具有保留字符的Typesafe ConfigFactory错误

Question

Hi I am trying to load configuration from a String in Java as follows:

@Test
public void testIllegalCharacter(){
    String input = "prop=\\asd";
    Config conf = ConfigFactory.parseString(input);
}

The code above produces the following error:

com.typesafe.config.ConfigException$Parse: String: 1: Expecting a value but got wrong token: '\' (Reserved character '\' is not allowed outside quotes) (if you intended '\' (Reserved character '\' is not allowed outside quotes) to be part of a key or string value, try enclosing the key or value in double quotes, or you may be able to rename the file .properties rather than .conf)

I understand I have an illegal character in my String. Although how do I find the full set of illegal characters?

If I (for example) convert this String into a Properties object and then parse it with ConfigFactory.parseProperties I can see the value "\\\\asd" in resolved as "asd". So there must be some some sanitising going on in the typesafe library, I wish I could call that sanitisation myself, but I cannot see how. Parsing to Properties is not a viable solution as the configuration could be composed by Objects or Lists too.

Has anyone have any suggestion how to solve this issue?

Alternatively can someone point out all the reserved characters set?

Many thanks

Answer 1

If I understand the error message correctly, you should put quotes around you special characters, eg like this:

"prop=\"\\asd\"";

Not sure why you's want a property definition with a backslash a ('\\a') in it, but I guess I don't need to know :-)

Answer 2

I think I might have found the answer. I need to set the ConfigParseOptions.defaults().setSyntax(ConfigSyntax.PROPERTIES)

Which works for the test below:

@Test
    public void test(){
        String input = "prop=C:/MyDocuments/mydir";
        Config conf = ConfigFactory.parseString(input, ConfigParseOptions.defaults().setSyntax(ConfigSyntax.PROPERTIES));
        assertEquals("C:/MyDocuments/mydir", conf.getAnyRef("prop"));
    }

But will not work for the test with backslashes

@Test
    public void test(){
        String input = "prop=C:\\MyDocuments\\mydir";
        Config conf = ConfigFactory.parseString(input, ConfigParseOptions.defaults().setSyntax(ConfigSyntax.PROPERTIES));
        assertEquals("C:\\MyDocuments\\mydir", conf.getAnyRef("prop"));
    } 

Which fails:

org.junit.ComparisonFailure: 
Expected :C:\MyDocuments\mydir
Actual   :C:MyDocumentsmydir

So I am not sure this is the definitive answer...