[Hackage] #493: counterintuitive syntax of .cabal/config file

[Hackage]

#493: counterintuitive syntax of .cabal/config file
---------------------------------+------------------------------------------
  Reporter:  guest               |        Owner:         
      Type:  defect              |       Status:  new    
  Priority:  normal              |    Milestone:         
 Component:  cabal-install tool  |      Version:  1.6.0.1
  Severity:  normal              |     Keywords:         
Difficulty:  unknown             |   Ghcversion:         
  Platform:                      |  
---------------------------------+------------------------------------------
 I wanted to change the default so that profiling libraries were always
 built.
 So I edited the ~/.cabal/config file as follows:

 OLD:
 {{{
 -- library-vanilla: True
 -- library-profiling: False
 -- shared: False
 }}}

 NEW:
 {{{
 -- library-vanilla: True
    library-profiling: True
 -- shared: False
 }}}

 I assumed that the --'s were Haskell comment syntax and indicated
 defaults, and that by removing them I could change an option.
 This didn't work.  After a while I discovered that I had to do it
 this way:

 NEW, Version 2:
 {{{
 -- library-vanilla: True
 library-profiling: True
 -- shared: False
 }}}

 This time it worked.  But this wouldn't have been my first guess
 from looking at the config file, and I didn't find anywhere to look
 for documentation on the config file's format.  (It would be helpful
 if this were available as an option in 'cabal help'.  Maybe it is,
 and I didn't see it?)

 cabal-install version 0.6.0
 using version 1.6.0.1 of the Cabal library

-- 
Ticket URL: <http://hackage.haskell.org/trac/hackage/ticket/493>
Hackage <http://haskell.org/cabal/>
Hackage: Cabal and related projects