code: 9ferno

ref: 44ce0097b612a1fefd754065bdf8d9d2e5ef60c8
dir: /man/6/attrdb/

.TH ATTRDB 6
.SH NAME
attrdb \- data base of attribute-value pairs
.SH DESCRIPTION
An attribute data base is formed from one or more text files,
each containing groups of related attribute-value pairs.
A given data base typically stores data relating to a single logical domain.
For instance,
Inferno uses an attribute data base
.IR ndb (6)
to organise network configuration data.
.IR Attrdb (2)
is typically used by applications to search the data.
.PP
Each entry in the data base consists of one or more lines containing
attribute/value pairs, separated by white space.
The first line of an entry starts a line; subsequent lines in the entry
are preceded by white space (spaces or tabs).
Pairs on the same line bind tighter together than others in the same entry.
(This is important when one known pair is used to find another by attribute name.)
The character
.RB ` # '
causes the rest of the line to be ignored (eg, as commentary).
Empty lines are also ignored.
.PP
Attribute/value pairs are written as
.IB attribute = value,
which can be abbreviated to
.IB attribute =
or simply
.I attribute
if the attribute has no value.
A
.I value
that contains white space, or any of the characters \f5#'"=\fP
must be quoted, using either the single or double quote character.
Within a quoted string, two adjacent quotes can be written to enter a quote in the string.
For example:
.IP
.EX
name='Paul Wilson' business company='Fruitbat Villas Ltd'
   title='Key Grip'
   address='39 Willis Street, York' tel='+44 1904 20927'
   address='On the road' tel='+44 7904 169 704'
name='James Mason' personal=
   address='10 St James''s, East Grinstead' tel='01342 7674'
.EE
.PP
Note that the binding rule associates each
.B address
in the first entry most closely with the
.B tel
on the same line.
The attributes
.B business
(first entry)
and
.B personal
(second entry)
are both attributes without value.
.PP
A single logical data base can be formed by concatenating several physical files,
each having the format above.
One of the files must contain an entry (typically first in the file) containing a
.B database
attribute and a sequence of attributes of the form
.BI file= filename.
For example:
.IP
.EX
database=
   file=file1
   file=file2
   file=file3
.EE
.PP
The logical database is formed by (logically) concatenating the contents
of each
.I filename
in the order listed
(ie,
.BR file1 ,
.BR file2 ,
and
.BR file3
above).
Typically the file containing the
.B database
attribute
appears in the list as well, at the point where its contents should go;
if it does not appear at all, it is assumed to be first.
The name of that file is also used as the name of the logical database,
for instance when opened by
.IR attrdb (2).
.SH SEE ALSO
.IR cfg (2),
.IR attrdb (2),
.IR ipattr (2),
.IR ndb (6),
.IR cs (8),
.IR dns (8)