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author | Lorry Tar Creator <lorry-tar-importer@baserock.org> | 2013-12-25 15:59:16 +0000 |
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committer | <> | 2015-02-03 11:29:43 +0000 |
commit | 5919c67c0cc46fea1ad0f884c04d7ea8a463fce7 (patch) | |
tree | 860f08eda66df9272df23fe4ba0f79e26560ea88 /doc/gdbm.3 | |
download | gdbm-tarball-master.tar.gz |
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diff --git a/doc/gdbm.3 b/doc/gdbm.3 new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c08ece3 --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/gdbm.3 @@ -0,0 +1,469 @@ +.\" This file is part of GDBM. +.\" Copyright (C) 2011, 2013 Free Software Foundation, Inc. +.\" +.\" GDBM is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify +.\" it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by +.\" the Free Software Foundation; either version 3, or (at your option) +.\" any later version. +.\" +.\" GDBM is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, +.\" but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of +.\" MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the +.\" GNU General Public License for more details. +.\" +.\" You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License +.\" along with GDBM. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>. */ +.TH GDBM 3 "May 8, 2013" "GDBM" "GDBM User Reference" +.SH NAME +GDBM \- The GNU database manager. Includes \fBdbm\fR and \fBndbm\fR +compatibility. +.SH SYNOPSIS +.nf +.B #include <gdbm.h> +.sp +.BI "extern gdbm_error" " gdbm_errno"; +.br +.BI "extern char *" gdbm_version ; +.br +.BI "GDBM_FILE gdbm_open (const char *" name ", int " block_size ", " +.ti +21 +.BI "int " flags ", int " mode ", " +.ti +21 +.BI "void (*" fatal_func ")(const char *))"; +.br +.BI "void gdbm_close (GDBM_FILE " dbf ");" +.br +.BI "int gdbm_store (GDBM_FILE " dbf ", datum " key ", datum " content ", int " flag ); +.br +.BI "datum gdbm_fetch (GDBM_FILE " dbf ", datum " key ); +.br +.BI "int gdbm_delete (GDBM_FILE " dbf ", datum " key ); +.br +.BI "datum gdbm_firstkey (GDBM_FILE " dbf ");" +.br +.BI "datum gdbm_nextkey (GDBM_FILE " dbf ", datum " key ); +.br +.BI "int gdbm_reorganize (GDBM_FILE " dbf ");" +.br +.BI "void gdbm_sync (GDBM_FILE " dbf ");" +.br +.BI "int gdbm_exists (GDBM_FILE " dbf ", datum " key ); +.br +.BI "const char *gdbm_strerror (gdbm_error " errno ); +.br +.BI "int gdbm_setopt (GDBM_FILE " dbf ", int " option ", int " value ", int " size ); +.br +.BI "int gdbm_fdesc (GDBM_FILE " dbf ); +.br +.PP +.SS DBM Compatability routines: +.PP +.B #include <dbm.h> +.sp +.BI "int dbminit (const char *" name ");" +.br +.BI "int store (datum " key ", datum " content ); +.br +.BI "datum fetch (datum " key ); +.br +.BI "int delete (datum " key ); +.br +.BI "datum firstkey (void);" +.br +.BI "datum nextkey (datum " key ); +.br +.BI "int dbmclose (void);" +.PP +.SS NDBM Compatability routines: +.PP +.B #include <ndbm.h> +.sp +.BI "DBM *dbm_open (const char *" name ", int " flags ", int " mode ); +.br +.BI "void dbm_close (DBM *" file ); +.BI datum dbm_fetch (DBM *" file ", datum " key ); +.br +.BI "int dbm_store (DBM *" file ", datum " key ", datum " content ", int " flags ); +.br +.BI "int dbm_delete (DBM *" file ", datum " key ); +.br +.BI "datum dbm_firstkey (DBM *" file ); +.br +.BI "datum dbm_nextkey (DBM *" file ", datum " key ); +.br +.BI "int dbm_error (DBM *" file ); +.br +.BI "int dbm_clearerr (DBM *" file ); +.br +.BI "int dbm_pagfno (DBM *" file ); +.br +.BI "int dbm_dirfno (DBM *" file ); +.br +.BI "int dbm_rdonly (DBM *" file ); +.SH DESCRIPTION +\fBGNU dbm\fR is a library of routines that manages data files that contain +key/data pairs. The access provided is that of storing, +retrieval, and deletion by key and a non-sorted traversal of all +keys. A process is allowed to use multiple data files at the +same time. + +This manpage is a short description of the \fBGDBM\fR library. +For a detailed discussion, including examples of the configuration and +usage recommendations, refer to the \fBGDBM Manual\fR available in +Texinfo format. To access it, run: + + \fBinfo gdbm\fR + +Should any discrepancies occur between this manpage and the +\fBGDBM Manual\fR, the later shall be considered the authoritative +source. + +A process that opens a gdbm file is designated as a "reader" or a +"writer". Only one writer may open a gdbm file and many readers may +open the file. Readers and writers can not open the gdbm file at the +same time. The