Zend_Config_Ini enables developers to store configuration data in a familiar INI format and read them in the application by using nested object property syntax. The INI format is specialized to provide both the ability to have a hierarchy of configuration data keys and inheritance between configuration data sections. Configuration data hierarchies are supported by separating the keys with the dot or period character ("."). A section may extend or inherit from another section by following the section name with a colon character (":) and the name of the section from which data are to be inherited.

Note: Parsing the INI File
Zend_Config_Ini utilizes the » parse_ini_file() PHP function. Please review this documentation to be aware of its specific behaviors, which propagate to Zend_Config_Ini, such as how the special values of "TRUE", "FALSE", "yes", "no", and "NULL" are handled.

Note: Key Separator
By default, the key separator character is the period character ("."). This can be changed, however, by changing the $options key nestSeparator when constructing the Zend_Config_Ini object. For example:

1. $options['nestSeparator'] = ':';
2. $config = new Zend_Config_Ini('/path/to/config.ini',
3.                               'staging',
4.                               $options);

Note:

Zend_Config_Ini Constructor Parameters

Parameter	Notes
$filename	The INI file to load.
$section	The [section] within the INI file that is to be loaded. Setting this parameter to NULL will load all sections. Alternatively, an array of section names may be supplied to load multiple sections.
$options (default FALSE)	Options array. The following keys are supported: allowModifications: Set to TRUE to allow subsequent modification of loaded configuration data in-memory. Defaults to NULL nestSeparator: Set to the character to be used as the nest separator. Defaults to "."