Settings keys and values

See also: Settings

Multipass settings are organised in a tree structure, where each individual setting is identified by a unique key and takes on a single value at any given time.

Settings keys

A settings key is a string in the form of a dot-separated path through the settings tree (such as client.primary-name). It specifies a path along the settings tree, from the root to a leaf. Thus, individual settings correspond to the leaves of the settings tree.

Conceptually, branches of the tree can be singled out with wildcards, to refer to multiple settings at once. For instance, local.<instance-name>.* designates the settings that affect a specific instance. Wildcards can also be used to select separate branches. For example local.*.cpus refers to the number of CPUs of Multipass instances.

Settings values

A settings value is a string whose syntax (possible values or their representations) and semantics (their interpretation) is determined by the setting in question.

Values often express common concepts (such as true, false, 42, etc.) and are interpreted internally using the corresponding data types (such as boolean, integer, etc.). They can also be more complex (such as a key combination), but they are always specified and displayed through a string representation (for example: Ctrl+Alt+U).