an arbitrarily nested dictionary.In addition, calculated
"variables"(e.g."bal_library_dir_url") cannot be provided when the library is given as a JSON string, since they are based on the location of thelibrary_path.If both
library_pathandlibrary_jsonare provided, thenlibrary_jsontakes precedence. This allows a JSON library file to be provided initially, then the library mutated during test cases.Recall that the OpenAssetIO
initializemethod can accept partial settings updates, meaning the manager retains any previous settings that are not explicitly overridden in the new settings dict. However, this does not apply to the speciallibrary_jsonsetting here. This is a bit of an abuse for convenience. E.g. if we re-initialize with an empty settings dict, the initialization process falls back to using the previously-setlibrary_path(if available) and resets the library to match the file.This compromise is somewhat justified by analogy to current behaviour when BAL is re-initialised after entities have been published. In this case the new entities only exist in memory, and are lost when re-initialising, since the library JSON file is re-read and overwrites any changes. This is similar to how the
library_jsonchanges are lost by default when re-initializing.