mohangk.org/blog

• Managing a Gentoo Linux Server Configuration with Subversion, GLCU, and Trac | Disruptive Library Technology Jester
  “This essay describes a practice for maintaining a Gentoo Linux distributionL2 using GLCU, Subversion, and Trac”. Very much like what we do.
  (tags:
  unix
  configuration
  sysadmin
  documentation
  for:bushwald
  )
• Creating logfile archives with logrotate
  Useful beginners guide to setting up logrotate for an applications log file.
  (tags:
  logging
  sysadmin
  logrotate
  )
• Python Google Chart – Trac
  A wrapper for the google chart API in Python. Generates the URL that is used to construct the graph image.
  (tags:
  python
  visualization
  charts
  google
  )

In trying to make some of my Capistrano tasks configurable yet having sensible defaults, I was looking for a way to set default values if the user presses enter without keying in any values for the Capistrano::CLI.ui.ask prompt. Turns out the “ask” method actually comes from a different project, HighLine. Looking at that docs provided the answer, example below.

#allows you to key in a date in YYYY-MM-DD format, if nothing is provided, defaults to todays date.

set(:dump_date) do
Capistrano::CLI.ui.ask(”Enter date for  dump: “) {|q| q.default = “#{Date.today.year}-#{Date.today.month}-#{sprintf(’%02d’,Date.today.day)}” }
end