title: Should I use YAML for Config Files in a PHP Application?
body: <p>I'm currently writing my own PHP Framework (for kicks, not for mission critical stuff) and I'm  trying to add in functionality where the user can set up what databases the framework should use (a primary db and then maybe one or two fallbacks - like sqlite), where certain files are located, etc. Should I use YAML for this? Is there a better approach or a standard practice?</p>
  
  <p><strong>My Thoughts</strong></p>
  
  <ol>
  <li>YAML is user (non-technical) friendly in terms of readability</li>
  <li>In order to keep my Framework from requiring non-standard PHP libraries, I'd have to use something like <a href="http://components.symfony-project.org/yaml/">Symfony YAML</a> in order to parse the file.</li>
  <li>Isn't Symfony moving away from YAML?</li>
  <li>I could use a PHP file full of variables but that would make setup of the framework less transparent to the user.</li>
  </ol>
  
  <p><strong>Update</strong></p>
  
  <p>I'm cleaning this question up to make it more constructive and to incorporate some of the answers I've gotten.</p>
  
  <p><strong>Overall Questions I Have</strong></p>
  
  <ol>
  <li>What are the advantages of YAML over other approaches like XML or even an INI file setup?</li>
  <li>What is a good rule of thumb regarding when to use YAML over those other approaches or vice versa?</li>
  </ol>