Do standard windows .ini files allow comments?

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Windows INI API support for:

  • Line comments: yes, using semi-colon ;
  • Trailing comments: No

The authoritative source is the Windows API function that reads values out of INI files

GetPrivateProfileString

Retrieves a string from the specified section in an initialization file.

The reason “full line comments” work is because the requested value does not exist. For example, when parsing the following ini file contents:

[Application]
UseLiveData=1
;coke=zero
pepsi=diet   ;gag
#stackoverflow=splotchy

Reading the values:

  • UseLiveData: 1
  • coke: not present
  • ;coke: not present
  • pepsi: diet ;gag
  • stackoverflow: not present
  • #stackoverflow: splotchy

Update: I used to think that the number sign (#) was a pseudo line-comment character. The reason using leading # works to hide stackoverflow is because the name stackoverflow no longer exists. And it turns out that semi-colon (;) is a line-comment.

But there is no support for trailing comments.

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