# Environment File Operations

## Summary
Implement robust file operations for reading, writing, and managing .env files within the settings editor.

## Description
The settings editor needs reliable file operations to read from and write to .env files while preserving formatting, comments, and handling errors gracefully. This includes creating backup files before making changes, supporting multiple environment profiles, and ensuring that file operations are atomic.

## User Story
[US001 - Environment Settings Editor](../../userstories/done/US001-Settings-Editor.md)

## Technical Requirements
- Create functions to read and parse .env files
- Implement functions to write changes to .env files
- Preserve comments and formatting when writing changes
- Create backup files before making changes
- Handle file permission errors and other IO exceptions
- Support multiple environment profiles with different .env files
- Implement file locking to prevent concurrent modifications
- Ensure atomic writes to prevent file corruption

## Implementation Plan
1. Implement a function to read and parse .env files
2. Create a function to write changes to .env files
3. Add backup functionality for safety
4. Implement error handling for file operations
5. Add support for multiple environment profiles
6. Add file locking for concurrent access
7. Ensure atomic writes with temporary files

## Definition of Done
- The settings editor can read, parse, and write .env files
- Comments and formatting are preserved when possible
- Backup files are created before making changes
- Errors are handled gracefully with helpful messages
- Multiple environment profiles are supported
- File operations are atomic and safe

## Dependencies
- Python's os, dotenv, and tempfile modules

## Related Tasks
- [US001-001-env-settings-editor.md](US001-001-env-settings-editor.md)
- [US001-002-env-settings-ui-components.md](US001-002-env-settings-ui-components.md)
- [US001-005-env-profile-switching.md](US001-005-env-profile-switching.md)

## Estimated Effort
Small - Approximately 2-3 hours of development time

## Priority
High

## Assignee
TBD

## Status
Completed - May 22, 2024

## Implementation Notes
- Implemented read_env_file() with Python-dotenv for parsing
- Created write_env_file() that preserves comments and formatting
- Added backup functionality with timestamped backup files
- Implemented error handling for file permission issues
- Added support for multiple environment profiles with profile directory
- Used atomic writes with temporary files for safety
- Implemented file listing and selection for profile management 