Config::Natural

Config::Natural is a valuable Perl module that provides an effortless way to read basic configuration files. The module's name reflects its primary aim as the syntax of the configuration files it reads is the most instinctive way to write these files.

The author developed Config::Natural to serve a specific need - the requirement to conveniently supply information to HTML::Template based scripts. To achieve this, Config::Natural's API is compatible with that of HTML::Template, enabling users to write straightforward programs like the one below:

use strict;
use Config::Natural;
use HTML::Template;

my $source = new Config::Natural 'file.src';
my $tmpl = new HTML::Template type => 'filename',
source => 'file.tmpl',
associate => $source;
print $tmpl->output;

Indeed, this example is not trivial; the author of the module uses similarly uncomplicated scripts to craft the majority of web pages.

In terms of usage, one can use Config::Natural to read files like mail.conf as shown in the example below:

use Config::Natural;
my $mailconf = new Config::Natural 'mail.conf';

Users can extract data from the configuration file like a signature using `$mailconf->param('signature')`.

In summary, Config::Natural is a useful Perl module that simplifies the process of reading configuration files, enabling users to write uncomplicated HTML::Template-based scripts.