new: template path can now be specified in git config. (fixes #73)

README.rst

@@ -272,16 +272,20 @@ of gitchangelog. These can be called by providing a simple label to the
 
     output_engine = mustache("markdown")
 
-Or you could provide your own mustache template by specifying an absolute
-path (or a relative one, starting from the git toplevel of your project) to
-your template file, for instance::
+Or you could provide your own mustache template by specifying an
+absolute path (or a relative one, starting from the git toplevel of
+your project by default, or if set, the
+``git config gitchangelog.template-path``
+location) to your template file, for instance::
 
     output_engine = mustache(".gitchangelog.tpl")
 
-And feel free to copy the bundled templates to use them as bases for your
-own variations. These are located in ``src/gitchangelog/templates/mustache``
-directory in the source and are installed in ``templates/mustache`` directory
-starting from where your ``gitchangelog.py`` was installed.
+And feel free to copy the bundled templates to use them as bases for
+your own variations. In the source code, these are located in
+``src/gitchangelog/templates/mustache`` directory, once installed they
+are in ``templates/mustache`` directory starting from where your
+``gitchangelog.py`` was installed.
+
 
 .. _mustache: http://mustache.github.io
 .. _pystache: https://pypi.python.org/pypi/pystache
@@ -302,16 +306,19 @@ of gitchangelog. These can be called by providing a simple label to the
 
     output_engine = makotemplate("markdown")
 
-Or you could provide your own mako template by specifying an absolute
-path (or a relative one, starting from the git toplevel of your project) to
-your template file, for instance::
+Or you could provide your own mustache template by specifying an
+absolute path (or a relative one, starting from the git toplevel of
+your project by default, or if set, the
+``git config gitchangelog.template-path``
+location) to your template file, for instance::
 
     output_engine = makotemplate(".gitchangelog.tpl")
 
-And feel free to copy the bundled templates to use them as bases for your
-own variations. These are located in ``src/gitchangelog/templates/mako``
-directory in the source and are installed in ``templates/mako`` directory
-starting from where your ``gitchangelog.py`` was installed.
+And feel free to copy the bundled templates to use them as bases for
+your own variations. In the source code, these are located in
+``src/gitchangelog/templates/mako`` directory, once installed they
+are in ``templates/mako`` directory starting from where your
+``gitchangelog.py`` was installed.
 
 .. _mako: http://www.makotemplates.org
 

src/gitchangelog/gitchangelog.py

@@ -1253,30 +1253,40 @@ def ensure_template_file_exists(label, template_name):
 
     """
 
-    if os.path.isfile(template_name):
-        return template_name
-
-    template_dir = os.path.join(
-        os.path.dirname(os.path.realpath(__file__)),
-        "templates", label)
-
-    template_path = os.path.join(template_dir, "%s.tpl" % template_name)
-
-    if not os.path.exists(template_path):
-        templates = glob.glob(os.path.join(template_dir, "*.tpl"))
-        if len(templates) > 0:
-            msg = ("These are the available %s templates:" % label)
-            msg += "\n - " + \
-                   "\n - ".join(os.path.basename(f).split(".")[0]
-                                for f in templates)
-            msg += "\nTemplates are located in %r" % template_dir
-        else:
-            msg = "No available %s templates found in %r." \
-                  % (label, template_dir)
-        die("Error: Invalid %s template name %r.\n" % (label, template_name) +
-            "%s" % msg)
+    try:
+        template_path = GitRepos(os.getcwd()).config.get(
+            "gitchangelog.template-path")
+    except ShellError as e:
+        stderr(
+            "Error parsing git config: %s."
+            " Won't be able to read 'template-path' if defined."
+            % (str(e)))
+        template_path = None
 
-    return template_path
+    if template_path:
+        path_file = path_label = template_path
+    else:
+        path_file = os.getcwd()
+        path_label = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(os.path.realpath(__file__)),
+                                  "templates", label)
+
+    for ftn in [os.path.join(path_file, template_name),
+                os.path.join(path_label, "%s.tpl" % template_name)]:
+        if os.path.isfile(ftn):
+            return ftn
+
+    templates = glob.glob(os.path.join(path_label, "*.tpl"))
+    if len(templates) > 0:
+        msg = ("These are the available %s templates:" % label)
+        msg += "\n - " + \
+               "\n - ".join(os.path.basename(f).split(".")[0]
+                            for f in templates)
+        msg += "\nTemplates are located in %r" % path_label
+    else:
+        msg = "No available %s templates found in %r." \
+              % (label, path_label)
+    die("Error: Invalid %s template name %r.\n" % (label, template_name) +
+        "%s" % msg)
 
 
 ##

test/test_template.py

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 from __future__ import unicode_literals
 
+import os
 import textwrap
 
 from .common import BaseGitReposTest, cmd, gitchangelog
@@ -73,6 +74,30 @@ def test_file_template_name(self):
         self.assertNoDiff(
             reference, out)
 
+    def test_file_template_name_with_git_config_path(self):
+
+        os.mkdir('XYZ')
+        gitchangelog.file_put_contents(
+            os.path.join('XYZ', "mytemplate.tpl"),
+            "check: {{{title}}}")
+        gitchangelog.file_put_contents(
+            ".gitchangelog.rc",
+            "output_engine = mustache('mytemplate.tpl')")
+        self.git.config('gitchangelog.template-path', 'XYZ')
+
+        reference = """check: Changelog"""
+
+        out, err, errlvl = cmd('$tprog --debug')
+        self.assertEqual(
+            err, "",
+            msg="There should be no error messages. "
+            "Current stderr:\n%s" % err)
+        self.assertEqual(
+            errlvl, 0,
+            msg="Should succeed to find template")
+        self.assertNoDiff(
+            reference, out)
+
     def test_template_has_access_to_full_commit(self):
         """Existing files should be accepted as valid templates"""