Re: [exim-dev] better support for macros

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Author: Kjetil Torgrim Homme
Date:  
To: John W. Baxter
CC: exim-dev
Subject: Re: [exim-dev] better support for macros
On Tue, 2005-03-15 at 18:03 -0800, John W. Baxter wrote:
> On 3/15/2005 16:45, "Kjetil Torgrim Homme" <kjetilho@???> wrote:
>
> > at our site, we use Exim on a number of different kinds of servers. to
> > keep complexity down, we have separated the common bits into files which
> > can be included in each exim.conf. at this time, we have 14 different
> > exim.conf, so I'm sure you understand that this is essential to be able
> > to maintain the files consistently.
>
> We have a similar but smaller problem at our site.
>
> We keep the configuration under source code control, and have an install
> script which actually puts them in place for Exim's use.


so do we. each of the eleven "flavours" has a file detailing which
files from the repository should go where.

> The install script includes a step in which server-specific macros--grouped
> together at the top of the original file are adjusted using the standard
>    patch
> program.  Seems to work well.


I guess we could do something like that, but editing the diff sounds
like a pain ;-)

> However, we have not broken our config down into a bunch of individual files
> (we do have a few such, to avoid repeated code). We haven't had a need for
> macros in those.


one example from our ACL file, this is not currently allowed:

  begin acls
      NOT_POSTMASTER = acl_m0


      accept  local_parts = postmaster
              domains     = +local_domains


      warn    set NOT_POSTMASTER = true


we need to define all these macros in the main section, in a different
file, which makes it a bit harder to keep in sync. the other
alternative is to sprinkle acl_m0, acl_m1 etc. throughout the rules, but
that's definitely unreadable :-)
--
Kjetil T.
postmaster, University of Oslo