Key-value file parser: GLib Reference Manual

Key-value file parser

Key-value file parser — parses .ini-like config files

Functions

GKeyFile *	g_key_file_new ()
void	g_key_file_free ()
GKeyFile *	g_key_file_ref ()
void	g_key_file_unref ()
void	g_key_file_set_list_separator ()
gboolean	g_key_file_load_from_file ()
gboolean	g_key_file_load_from_data ()
gboolean	g_key_file_load_from_bytes ()
gboolean	g_key_file_load_from_data_dirs ()
gboolean	g_key_file_load_from_dirs ()
gchar *	g_key_file_to_data ()
gboolean	g_key_file_save_to_file ()
gchar *	g_key_file_get_start_group ()
gchar **	g_key_file_get_groups ()
gchar **	g_key_file_get_keys ()
gboolean	g_key_file_has_group ()
gboolean	g_key_file_has_key ()
gchar *	g_key_file_get_value ()
gchar *	g_key_file_get_string ()
gchar *	g_key_file_get_locale_string ()
gchar *	g_key_file_get_locale_for_key ()
gboolean	g_key_file_get_boolean ()
gint	g_key_file_get_integer ()
gint64	g_key_file_get_int64 ()
guint64	g_key_file_get_uint64 ()
gdouble	g_key_file_get_double ()
gchar **	g_key_file_get_string_list ()
gchar **	g_key_file_get_locale_string_list ()
gboolean *	g_key_file_get_boolean_list ()
gint *	g_key_file_get_integer_list ()
gdouble *	g_key_file_get_double_list ()
gchar *	g_key_file_get_comment ()
void	g_key_file_set_value ()
void	g_key_file_set_string ()
void	g_key_file_set_locale_string ()
void	g_key_file_set_boolean ()
void	g_key_file_set_integer ()
void	g_key_file_set_int64 ()
void	g_key_file_set_uint64 ()
void	g_key_file_set_double ()
void	g_key_file_set_string_list ()
void	g_key_file_set_locale_string_list ()
void	g_key_file_set_boolean_list ()
void	g_key_file_set_integer_list ()
void	g_key_file_set_double_list ()
gboolean	g_key_file_set_comment ()
gboolean	g_key_file_remove_group ()
gboolean	g_key_file_remove_key ()
gboolean	g_key_file_remove_comment ()

Types and Values

	GKeyFile
#define	G_KEY_FILE_ERROR
enum	GKeyFileError
enum	GKeyFileFlags
#define	G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_GROUP
#define	G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_TYPE
#define	G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_VERSION
#define	G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_NAME
#define	G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_GENERIC_NAME
#define	G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_NO_DISPLAY
#define	G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_COMMENT
#define	G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_ICON
#define	G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_HIDDEN
#define	G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_ONLY_SHOW_IN
#define	G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_NOT_SHOW_IN
#define	G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_TRY_EXEC
#define	G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_EXEC
#define	G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_PATH
#define	G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_TERMINAL
#define	G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_MIME_TYPE
#define	G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_CATEGORIES
#define	G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_STARTUP_NOTIFY
#define	G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_STARTUP_WM_CLASS
#define	G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_URL
#define	G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_ACTIONS
#define	G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_DBUS_ACTIVATABLE
#define	G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_TYPE_APPLICATION
#define	G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_TYPE_LINK
#define	G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_TYPE_DIRECTORY

Includes

#include <glib.h>
#include <glib/gprintf.h>

Description

GKeyFile lets you parse, edit or create files containing groups of key-value pairs, which we call "key files" for lack of a better name. Several freedesktop.org specifications use key files now, e.g the Desktop Entry Specification and the Icon Theme Specification.

The syntax of key files is described in detail in the Desktop Entry Specification, here is a quick summary: Key files consists of groups of key-value pairs, interspersed with comments.

# this is just an example
# there can be comments before the first group

[First Group]

Name=Key File Example\tthis value shows\nescaping

# localized strings are stored in multiple key-value pairs
Welcome=Hello
Welcome[de]=Hallo
Welcome[fr_FR]=Bonjour
Welcome[it]=Ciao
Welcome[be@latin]=Hello

[Another Group]

Numbers=2;20;-200;0

Booleans=true;false;true;true

Lines beginning with a '#' and blank lines are considered comments.

Groups are started by a header line containing the group name enclosed in '[' and ']', and ended implicitly by the start of the next group or the end of the file. Each key-value pair must be contained in a group.

Key-value pairs generally have the form key=value, with the exception of localized strings, which have the form key[locale]=value, with a locale identifier of the form lang_COUNTRY@MODIFIER where COUNTRY and MODIFIER are optional. Space before and after the '=' character are ignored. Newline, tab, carriage return and backslash characters in value are escaped as \n, \t, \r, and \\, respectively. To preserve leading spaces in values, these can also be escaped as \s.

Key files can store strings (possibly with localized variants), integers, booleans and lists of these. Lists are separated by a separator character, typically ';' or ','. To use the list separator character in a value in a list, it has to be escaped by prefixing it with a backslash.

