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How to Use Configuration Files

Purpose

This guide explains how to create and use configuration files that control the behavior of RDEToolKit. By properly configuring configuration files, you can select processing modes, control file saving, and define custom settings.

Prerequisites

Before using configuration files, ensure the following:

  • RDEToolKit is installed
  • Project directory has been created
  • Basic knowledge of YAML or TOML format

Steps

1. Create Configuration File

RDEToolKit automatically searches for configuration files in the following locations and file names:

Supported File Names and Locations

File Name Location Format
rdeconfig.yaml tasksupport/ or project root YAML
rdeconfig.yml tasksupport/ or project root YAML
pyproject.toml project root TOML

Recommended Placement

We recommend placing project-specific settings in tasksupport/rdeconfig.yaml and development environment-wide settings in pyproject.toml.

2. Define Basic Settings

Processing Mode Configuration

tasksupport/rdeconfig.yaml
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system:
  # Extended mode specification
  extended_mode: 'MultiDataTile'  # or 'rdeformat'

  # File saving settings
  save_raw: true
  save_nonshared_raw: true

  # Feature enable/disable
  magic_variable: true
  save_thumbnail_image: true
pyproject.toml
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[tool.rdetoolkit.system]
extended_mode = 'MultiDataTile'
save_raw = true
save_nonshared_raw = true
magic_variable = true
save_thumbnail_image = true

Configuration Item Details

Setting Item Type Default Value Description
extended_mode string none Extended mode ('MultiDataTile' or 'rdeformat')
save_raw boolean false Save input files to raw directory
save_nonshared_raw boolean true Save input files to nonshared_raw directory
magic_variable boolean false Enable Magic Variable functionality
save_thumbnail_image boolean false Automatic thumbnail image generation

3. Processing Mode-Specific Settings

Invoice Mode (Default)

tasksupport/rdeconfig.yaml
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system:
  magic_variable: true
  save_thumbnail_image: true

Multi Data Tile Mode

tasksupport/rdeconfig.yaml
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system:
  extended_mode: 'MultiDataTile'

multidata_tile:
  ignore_errors: true  # Continue processing on errors

RDE Format Mode

tasksupport/rdeconfig.yaml
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system:
  extended_mode: 'rdeformat'
  save_raw: false
  save_nonshared_raw: false

4. Add Custom Settings

Define custom configuration values that can be referenced within structured processing:

tasksupport/rdeconfig.yaml
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custom:
  # Image processing settings
  thumbnail_image_name: "inputdata/sample_image.png"
  image_quality: 85
  max_image_size: 1920

  # Data processing settings
  analysis_parameters:
    threshold: 0.5
    iterations: 100

  # Output settings
  output_format: "csv"
  include_metadata: true
pyproject.toml
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[tool.rdetoolkit.custom]
thumbnail_image_name = "inputdata/sample_image.png"
image_quality = 85
max_image_size = 1920
output_format = "csv"
include_metadata = true

[tool.rdetoolkit.custom.analysis_parameters]
threshold = 0.5
iterations = 100

5. Reference Settings in Structuring Processing

How to use created configuration values within structured processing functions:

modules/process.py
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from rdetoolkit.models.rde2types import RdeInputDirPaths, RdeOutputResourcePath

def dataset(srcpaths: RdeInputDirPaths, resource_paths: RdeOutputResourcePath):
    # Reference system settings
    extended_mode = srcpaths.config.system.extended_mode
    save_raw = srcpaths.config.system.save_raw
    magic_variable = srcpaths.config.system.magic_variable

    print(f"Processing mode: {extended_mode}")
    print(f"Save raw: {save_raw}")
    print(f"Magic Variable: {magic_variable}")

    # Reference custom settings
    if hasattr(srcpaths.config, 'custom'):
        custom_config = srcpaths.config.custom

        # Get image settings
        thumbnail_name = custom_config.get('thumbnail_image_name')
        image_quality = custom_config.get('image_quality', 75)

        # Get analysis parameters
        analysis_params = custom_config.get('analysis_parameters', {})
        threshold = analysis_params.get('threshold', 0.5)

        print(f"Thumbnail image: {thumbnail_name}")
        print(f"Image quality: {image_quality}")
        print(f"Threshold: {threshold}")

Verification

Verify Configuration File Loading

How to verify that settings are loaded correctly:

test_config.py
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from rdetoolkit.config import parse_config_file

# Test configuration file loading
config = parse_config_file()

print("=== Configuration Check ===")
print(f"Extended mode: {config.system.extended_mode}")
print(f"Save raw: {config.system.save_raw}")
print(f"Magic Variable: {config.system.magic_variable}")

if hasattr(config, 'custom'):
    print(f"Custom settings: {config.custom}")

Configuration Priority

Priority when multiple configuration files exist:

  1. tasksupport/rdeconfig.yaml
  2. tasksupport/rdeconfig.yml
  3. ./rdeconfig.yaml
  4. ./rdeconfig.yml
  5. ./pyproject.toml

Configuration Conflicts

When the same configuration item is defined in multiple files, the setting from the higher priority file is used.

Troubleshooting

Common Issues and Solutions

YAML Syntax Error

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ERROR: YAML parsing failed

Solution: Check YAML syntax 

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# Correct example
system:
  extended_mode: 'MultiDataTile'
  save_raw: true

# Incorrect example (indentation error)
system:
extended_mode: 'MultiDataTile'
save_raw: true

Configuration Values Not Applied

Check items: 1. File name spelling mistakes 2. File placement location 3. YAML/TOML syntax errors 4. Incorrect configuration item names

Cannot Access Custom Settings

safe_config_access.py
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def safe_get_custom_config(config, key, default=None):
    """Safely get custom configuration"""
    if hasattr(config, 'custom') and key in config.custom:
        return config.custom[key]
    return default

# Usage example
thumbnail_name = safe_get_custom_config(
    srcpaths.config,
    'thumbnail_image_name',
    'default_thumbnail.png'
)

For detailed configuration file specifications:

  • Magic Variables - Dynamic metadata replacement functionality (see Magic Variables section above)
  • API Reference - Configuration-related API specifications