Add contribution model for application configuration

[bdemers]

I would love to be able to create a new project that contains an application.yml instead of an application.properties file.

Maybe as an option? properties=yaml

Or maybe whiteSpaceBugs=true
Joking aside, we commonly give instructions to rename app.props to app.yml after creating a new project and then provide example configuration in YAML format.

I can understand the desire to keep the number of permutations down, so feel free to close this issue!

Thanks again!

[snicoll]

I can understand the desire to keep the number of permutations down,

Yep, that's what happening here. This was raised a few times and I understand the interest but I can't see that happening at the moment. I've flagged this for team attention to see what the rest of the team things. I've also moved that to the library as I don't think this would be 100% on the service-side only.

[wilkinsona]

It feels to me like something that the library could support but we'd choose not to use it on start.spring.io.

[snicoll]

Yeah although the current contributor right now create an empty file. If we support yaml-based config, It would make sense to offer a model where users can contribute keys and then the configuration is written in either format. If we decide not to use this on start.spring.io, I'd argue we have other areas of the library that needs improving with more impacts on our service.

[wilkinsona]

If we decide not to use this on start.spring.io, I'd argue we have other areas of the library that needs improving with more impacts on our service.

I agree.

[snicoll]

I've repurposed this issue as an enhancement in the library.

[uqix]

As a workaround:

import java.io.IOException;
import java.nio.file.Files;
import java.nio.file.Path;

import io.spring.initializr.generator.project.contributor.ProjectContributor;
import lombok.RequiredArgsConstructor;

@RequiredArgsConstructor
class DeleteFileProjectContributor implements ProjectContributor {

    private final String path;

    @Override
    public void contribute(final Path projectRoot) throws IOException {
        final var file = projectRoot.resolve(path);
        Files.delete(file);
    }

    @Override
    public int getOrder() {
        return 1;
    }
}

@ProjectGenerationConfiguration
class CustomProjectGenerationConfiguration {
    @Bean
    ProjectContributor deleteApplicationPropertiesProjectContributor() {
        return new DeleteFileProjectContributor("src/main/resources/application.properties");
    }
}

[expe-elenigen]

I'm sorry if I highjack this ticket, but I feel the real question should be, why using application.properties as the default configuration file instead of application.yml?
The properties files came first, so I get it many people were used by this, but considering yaml is supported since a while and technically I just feel it's hard not to see that properties are way more verbose and they don't follow the DRY principe. It's fine if some people insist on using properties, but it's still technically a better practice in my opinion adopt yaml files and this tool is, for now, sending the wrong message:

Adopt properties files in your app!

I don't mind creating a new ticket if it helps to consider this option, I was just feeling if my suggestion is took in consideration and adopted, then this ticket would lose a lot of interest.