This syntax is obviously inspired by the .ini files commonly met on Windows, but there are some important differences:

.ini files use the ';' character to begin comments, key files use the '#' character.
Key files do not allow for ungrouped keys meaning only comments can precede the first group.
Key files are always encoded in UTF-8.
Key and Group names are case-sensitive. For example, a group called [GROUP] is a different from [group].
.ini files don't have a strongly typed boolean entry type, they only have GetProfileInt(). In key files, only true and false (in lower case) are allowed.

Note that in contrast to the Desktop Entry Specification, groups in key files may contain the same key multiple times; the last entry wins. Key files may also contain multiple groups with the same name; they are merged together. Another difference is that keys and group names in key files are not restricted to ASCII characters.

Here is an example of loading a key file and reading a value:

g_autoptr(GError) error = NULL;
g_autoptr(GKeyFile) key_file = g_key_file_new ();

if (!g_key_file_load_from_file (key_file, "key-file.ini", flags, &error))
  {
    if (!g_error_matches (error, G_FILE_ERROR, G_FILE_ERROR_NOENT))
      g_warning ("Error loading key file: %s", error->message);
    return;
  }

g_autofree gchar *val = g_key_file_get_string (key_file, "Group Name", "SomeKey", &error);
if (val == NULL &&
    !g_error_matches (error, G_KEY_FILE_ERROR, G_KEY_FILE_ERROR_KEY_NOT_FOUND))
  {
    g_warning ("Error finding key in key file: %s", error->message);
    return;
  }
else if (val == NULL)
  {
    // Fall back to a default value.
    val = g_strdup ("default-value");
  }

Here is an example of creating and saving a key file:

g_autoptr(GKeyFile) key_file = g_key_file_new ();
const gchar *val = …;
g_autoptr(GError) error = NULL;

g_key_file_set_string (key_file, "Group Name", "SomeKey", val);

// Save as a file.
if (!g_key_file_save_to_file (key_file, "key-file.ini", &error))
  {
    g_warning ("Error saving key file: %s", error->message);
    return;
  }

// Or store to a GBytes for use elsewhere.
gsize data_len;
g_autofree guint8 *data = (guint8 *) g_key_file_to_data (key_file, &data_len, &error);
if (data == NULL)
  {
    g_warning ("Error saving key file: %s", error->message);
    return;
  }
g_autoptr(GBytes) bytes = g_bytes_new_take (g_steal_pointer (&data), data_len);

Functions

g_key_file_new ()

GKeyFile *
g_key_file_new (void);

Creates a new empty GKeyFile object. Use g_key_file_load_from_file(), g_key_file_load_from_data(), g_key_file_load_from_dirs() or g_key_file_load_from_data_dirs() to read an existing key file.

Returns

an empty GKeyFile.

[transfer full]

Since: 2.6

g_key_file_free ()

void
g_key_file_free (GKeyFile *key_file);

Clears all keys and groups from key_file , and decreases the reference count by 1. If the reference count reaches zero, frees the key file and all its allocated memory.

[skip]

Parameters

key_file

a GKeyFile

Since: 2.6

g_key_file_ref ()

GKeyFile *
g_key_file_ref (GKeyFile *key_file);

Increases the reference count of key_file .

[skip]

Parameters

key_file

a GKeyFile

Returns

the same key_file .

Since: 2.32

g_key_file_unref ()

void
g_key_file_unref (GKeyFile *key_file);

Decreases the reference count of key_file by 1. If the reference count reaches zero, frees the key file and all its allocated memory.

Parameters

key_file

a GKeyFile

Since: 2.32

g_key_file_set_list_separator ()

void
g_key_file_set_list_separator (GKeyFile *key_file,
                               gchar separator);

Sets the character which is used to separate values in lists. Typically ';' or ',' are used as separators. The default list separator is ';'.

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
separator	the separator

Since: 2.6

g_key_file_load_from_file ()

gboolean
g_key_file_load_from_file (GKeyFile *key_file,
                           const gchar *file,
                           GKeyFileFlags flags,
                           GError **error);

Loads a key file into an empty GKeyFile structure.

If the OS returns an error when opening or reading the file, a G_FILE_ERROR is returned. If there is a problem parsing the file, a G_KEY_FILE_ERROR is returned.

This function will never return a G_KEY_FILE_ERROR_NOT_FOUND error. If the file is not found, G_FILE_ERROR_NOENT is returned.

Parameters

key_file	an empty GKeyFile struct
file	the path of a filename to load, in the GLib filename encoding.	[type filename]
flags	flags from GKeyFileFlags
error	return location for a GError, or `NULL`

Returns

TRUE if a key file could be loaded, FALSE otherwise

Since: 2.6

g_key_file_load_from_data ()

gboolean
g_key_file_load_from_data (GKeyFile *key_file,
                           const gchar *data,
                           gsize length,
                           GKeyFileFlags flags,
                           GError **error);

Loads a key file from memory into an empty GKeyFile structure. If the object cannot be created then error is set to a GKeyFileError.

