configure_file: Support taking values from a dict

Closes #4218

2 files changed, 39 insertions, 2 deletions

diff --git a/docs/markdown/Configuration.md b/docs/markdown/Configuration.md
index 8b79bc6..cd1af14 100644
--- a/docs/markdown/Configuration.md
+++ b/docs/markdown/Configuration.md
@@ -121,6 +121,38 @@ you to specify which file encoding to use. It is however strongly advised to
 convert your non utf-8 file to utf-8 whenever possible. Supported file
 encodings are those of python3, see [standard-encodings](https://docs.python.org/3/library/codecs.html#standard-encodings).
 
+## Using dictionaries
+
+Since *0.49.0* `configuration_data()` takes an optional dictionary as first
+argument. If provided, each key/value pair is added into the
+`configuration_data` as if `set()` method was called for each of them.
+`configure_file()`'s `configuration` kwarg also accepts a dictionary instead of
+a configuration_data object.
+
+Example:
+```meson
+cdata = configuration_data({
+  'STRING' : '"foo"',
+  'INT' : 42,
+  'DEFINED' : true,
+  'UNDEFINED' : false,
+})
+
+configure_file(output : 'config1.h',
+  configuration : cdata,
+)
+
+configure_file(output : 'config2.h',
+  configuration : {
+    'STRING' : '"foo"',
+    'INT' : 42,
+    'DEFINED' : true,
+    'UNDEFINED' : false,
+  }
+)
+
+```
+
 # A full example
 
 Generating and using a configuration file requires the following steps:
diff --git a/docs/markdown/Reference-manual.md b/docs/markdown/Reference-manual.md
index 0fb9f17..cc4ba9b 100644
--- a/docs/markdown/Reference-manual.md
+++ b/docs/markdown/Reference-manual.md
@@ -167,13 +167,17 @@ methods section](#build-target-object) below.
 ### configuration_data()
 
 ``` meson
-    configuration_data_object = configuration_data()
+    configuration_data_object = configuration_data(...)
 ```
 
 Creates an empty configuration object. You should add your
 configuration with [its method calls](#configuration-data-object) and
 finally use it in a call to `configure_file`.
 
+Since *0.49.0* takes an optional dictionary as first argument. If provided, each
+key/value pair is added into the `configuration_data` as if `set()` method was
+called for each of them.
+
 ### configure_file()
 
 ``` meson
@@ -187,7 +191,8 @@ When a [`configuration_data()`](#configuration_data) object is passed
 to the `configuration:` keyword argument, it takes a template file as
 the `input:` (optional) and produces the `output:` (required) by
 substituting values from the configuration data as detailed in [the
-configuration file documentation](Configuration.md).
+configuration file documentation](Configuration.md). Since *0.49.0* a dictionary
+can be passed instead of a [`configuration_data()`](#configuration_data) object.
 
 When a list of strings is passed to the `command:` keyword argument,
 it takes any source or configured file as the `input:` and assumes