
``user`` --- User-specific configuration hook
*********************************************

Deprecated since version 2.6: The ``user`` module has been removed in
Python 3.0.

As a policy, Python doesn't run user-specified code on startup of
Python programs.  (Only interactive sessions execute the script
specified in the **PYTHONSTARTUP** environment variable if it exists).

However, some programs or sites may find it convenient to allow users
to have a standard customization file, which gets run when a program
requests it.  This module implements such a mechanism.  A program that
wishes to use the mechanism must execute the statement

   import user

The ``user`` module looks for a file ``.pythonrc.py`` in the user's
home directory and if it can be opened, executes it (using
``execfile()``) in its own (the module ``user``'s) global namespace.
Errors during this phase are not caught; that's up to the program that
imports the ``user`` module, if it wishes.  The home directory is
assumed to be named by the **HOME** environment variable; if this is
not set, the current directory is used.

The user's ``.pythonrc.py`` could conceivably test for ``sys.version``
if it wishes to do different things depending on the Python version.

A warning to users: be very conservative in what you place in your
``.pythonrc.py`` file.  Since you don't know which programs will use
it, changing the behavior of standard modules or functions is
generally not a good idea.

A suggestion for programmers who wish to use this mechanism: a simple
way to let users specify options for your package is to have them
define variables in their ``.pythonrc.py`` file that you test in your
module.  For example, a module ``spam`` that has a verbosity level can
look for a variable ``user.spam_verbose``, as follows:

   import user

   verbose = bool(getattr(user, "spam_verbose", 0))

(The three-argument form of ``getattr()`` is used in case the user has
not defined ``spam_verbose`` in their ``.pythonrc.py`` file.)

Programs with extensive customization needs are better off reading a
program-specific customization file.

Programs with security or privacy concerns should *not* import this
module; a user can easily break into a program by placing arbitrary
code in the ``.pythonrc.py`` file.

Modules for general use should *not* import this module; it may
interfere with the operation of the importing program.

See also:

   Module ``site``
      Site-wide customization mechanism.