Parameters

key_file	an empty GKeyFile struct
data	key file loaded in memory
length	the length of `data` in bytes (or (gsize)-1 if data is nul-terminated)
flags	flags from GKeyFileFlags
error	return location for a GError, or `NULL`

Returns

TRUE if a key file could be loaded, FALSE otherwise

Since: 2.6

g_key_file_load_from_bytes ()

gboolean
g_key_file_load_from_bytes (GKeyFile *key_file,
                            GBytes *bytes,
                            GKeyFileFlags flags,
                            GError **error);

Loads a key file from the data in bytes into an empty GKeyFile structure. If the object cannot be created then error is set to a GKeyFileError.

Parameters

key_file	an empty GKeyFile struct
bytes	a GBytes
flags	flags from GKeyFileFlags
error	return location for a GError, or `NULL`

Returns

TRUE if a key file could be loaded, FALSE otherwise

Since: 2.50

g_key_file_load_from_data_dirs ()

gboolean
g_key_file_load_from_data_dirs (GKeyFile *key_file,
                                const gchar *file,
                                gchar **full_path,
                                GKeyFileFlags flags,
                                GError **error);

This function looks for a key file named file in the paths returned from g_get_user_data_dir() and g_get_system_data_dirs(), loads the file into key_file and returns the file's full path in full_path . If the file could not be loaded then an error is set to either a GFileError or GKeyFileError.

Parameters

key_file	an empty GKeyFile struct
file	a relative path to a filename to open and parse.	[type filename]
full_path	return location for a string containing the full path of the file, or `NULL`.	[out][type filename][optional]
flags	flags from GKeyFileFlags
error	return location for a GError, or `NULL`

Returns

TRUE if a key file could be loaded, FALSE otherwise

Since: 2.6

g_key_file_load_from_dirs ()

gboolean
g_key_file_load_from_dirs (GKeyFile *key_file,
                           const gchar *file,
                           const gchar **search_dirs,
                           gchar **full_path,
                           GKeyFileFlags flags,
                           GError **error);

This function looks for a key file named file in the paths specified in search_dirs , loads the file into key_file and returns the file's full path in full_path .

If the file could not be found in any of the search_dirs , G_KEY_FILE_ERROR_NOT_FOUND is returned. If the file is found but the OS returns an error when opening or reading the file, a G_FILE_ERROR is returned. If there is a problem parsing the file, a G_KEY_FILE_ERROR is returned.

Parameters

key_file	an empty GKeyFile struct
file	a relative path to a filename to open and parse.	[type filename]
search_dirs	`NULL`-terminated array of directories to search.	[array zero-terminated=1][element-type filename]
full_path	return location for a string containing the full path of the file, or `NULL`.	[out][type filename][optional]
flags	flags from GKeyFileFlags
error	return location for a GError, or `NULL`

Returns

TRUE if a key file could be loaded, FALSE otherwise

Since: 2.14

g_key_file_to_data ()

gchar *
g_key_file_to_data (GKeyFile *key_file,
                    gsize *length,
                    GError **error);

This function outputs key_file as a string.

Note that this function never reports an error, so it is safe to pass NULL as error .

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
length	return location for the length of the returned string, or `NULL`.	[out][optional]
error	return location for a GError, or `NULL`

Returns

a newly allocated string holding the contents of the GKeyFile

Since: 2.6

g_key_file_save_to_file ()

gboolean
g_key_file_save_to_file (GKeyFile *key_file,
                         const gchar *filename,
                         GError **error);

Writes the contents of key_file to filename using g_file_set_contents(). If you need stricter guarantees about durability of the written file than are provided by g_file_set_contents(), use g_file_set_contents_full() with the return value of g_key_file_to_data().

This function can fail for any of the reasons that g_file_set_contents() may fail.

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
filename	the name of the file to write to
error	a pointer to a `NULL` GError, or `NULL`

Returns

TRUE if successful, else FALSE with error set

Since: 2.40

g_key_file_get_start_group ()

gchar *
g_key_file_get_start_group (GKeyFile *key_file);

Returns the name of the start group of the file.

Parameters

key_file

a GKeyFile

Returns

The start group of the key file.

[nullable]

Since: 2.6

g_key_file_get_groups ()

gchar **
g_key_file_get_groups (GKeyFile *key_file,
                       gsize *length);

Returns all groups in the key file loaded with key_file . The array of returned groups will be NULL-terminated, so length may optionally be NULL.

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
length	return location for the number of returned groups, or `NULL`.	[out][optional]

Returns

a newly-allocated NULL-terminated array of strings. Use g_strfreev() to free it.

[array zero-terminated=1][transfer full]

Since: 2.6

g_key_file_get_keys ()

gchar **
g_key_file_get_keys (GKeyFile *key_file,
                     const gchar *group_name,
                     gsize *length,
                     GError **error);

Returns all keys for the group name group_name . The array of returned keys will be NULL-terminated, so length may optionally be NULL. In the event that the group_name cannot be found, NULL is returned and error is set to G_KEY_FILE_ERROR_GROUP_NOT_FOUND.

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
group_name	a group name
length	return location for the number of keys returned, or `NULL`.	[out][optional]
error	return location for a GError, or `NULL`

Returns

a newly-allocated NULL-terminated array of strings. Use g_strfreev() to free it.

