title: Properties file in python (similar to Java Properties)
body: <p>Given the following format (<strong>.properties</strong> or <strong>.ini</strong>):</p>
  
  <pre><code>propertyName1=propertyValue1
  propertyName2=propertyValue2
  ...
  propertyNameN=propertyValueN
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>For <strong>Java</strong> there is the <a href="http://docs.oracle.com/javase/6/docs/api/java/util/Properties.html" rel="noreferrer">Properties</a> class that offers functionality to parse / interact with the above format.</p>
  
  <p>Is there something similar in <strong>python</strong>'s <strong>standard</strong> library (2.x) ?</p>
  
  <p>If not, what other alternatives do I have ?</p>