procedure for opening a gdbm file is: + +.BI "GDBM_FILE gdbm_open (const char *" name ", int " block_size ", " +.ti +21 +.BI "int " flags ", int " mode ", " +.ti +21 +.BI "void (*" fatal_func ")(const char *))"; + +\fIName\fR is the name of the file (the complete name, +gdbm does not append any characters to this name). \fIBlock_size\fR is +the size of a single transfer from disk to memory. This parameter is +ignored unless the file is a new file. The minimum size is 512. If +it is less than 512, dbm will use the stat block size for the file system. +\fIRead_write\fR can have one of the following values: +.TP +.B GDBM_READER +reader +.TP +.B GDBM_WRITER +writer +.TP +.B GDBM_WRCREAT +writer - if database does not exist create new one +.TP +.B GDBM_NEWDB +writer - create new database regardless if one exists +.PP +The \fBGDBM_NOMMAP\fR added to \fIread_write\fR by bitwise or instructs +\fBgdbm_open\fR to disable the use of +.BR mmap (2). +.PP +For the last three (writers of the database) the following may be added +added to \fIread_write\fR by bitwise or: +.TP +.B GDBM_SYNC +Causes all database operations to be synchronized to the disk, +.TP +.B GDBM_NOLOCK +Pevents the library from performing any locking on the database file. +.PP +The option +.B GDBM_FAST +is now obsolete, since gdbm defaults to no-sync mode. +.PP +\fIMode\fR is the file mode (see \fBchmod(2)\fR and \fBopen(2)\fR) if the +file is created. \fI(*Fatal_func) ()\fR is a function for dbm to call +if it detects a fatal error. The only parameter of this function is a string. +If the value of 0 is provided, \fBgdbm\fR will use a default function. + +The return value is the pointer needed by all other routines to +access that gdbm file. If the return is the NULL pointer, \fBgdbm_open\fR +was not successful. The errors can be found in \fIgdbm_errno\fR for gdbm +errors and in \fIerrno\fR for system errors. (For error codes, see +gdbmerrno.h.) + +In all of the following calls, the parameter \fIdbf\fR refers to the pointer +returned from \fBgdbm_open\fR. + +It is important that every file opened is also closed. This is needed to +update the reader/writer count on the file. This is done by: + +.BI "void gdbm_close (GDBM_FILE " dbf ");" + +The database is used by 3 primary routines. The first stores data in the +database. + +.BI "int gdbm_store (GDBM_FILE " dbf ", datum " key ", datum " content ", int " flag ); + +\fIDbf\fR is the pointer returned by \fBgdbm_open\fR. \fIKey\fR is the +key data. \fIContent\fR is the data to be associated with the \fIkey\fR. +\fIFlag\fR can have one of the following values: +.TP +.B GDBM_INSERT +Insert only, generate an error if key exists; +.TP +.B GDBM_REPLACE +Replace contents if key exists. +.PP +If a reader calls \fBgdbm_store\fR, the return value will be \-1. +If called with \fBGDBM_INSERT\fR and \fIkey\fR is in the database, the return +value will be 1. Otherwise, the return value is 0. + +\fINOTICE: If you store data for a key that is already in the data base, +\fBgdbm\fI replaces the old data with the new data if called with \fBGDBM_REPLACE\fI. +You do not get two data items for the same key and you do not get an +error from \fBgdbm_store\fI. + +NOTICE: The size in \fBgdbm\fI is not restricted like in \fBdbm\fI or \fBndbm\fI. Your data +can be as large as you want.\fR + +To search for some data, use: + +.BI "datum gdbm_fetch (GDBM_FILE " dbf ", datum " key ); + +\fIDbf\fR is the pointer returned by \fBgdbm_open\fR. \fIKey\fR is +the key data. + +If the \fIdptr\fR element of the return value is NULL, no data was +found. Otherwise the return value is a pointer to the found data. +The storage space for the \fIdptr\fR element is allocated using +\fBmalloc(3)\fR. \fBGdbm\fI does not automatically free this data. +It is the programmer's responsibility to free this storage when it is +no longer needed. + +To search for some data, without retrieving it: + +.BI "int gdbm_exists (GDBM_FILE " dbf ", datum " key ); + +\fIDbf\fR is the pointer returned by \fBgdbm_open\fR. \fIKey\fR is +the key data to search for. + +If the \fIkey\fR is found within the database, the return value +will be true. If nothing appropiate is found, false is returned. +This routine is useful for checking for the existence of a record, +without performing the memory allocation done by \fBgdbm_fetch\fR. +.PP +To remove some data from the database: + +.BI "int gdbm_delete (GDBM_FILE " dbf ", datum " key ); + +\fIDbf\fR is the pointer returned by \fBgdbm_open\fR. \fIKey\fR is the +key data. + +The return value