[array zero-terminated=1][transfer full]

Since: 2.6

g_key_file_has_group ()

gboolean
g_key_file_has_group (GKeyFile *key_file,
                      const gchar *group_name);

Looks whether the key file has the group group_name .

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
group_name	a group name

Returns

TRUE if group_name is a part of key_file , FALSE otherwise.

Since: 2.6

g_key_file_has_key ()

gboolean
g_key_file_has_key (GKeyFile *key_file,
                    const gchar *group_name,
                    const gchar *key,
                    GError **error);

Looks whether the key file has the key key in the group group_name .

Note that this function does not follow the rules for GError strictly; the return value both carries meaning and signals an error. To use this function, you must pass a GError pointer in error , and check whether it is not NULL to see if an error occurred.

Language bindings should use g_key_file_get_value() to test whether or not a key exists.

[skip]

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
group_name	a group name
key	a key name
error	return location for a GError

Returns

TRUE if key is a part of group_name , FALSE otherwise

Since: 2.6

g_key_file_get_value ()

gchar *
g_key_file_get_value (GKeyFile *key_file,
                      const gchar *group_name,
                      const gchar *key,
                      GError **error);

Returns the raw value associated with key under group_name . Use g_key_file_get_string() to retrieve an unescaped UTF-8 string.

In the event the key cannot be found, NULL is returned and error is set to G_KEY_FILE_ERROR_KEY_NOT_FOUND. In the event that the group_name cannot be found, NULL is returned and error is set to G_KEY_FILE_ERROR_GROUP_NOT_FOUND.

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
group_name	a group name
key	a key
error	return location for a GError, or `NULL`

Returns

a newly allocated string or NULL if the specified key cannot be found.

Since: 2.6

g_key_file_get_string ()

gchar *
g_key_file_get_string (GKeyFile *key_file,
                       const gchar *group_name,
                       const gchar *key,
                       GError **error);

Returns the string value associated with key under group_name . Unlike g_key_file_get_value(), this function handles escape sequences like \s.

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
group_name	a group name
key	a key
error	return location for a GError, or `NULL`

Returns

a newly allocated string or NULL if the specified key cannot be found.

Since: 2.6

g_key_file_get_locale_string ()

gchar *
g_key_file_get_locale_string (GKeyFile *key_file,
                              const gchar *group_name,
                              const gchar *key,
                              const gchar *locale,
                              GError **error);

Returns the value associated with key under group_name translated in the given locale if available. If locale is NULL then the current locale is assumed.

If locale is to be non-NULL, or if the current locale will change over the lifetime of the GKeyFile, it must be loaded with G_KEY_FILE_KEEP_TRANSLATIONS in order to load strings for all locales.

If key cannot be found then NULL is returned and error is set to G_KEY_FILE_ERROR_KEY_NOT_FOUND. If the value associated with key cannot be interpreted or no suitable translation can be found then the untranslated value is returned.

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
group_name	a group name
key	a key
locale	a locale identifier or `NULL`.	[nullable]
error	return location for a GError, or `NULL`

Returns

a newly allocated string or NULL if the specified key cannot be found.

Since: 2.6

g_key_file_get_locale_for_key ()

gchar *
g_key_file_get_locale_for_key (GKeyFile *key_file,
                               const gchar *group_name,
                               const gchar *key,
                               const gchar *locale);

Returns the actual locale which the result of g_key_file_get_locale_string() or g_key_file_get_locale_string_list() came from.

If calling g_key_file_get_locale_string() or g_key_file_get_locale_string_list() with exactly the same key_file , group_name , key and locale , the result of those functions will have originally been tagged with the locale that is the result of this function.

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
group_name	a group name
key	a key
locale	a locale identifier or `NULL`.	[nullable]

Returns

the locale from the file, or NULL if the key was not found or the entry in the file was was untranslated.

[nullable]

Since: 2.56

g_key_file_get_boolean ()

gboolean
g_key_file_get_boolean (GKeyFile *key_file,
                        const gchar *group_name,
                        const gchar *key,
                        GError **error);

Returns the value associated with key under group_name as a boolean.

If key cannot be found then FALSE is returned and error is set to G_KEY_FILE_ERROR_KEY_NOT_FOUND. Likewise, if the value associated with key cannot be interpreted as a boolean then FALSE is returned and error is set to G_KEY_FILE_ERROR_INVALID_VALUE.

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
group_name	a group name
key	a key
error	return location for a GError

Returns

the value associated with the key as a boolean, or FALSE if the key was not found or could not be parsed.

Since: 2.6

g_key_file_get_integer ()

gint
g_key_file_get_integer (GKeyFile *key_file,
                        const gchar *group_name,
                        const gchar *key,
                        GError **error);

Returns the value associated with key under group_name as an integer.

If key cannot be found then 0 is returned and error is set to G_KEY_FILE_ERROR_KEY_NOT_FOUND. Likewise, if the value associated with key cannot be interpreted as an integer, or is out of range for a gint, then 0 is returned and error is set to G_KEY_FILE_ERROR_INVALID_VALUE.

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
group_name	a group name
key	a key
error	return location for a GError

Returns

the value associated with the key as an integer, or 0 if the key was not found or could not be parsed.

