Leaderboard

Hello! I use .env files on every ProcessWire project to manage environment-specific configurations and settings. I've built a ProcessWire specific utility that makes using .env files a breeze. This post isn't intended to debate .env vs. config.php, use what you're comfortable with and prefer. That said, here are a few benefits to using .env files that may make it worth considering: Native support on web servers, including Apache, they are not served via http request by default True environment based secrets and settings management A standard file widely used and accepted as the method for managing secrets and sensitive values Able to store any value whether sensitive or not and access them globally Building a dedicated solution came from a discussion here on the forums where I threw together a rough implementation that needed little polish for real world use. It makes use of phpdotenv. This utility delivers the following: Easy use of and access to .env variables Caching the parsed .env for performance. This is a significant part of this utility and addresses a known need Automatic .env change recognition and re-caching Utilities to make working with environment variables feel ProcessWire native and a few extra nifty things What it isn't: A module. It's not possible to make a module for this need because the information kept in a .env file needs to be available before ProcessWire boots. Adding this to a new or existing project is very easy. It's designed to implement quickly and use immediately in your projects. Full documentation is provided in the Github repository. Here are a few examples of using this tool: <?php namespace ProcessWire; use Env\Env; if(!defined("PROCESSWIRE")) die(); $env = Env::load(__DIR__ . '/../'); // Make env available throughout the application $config->env = $env; $config->dbName = $env->get('DB_NAME'); $config->dbUser = $env->get('DB_USER'); $config->dbPass = $env->get('DB_PASS'); // Env::get() takes a second argument that is the fallback value if for any reason DEBUG doesn't exist $config->debug = $env->get('DEBUG', false); // Conditional values. By default, if the condition is falsey, Env::if() returns null $config->adminEmail = $env->if('APP_ENV', 'production', 'you@youremail.com'); // A fourth argument will be returned if condition is false, truthy/falsey output can be env var names or specific values $config->adminEmail = $env->if('APP_ENV', 'production', 'ADMIN_EMAIL', 'you@youremail.com'); // Conversely, you can also check if a condition is not met. $config->adminEmail = $env->ifNot('APP_ENV', 'development', 'ADMIN_EMAIL'); // Use one env value to set multiple config properties $config->advanced = $env->if('APP_ENV', 'production', false, 'ENABLE_ADVANCED'); // Never in production, change locally in env as needed $config->adminEmail = $env->ifNot('APP_ENV', 'development', 'ADMIN_EMAIL'); // Never send an email in dev, always on staging/production These helper methods make is very straightforward to implement a dynamic config file. This can be useful for using secure .env values while retaining the ability to commit and upload some types of changes to your config.php file without needing to touch .env values on the server. You can also use Env::pushToConfig(). As long as you use the "screaming snake case" naming convention for your environment variable names, type and value recognition are handled automatically. <?php $env->pushToConfig($config, [ 'usePageClasses' => true, 'templateCompile' => 'TEMPLATE_COMPILE', 'debug' => ['DEBUG', false], // Fallback to false 'advanced' => $env->if('APP_ENV', 'production', false, 'ENABLE_ADVANCED'), 'adminEmail' => $env->ifNot('APP_ENV', 'development', 'ADMIN_EMAIL'), 'httpHosts' => [ 'something.com', 'staging.something.com', 'something.ddev.site' ], ]); Using Env in your application files and templates can be very useful. In the above example we assigned the Env object to $config->env. This lets you access your .env variables globally and use some helpful methods. <?php if ($config->env->eq('APP_ENV', 'development')): ?> <script src="/some/development/stuff.js"></script> <?php endif ?> <?php if (!$config->env->exists('GOOGLE_API_KEY')) { $wire->error('A Google API key could not be loaded from the environment file.'); } try { // Do something that could fail } catch (Exception $e) { $message = $config->env->if('APP_ENV', 'production', 'Oh no. Friendly message here', $e->getMessage()); } This utility also automatically casts 'true' and 'false' values in .env files to booleans, and casts numbers to integers. It also includes several configuration options. I have been using this tool in production and have been happy with it. Maybe you might find it helpful in your projects as well. If you like it, throw a star on the repo. If you run into any bugs, file an issue on Github. I may publish it as a composer package at some point. Env utility for ProcessWIre on Github.

Finally getting onboard with .env now I have a project where the same installation is getting rolled out multiple times and I don't want any accidents (I've excluded config.php on Github but still it could happen if I get careless and we pull in a lot of other API keys) - this was the missing piece of the puzzle for me so thanks @FireWire! 🎉

I built "my" first website in `96 with Adobe PageMill, fighting with tables to craft the basic layout it had. It was for a bank, a handful of static pages. I had no prior experience with HTML... :P

I don't want to be too blunt and I can't speak for anyone else, but I've never referred a client to a software or service website as part of the education process. It doesn't do anything for them. You are the expert. The person making the pitch should be able to fully explain the technology stack to the extent that the conversation requires it in language they can understand because we are the interpreters. Clients trust me because I am the expert and the top 3 things they care about are these, in this order: How much is this going to cost me? Why don't we use xxx? (or, our current site is xxx I'm not sure we want to switch) When is it going to be done? Sending a client to any site for tools or software is like saying "here, do your own research". The ProcessWire site, like any other development tools/software sites, isn't there to woo clients. Most clients don't care enough to take time and truly understand it because that's not their job. If a curious client is in a position to go to websites like ProcessWire, several steps have been skipped in the client discovery/planning process IMHO. I'd even go so far as to say that if a site has "Docs" or "Documentation" in the primary nav, it's not for clients and they shouldn't be there. I hope this isn't a too hot a take... I would say that improvements could be made iteratively with more use of color for contrast, emphasis, and indicating priority. I think it's a flexible design that can evolve in whatever capacity that may be needed. This has the ability to highlight some impressive facts and figures. No notes on the content, some elements could be integrated into the current design. Even then, facts and figures are for devs. I used the word "scalability" with a manager once and they stopped the conversation to ask "wait, what does that mean?" and still didn't care when I explained. A a CMS or framework site is never going to lead to clients translating what's on the page to time or money. In all likelihood, the conversation you are having with a client at 10:00 just followed a call with their product distributor at 8:00am, their accountant at 9:00, and at 11:00 they're meeting with other members in management. Personally, I would no sooner send someone to processwire.com than I would laravel.com. You are the time and money. I agree with this. I will go out on a limb and say the number of end customers who went to the Drupal site and left thinking they need a Drupal site isn't zero, but it's probably close. If someone is hiring a Drupal developer then they're in a role where it's part of their job to understand the tech stack even if they aren't a dev. Visiting wordpress.com, it doesn't target the end user but name recognition still draws business which overcomes the website entirely. This is fair. It doesn't take a monitor that computer professionals use to get this experience. All you need is a consumer iMac. I think iteration can address concerns. I don't want to belabor the point, but to be fair, did you ever send a client to the QuarkXpress website... Just a little joke ☺️ Cheers from a fellow old school developer who built their first website in 1997 and tinkered with QuarkXpress 🍻