dtdtfile(4)

NAME
dtdtfile - define the format and location of actions and data type database files

SYNOPSIS
See dtactionfile(4) and dtdtsfile(4).

DESCRIPTION
The actions and data types database provides definitions for the actions and data types CDE clients recognize. Files containing actions and data type definitions must end with the .dt suffix. The database is constructed by reading all files ending in the .dt suffix that are found in the search path specified by the DTDATABASESEARCHPATH environment variable.

The dttypes(1) utility is the tool that allows users to examine and debug their database.

The DTDATABASESEARCHPATH environment variable contains a comma-separated list of directories specified in [host:]/path format. The host: portion is optional, but if specified, /path is interpreted relative to host. In addition, host defines the DatabaseHost for records defined by files in the /path directory. Otherwise, the DatabaseHost is the same as the LocalHost. To allow for localized action definitions, the data base search path supports the string %L within the pathname string. The logic that parses DTDATABASESEARCHPATH substitutes the value of the current locale as stored in the LANG environment variable for the string %L (or no characters if LANG is not set). Other uses of % within the DTDATABASESEARCHPATH pathnames produce unspecified results. Directories can be set up for various locales. Each directory contains localized action definitions for a single locale. For examples, see the default search path shown below. The local system administrator or the user (in $HOME/.dtprofile) can modify the actual value of the search path. The default search path includes the following directories, searched in the following sequence:

    personal user-defined database files
    locally defined language-specific database files
    locally defined default database files
    language-specific database files
    implementation-default database files

  File Format
In addition to the version information, comments and variable references described under other headings in this document, these files may contain action and data type records, as described in dtactionfile(4) and dtdtsfile(4).

  Comments
Any line whose first non-space character is # is treated as a comment line, and is ignored during the reading of the database file.

  Database Version
The database loader supports a version number, which indicates the version of the database syntax used by a particular database file. If a database version number is not specified, then the database loader assumes that the file uses the version 1.0 syntax, described here. If a database file specifies a version number, then it must be the first non-blank, non-comment line in the database file; if the version is specified anywhere else in the file, then an error message is generated, and the remainder of that database file is ignored. The database version number is specified using the following syntax:

    set DtDbVersion=version_number

  String Variables
Database entries can reference string variables that can be set within the database file. The scope of a string variable is restricted to only those record definitions within the database file defining the string variable. A string variable is defined using the following syntax:

    set VariableName=variable_value

String variables are referenced using either of the standard shell variable referencing syntaxes: $variable_name or ${variable_name}. A variable name can be made up of any of the alphanumeric characters and the underscore.

  Environment Variables
Database records may refer to environment variables, using either of the standard shell variable referencing syntaxes: $environment_variable or ${environment_variable}. If the environment variable name conflicts with a string variable name, the string variable takes precedence.

  Line Continuation
Any field within a record can be continued onto another line by ending the line with a \ character. The \ and any <blank>s following the \ and preceding the newline are discarded; leading <blank>s on the following line are preserved in the continued field.

SEE ALSO
dtactionfile(4), dtdtsfile(4), dttypes(1).