Since: 2.6

g_key_file_get_int64 ()

gint64
g_key_file_get_int64 (GKeyFile *key_file,
                      const gchar *group_name,
                      const gchar *key,
                      GError **error);

Returns the value associated with key under group_name as a signed 64-bit integer. This is similar to g_key_file_get_integer() but can return 64-bit results without truncation.

Parameters

key_file	a non-`NULL` GKeyFile
group_name	a non-`NULL` group name
key	a non-`NULL` key
error	return location for a GError

Returns

the value associated with the key as a signed 64-bit integer, or 0 if the key was not found or could not be parsed.

Since: 2.26

g_key_file_get_uint64 ()

guint64
g_key_file_get_uint64 (GKeyFile *key_file,
                       const gchar *group_name,
                       const gchar *key,
                       GError **error);

Returns the value associated with key under group_name as an unsigned 64-bit integer. This is similar to g_key_file_get_integer() but can return large positive results without truncation.

Parameters

key_file	a non-`NULL` GKeyFile
group_name	a non-`NULL` group name
key	a non-`NULL` key
error	return location for a GError

Returns

the value associated with the key as an unsigned 64-bit integer, or 0 if the key was not found or could not be parsed.

Since: 2.26

g_key_file_get_double ()

gdouble
g_key_file_get_double (GKeyFile *key_file,
                       const gchar *group_name,
                       const gchar *key,
                       GError **error);

Returns the value associated with key under group_name as a double. If group_name is NULL, the start_group is used.

If key cannot be found then 0.0 is returned and error is set to G_KEY_FILE_ERROR_KEY_NOT_FOUND. Likewise, if the value associated with key cannot be interpreted as a double then 0.0 is returned and error is set to G_KEY_FILE_ERROR_INVALID_VALUE.

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
group_name	a group name
key	a key
error	return location for a GError

Returns

the value associated with the key as a double, or 0.0 if the key was not found or could not be parsed.

Since: 2.12

g_key_file_get_string_list ()

gchar **
g_key_file_get_string_list (GKeyFile *key_file,
                            const gchar *group_name,
                            const gchar *key,
                            gsize *length,
                            GError **error);

Returns the values associated with key under group_name .

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
group_name	a group name
key	a key
length	return location for the number of returned strings, or `NULL`.	[out][optional]
error	return location for a GError, or `NULL`

Returns

a NULL-terminated string array or NULL if the specified key cannot be found. The array should be freed with g_strfreev().

[array zero-terminated=1 length=length][element-type utf8][transfer full]

Since: 2.6

g_key_file_get_locale_string_list ()

gchar **
g_key_file_get_locale_string_list (GKeyFile *key_file,
                                   const gchar *group_name,
                                   const gchar *key,
                                   const gchar *locale,
                                   gsize *length,
                                   GError **error);

Returns the values associated with key under group_name translated in the given locale if available. If locale is NULL then the current locale is assumed.

If key cannot be found then NULL is returned and error is set to G_KEY_FILE_ERROR_KEY_NOT_FOUND. If the values associated with key cannot be interpreted or no suitable translations can be found then the untranslated values are returned. The returned array is NULL-terminated, so length may optionally be NULL.

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
group_name	a group name
key	a key
locale	a locale identifier or `NULL`.	[nullable]
length	return location for the number of returned strings or `NULL`.	[out][optional]
error	return location for a GError or `NULL`

Returns

a newly allocated NULL-terminated string array or NULL if the key isn't found. The string array should be freed with g_strfreev().

[array zero-terminated=1 length=length][element-type utf8][transfer full]

Since: 2.6

g_key_file_get_boolean_list ()

gboolean *
g_key_file_get_boolean_list (GKeyFile *key_file,
                             const gchar *group_name,
                             const gchar *key,
                             gsize *length,
                             GError **error);

Returns the values associated with key under group_name as booleans.

If key cannot be found then NULL is returned and error is set to G_KEY_FILE_ERROR_KEY_NOT_FOUND. Likewise, if the values associated with key cannot be interpreted as booleans then NULL is returned and error is set to G_KEY_FILE_ERROR_INVALID_VALUE.

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
group_name	a group name
key	a key
length	the number of booleans returned.	[out]
error	return location for a GError

Returns

the values associated with the key as a list of booleans, or NULL if the key was not found or could not be parsed. The returned list of booleans should be freed with g_free() when no longer needed.

[array length=length][element-type gboolean][transfer container]

Since: 2.6

g_key_file_get_integer_list ()

gint *
g_key_file_get_integer_list (GKeyFile *key_file,
                             const gchar *group_name,
                             const gchar *key,
                             gsize *length,
                             GError **error);

Returns the values associated with key under group_name as integers.

If key cannot be found then NULL is returned and error is set to G_KEY_FILE_ERROR_KEY_NOT_FOUND. Likewise, if the values associated with key cannot be interpreted as integers, or are out of range for gint, then NULL is returned and error is set to G_KEY_FILE_ERROR_INVALID_VALUE.

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
group_name	a group name
key	a key
length	the number of integers returned.	[out]
error	return location for a GError

Returns

the values associated with the key as a list of integers, or NULL if the key was not found or could not be parsed. The returned list of integers should be freed with g_free() when no longer needed.

[array length=length][element-type gint][transfer container]

Since: 2.6

g_key_file_get_double_list ()

gdouble *
g_key_file_get_double_list (GKeyFile *key_file,
                            const gchar *group_name,
                            const gchar *key,
                            gsize *length,
                            GError **error);

Returns the values associated with key under group_name as doubles.

If key cannot be found then NULL is returned and error is set to G_KEY_FILE_ERROR_KEY_NOT_FOUND. Likewise, if the values associated with key cannot be interpreted as doubles then NULL is returned and error is set to G_KEY_FILE_ERROR_INVALID_VALUE.

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
group_name	a group name
key	a key
length	the number of doubles returned.	[out]
error	return location for a GError

Returns

the values associated with the key as a list of doubles, or NULL if the key was not found or could not be parsed. The returned list of doubles should be freed with g_free() when no longer needed.

[array length=length][element-type gdouble][transfer container]

Since: 2.12

g_key_file_get_comment ()

gchar *
g_key_file_get_comment (GKeyFile *key_file,
                        const gchar *group_name,
                        const gchar *key,
                        GError **error);

Retrieves a comment above key from group_name . If key is NULL then comment will be read from above group_name . If both key and group_name are NULL, then comment will be read from above the first group in the file.

Note that the returned string does not include the '#' comment markers, but does include any whitespace after them (on each line). It includes the line breaks between lines, but does not include the final line break.

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
group_name	a group name, or `NULL`.	[nullable]
key	a key.	[nullable]
error	return location for a GError

Returns

a comment that should be freed with g_free()

Since: 2.6

g_key_file_set_value ()

void
g_key_file_set_value (GKeyFile *key_file,
                      const gchar *group_name,
                      const gchar *key,
                      const gchar *value);

Associates a new value with key under group_name .

If key cannot be found then it is created. If group_name cannot be found then it is created. To set an UTF-8 string which may contain characters that need escaping (such as newlines or spaces), use g_key_file_set_string().

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
group_name	a group name
key	a key
value	a string

Since: 2.6

g_key_file_set_string ()

void
g_key_file_set_string (GKeyFile *key_file,
                       const gchar *group_name,
                       const gchar *key,
                       const gchar *string);

Associates a new string value with key under group_name . If key cannot be found then it is created. If group_name cannot be found then it is created. Unlike g_key_file_set_value(), this function handles characters that need escaping, such as newlines.

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
group_name	a group name
key	a key
string	a string

Since: 2.6

g_key_file_set_locale_string ()

void
g_key_file_set_locale_string (GKeyFile *key_file,
                              const gchar *group_name,
                              const gchar *key,
                              const gchar *locale,
                              const gchar *string);

Associates a string value for key and locale under group_name . If the translation for key cannot be found then it is created.

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
group_name	a group name
key	a key
locale	a locale identifier
string	a string

Since: 2.6

g_key_file_set_boolean ()

void
g_key_file_set_boolean (GKeyFile *key_file,
                        const gchar *group_name,
                        const gchar *key,
                        gboolean value);

Associates a new boolean value with key under group_name . If key cannot be found then it is created.

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
group_name	a group name
key	a key
value	`TRUE` or `FALSE`

Since: 2.6

g_key_file_set_integer ()

void
g_key_file_set_integer (GKeyFile *key_file,
                        const gchar *group_name,
                        const gchar *key,
                        gint value);

Associates a new integer value with key under group_name . If key cannot be found then it is created.

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
group_name	a group name
key	a key
value	an integer value

Since: 2.6

g_key_file_set_int64 ()

void
g_key_file_set_int64 (GKeyFile *key_file,
                      const gchar *group_name,
                      const gchar *key,
                      gint64 value);

Associates a new integer value with key under group_name . If key cannot be found then it is created.

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
group_name	a group name
key	a key
value	an integer value

Since: 2.26

g_key_file_set_uint64 ()

void
g_key_file_set_uint64 (GKeyFile *key_file,
                       const gchar *group_name,
                       const gchar *key,
                       guint64 value);

Associates a new integer value with key under group_name . If key cannot be found then it is created.

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
group_name	a group name
key	a key
value	an integer value

Since: 2.26

g_key_file_set_double ()

void
g_key_file_set_double (GKeyFile *key_file,
                       const gchar *group_name,
                       const gchar *key,
                       gdouble value);

Associates a new double value with key under group_name . If key cannot be found then it is created.

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
group_name	a group name
key	a key
value	a double value

Since: 2.12

g_key_file_set_string_list ()

void
g_key_file_set_string_list (GKeyFile *key_file,
                            const gchar *group_name,
                            const gchar *key,
                            const gchar * const list[],
                            gsize length);

Associates a list of string values for key under group_name . If key cannot be found then it is created. If group_name cannot be found then it is created.

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
group_name	a group name
key	a key
list	an array of string values.	[array zero-terminated=1 length=length][element-type utf8]
length	number of string values in `list`

Since: 2.6

g_key_file_set_locale_string_list ()

void
g_key_file_set_locale_string_list (GKeyFile *key_file,
                                   const gchar *group_name,
                                   const gchar *key,
                                   const gchar *locale,
                                   const gchar * const list[],
                                   gsize length);

Associates a list of string values for key and locale under group_name . If the translation for key cannot be found then it is created.

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
group_name	a group name
key	a key
locale	a locale identifier
list	a `NULL`-terminated array of locale string values.	[array zero-terminated=1 length=length]
length	the length of `list`

Since: 2.6

g_key_file_set_boolean_list ()

void
g_key_file_set_boolean_list (GKeyFile *key_file,
                             const gchar *group_name,
                             const gchar *key,
                             gboolean list[],
                             gsize length);

Associates a list of boolean values with key under group_name . If key cannot be found then it is created. If group_name is NULL, the start_group is used.

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
group_name	a group name
key	a key
list	an array of boolean values.	[array length=length]
length	length of `list`

Since: 2.6

g_key_file_set_integer_list ()

void
g_key_file_set_integer_list (GKeyFile *key_file,
                             const gchar *group_name,
                             const gchar *key,
                             gint list[],
                             gsize length);

Associates a list of integer values with key under group_name . If key cannot be found then it is created.

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
group_name	a group name
key	a key
list	an array of integer values.	[array length=length]
length	number of integer values in `list`

Since: 2.6

g_key_file_set_double_list ()

void
g_key_file_set_double_list (GKeyFile *key_file,
                            const gchar *group_name,
                            const gchar *key,
                            gdouble list[],
                            gsize length);

Associates a list of double values with key under group_name . If key cannot be found then it is created.

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
group_name	a group name
key	a key
list	an array of double values.	[array length=length]
length	number of double values in `list`

Since: 2.12

g_key_file_set_comment ()

gboolean
g_key_file_set_comment (GKeyFile *key_file,
                        const gchar *group_name,
                        const gchar *key,
                        const gchar *comment,
                        GError **error);

Places a comment above key from group_name .

If key is NULL then comment will be written above group_name . If both key and group_name are NULL, then comment will be written above the first group in the file.

Note that this function prepends a '#' comment marker to each line of comment .

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
group_name	a group name, or `NULL`.	[nullable]
key	a key.	[nullable]
comment	a comment
error	return location for a GError

Returns

TRUE if the comment was written, FALSE otherwise

Since: 2.6

g_key_file_remove_group ()

gboolean
g_key_file_remove_group (GKeyFile *key_file,
                         const gchar *group_name,
                         GError **error);

Removes the specified group, group_name , from the key file.

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
group_name	a group name
error	return location for a GError or `NULL`

Returns

TRUE if the group was removed, FALSE otherwise

Since: 2.6

g_key_file_remove_key ()

gboolean
g_key_file_remove_key (GKeyFile *key_file,
                       const gchar *group_name,
                       const gchar *key,
                       GError **error);

Removes key in group_name from the key file.

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
group_name	a group name
key	a key name to remove
error	return location for a GError or `NULL`

Returns

TRUE if the key was removed, FALSE otherwise

Since: 2.6

g_key_file_remove_comment ()

gboolean
g_key_file_remove_comment (GKeyFile *key_file,
                           const gchar *group_name,
                           const gchar *key,
                           GError **error);

Removes a comment above key from group_name . If key is NULL then comment will be removed above group_name . If both key and group_name are NULL, then comment will be removed above the first group in the file.

Parameters

key_file	a GKeyFile
group_name	a group name, or `NULL`.	[nullable]
key	a key.	[nullable]
error	return location for a GError

Returns

TRUE if the comment was removed, FALSE otherwise

Since: 2.6

Types and Values

GKeyFile

typedef struct _GKeyFile GKeyFile;

The GKeyFile struct contains only private data and should not be accessed directly.

G_KEY_FILE_ERROR

#define G_KEY_FILE_ERROR g_key_file_error_quark()

Error domain for key file parsing. Errors in this domain will be from the GKeyFileError enumeration.

See GError for information on error domains.

enum GKeyFileError

Error codes returned by key file parsing.

Members

G_KEY_FILE_ERROR_UNKNOWN_ENCODING	the text being parsed was in an unknown encoding
G_KEY_FILE_ERROR_PARSE	document was ill-formed
G_KEY_FILE_ERROR_NOT_FOUND	the file was not found
G_KEY_FILE_ERROR_KEY_NOT_FOUND	a requested key was not found
G_KEY_FILE_ERROR_GROUP_NOT_FOUND	a requested group was not found
G_KEY_FILE_ERROR_INVALID_VALUE	a value could not be parsed

enum GKeyFileFlags

Flags which influence the parsing.

Members

G_KEY_FILE_NONE	No flags, default behaviour
G_KEY_FILE_KEEP_COMMENTS	Use this flag if you plan to write the (possibly modified) contents of the key file back to a file; otherwise all comments will be lost when the key file is written back.
G_KEY_FILE_KEEP_TRANSLATIONS	Use this flag if you plan to write the (possibly modified) contents of the key file back to a file; otherwise only the translations for the current language will be written back.

G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_GROUP

#define G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_GROUP                "Desktop Entry"

The name of the main group of a desktop entry file, as defined in the Desktop Entry Specification. Consult the specification for more details about the meanings of the keys below.

Since: 2.14

G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_TYPE

#define G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_TYPE             "Type"

A key under G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_GROUP, whose value is a string giving the type of the desktop entry.

Usually G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_TYPE_APPLICATION, G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_TYPE_LINK, or G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_TYPE_DIRECTORY.

Since: 2.14

G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_VERSION

#define G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_VERSION          "Version"

A key under G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_GROUP, whose value is a string giving the version of the Desktop Entry Specification used for the desktop entry file.

Since: 2.14

G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_NAME

#define G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_NAME             "Name"

A key under G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_GROUP, whose value is a localized string giving the specific name of the desktop entry.

Since: 2.14

G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_GENERIC_NAME

#define G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_GENERIC_NAME     "GenericName"

A key under G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_GROUP, whose value is a localized string giving the generic name of the desktop entry.

Since: 2.14

G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_NO_DISPLAY

#define G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_NO_DISPLAY       "NoDisplay"

A key under G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_GROUP, whose value is a boolean stating whether the desktop entry should be shown in menus.

Since: 2.14

G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_COMMENT

#define G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_COMMENT          "Comment"

A key under G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_GROUP, whose value is a localized string giving the tooltip for the desktop entry.

Since: 2.14

G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_ICON

#define G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_ICON             "Icon"

A key under G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_GROUP, whose value is a localized string giving the name of the icon to be displayed for the desktop entry.

Since: 2.14

G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_HIDDEN

#define G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_HIDDEN           "Hidden"

A key under G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_GROUP, whose value is a boolean stating whether the desktop entry has been deleted by the user.

Since: 2.14

G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_ONLY_SHOW_IN

#define G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_ONLY_SHOW_IN     "OnlyShowIn"

A key under G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_GROUP, whose value is a list of strings identifying the environments that should display the desktop entry.

Since: 2.14

G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_NOT_SHOW_IN

#define G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_NOT_SHOW_IN      "NotShowIn"

A key under G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_GROUP, whose value is a list of strings identifying the environments that should not display the desktop entry.

Since: 2.14

G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_TRY_EXEC

#define G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_TRY_EXEC         "TryExec"

A key under G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_GROUP, whose value is a string giving the file name of a binary on disk used to determine if the program is actually installed. It is only valid for desktop entries with the Application type.

Since: 2.14

G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_EXEC

#define G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_EXEC             "Exec"

A key under G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_GROUP, whose value is a string giving the command line to execute. It is only valid for desktop entries with the Application type.

Since: 2.14

G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_PATH

#define G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_PATH             "Path"

A key under G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_GROUP, whose value is a string containing the working directory to run the program in. It is only valid for desktop entries with the Application type.

Since: 2.14

G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_TERMINAL

#define G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_TERMINAL         "Terminal"

A key under G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_GROUP, whose value is a boolean stating whether the program should be run in a terminal window.

It is only valid for desktop entries with the Application type.

Since: 2.14

G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_MIME_TYPE

#define G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_MIME_TYPE        "MimeType"

A key under G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_GROUP, whose value is a list of strings giving the MIME types supported by this desktop entry.

Since: 2.14

G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_CATEGORIES

#define G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_CATEGORIES       "Categories"

A key under G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_GROUP, whose value is a list of strings giving the categories in which the desktop entry should be shown in a menu.

Since: 2.14

G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_STARTUP_NOTIFY

#define G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_STARTUP_NOTIFY   "StartupNotify"

A key under G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_GROUP, whose value is a boolean stating whether the application supports the Startup Notification Protocol Specification.

Since: 2.14

G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_STARTUP_WM_CLASS

#define G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_STARTUP_WM_CLASS "StartupWMClass"

A key under G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_GROUP, whose value is string identifying the WM class or name hint of a window that the application will create, which can be used to emulate Startup Notification with older applications.

Since: 2.14

G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_URL

#define G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_URL              "URL"

A key under G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_GROUP, whose value is a string giving the URL to access. It is only valid for desktop entries with the Link type.

Since: 2.14

G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_ACTIONS

#define G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_ACTIONS          "Actions"

A key under G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_GROUP, whose value is a string list giving the available application actions.

Since: 2.38

G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_DBUS_ACTIVATABLE

#define G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_DBUS_ACTIVATABLE "DBusActivatable"

A key under G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_GROUP, whose value is a boolean set to true if the application is D-Bus activatable.

Since: 2.38

G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_TYPE_APPLICATION

#define G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_TYPE_APPLICATION     "Application"

The value of the G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_TYPE, key for desktop entries representing applications.

Since: 2.14

G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_TYPE_LINK

#define G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_TYPE_LINK            "Link"

The value of the G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_TYPE, key for desktop entries representing links to documents.

Since: 2.14

G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_TYPE_DIRECTORY

#define G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_TYPE_DIRECTORY       "Directory"

The value of the G_KEY_FILE_DESKTOP_KEY_TYPE, key for desktop entries representing directories.

Since: 2.14