is \-1 if the item is not present or the requester is a reader. +The return value is 0 if there was a successful delete. + +The next two routines allow for accessing all items in the database. This +access is not key sequential, but it is guaranteed to visit every key in +the database once. (The order has to do with the hash values.) + +.BI "datum gdbm_firstkey (GDBM_FILE " dbf ");" +.br +.BI "datum gdbm_nextkey (GDBM_FILE " dbf ", datum " key ); + +\fIDbf\fR is the pointer returned by \fBgdbm_open\fR. \fIKey\fR is the +key data. + +The return values are both of type \fBdatum\fR. If the \fIdptr\fR +element of the return value is NULL, there is no first key or next key. +Again notice that \fIdptr\fR points to data allocated by \fBmalloc(3)\fR +and \fBgdbm\fR will not free it for you. + +These functions were intended to visit the database in read-only algorithms, +for instance, to validate the database or similar operations. + +File `visiting' is based on a `hash table'. \fIgdbm_delete\fR re-arranges the +hash table to make sure that any collisions in the table do not leave some item +`un-findable'. The original key order is NOT guaranteed to remain unchanged in +ALL instances. It is possible that some key will not be visited if a loop like +the following is executed: +.sp +.nf +.in +5 +key = gdbm_firstkey (dbf); +while (key.dptr) + { + nextkey = gdbm_nextkey (dbf, key); + if (some condition) + gdbm_delete ( dbf, key ); + free (key.dptr); + key = nextkey; + } +.in +.fi +.PP +The following routine should be used very infrequently. + +.BI "int gdbm_reorganize (GDBM_FILE " dbf ");" + +If you have had a lot of deletions and would like to shrink the space +used by the \fBgdbm\fR file, this routine will reorganize the database. +\fBGdbm\fR will not shorten the length of a \fBgdbm\fR file except by +using this reorganization. (Deleted file space will be reused.) + +Unless your database was opened with the \fBGDBM_SYNC\fR flag, \fBgdbm\fR does not +wait for writes to be flushed to the disk before continuing. +The following routine can be used to guarantee that the database is +physically written to the disk file. + +.BI "void gdbm_sync (GDBM_FILE " dbf ");" + +It will not return until the disk file state is syncronized with the +in-memory state of the database. + +To convert a \fBgdbm\fR error code into English text, use this routine: + +.BI "const char *gdbm_strerror (gdbm_error " errno ); + +\fBGdbm\fR now supports the ability to set certain options on an +already open database. + +.BI "int gdbm_setopt (GDBM_FILE " dbf ", int " option ", int " value ", int " size ); + +Where \fIdbf\fR is the return value from a previous call to \fBgdbm_open\fR, +and \fIoption\fR specifies which option to set. The valid options are +currently: +.TP +.B GDBM_CACHESIZE +Set the size of the internal bucket cache. This option may only be set once +on each \fIGDBM_FILE\fR descriptor, and is set automatically to 100 upon the +first access to the database. +.TP +.B GDBM_FASTMODE + Set \fBfast mode\fR to either on or off. This allows \fBfast mode\fR to +be toggled on an already open and active database. \fIvalue\fR (see below) +should be set to either TRUE or FALSE. \fIThis option is now obsolete.\fR +.TP +.B GDBM_SYNCMODE +Turn on or off file system synchronization operations. This setting defaults +to off; \fIvalue\fR (see below) should be set to either TRUE or FALSE. +.TP +.B GDBM_CENTFREE +Set \fBcentral free block pool\fR to either on or off. +The default is off, which is how previous versions of \fBGdbm\fR +handled free blocks. If set, this option causes all subsequent free +blocks to be placed in the \fBglobal\fR pool, allowing (in thoery) +more file space to be reused more quickly. \fIvalue\fR (see below) should +be set to either TRUE or FALSE. +\fINOTICE: This feature is still under study.\fR +.TP +.B GDBM_COALESCEBLKS +Set \fBfree block merging\fR to either on or off. +The default is off, which is how previous versions of \fBGdbm\fR +handled free blocks. If set, this option causes adjacent free blocks +to be merged. This can become a CPU expensive process with time, though, +especially if used in conjunction with \fBGDBM_CENTFREE\fR. \fIvalue\fR +(see below) should be set to either TRUE or FALSE. +\fINOTICE: This feature is still under study.\fR +.PP +\fIvalue\fR is the value to set \fIoption\fR to, specified as an integer +pointer. \fIsize\fR is the size of the data pointed to by \fIvalue\fR. +The return value will be \-1 upon failure, or 0 upon success. The global +variable \fIgdbm_errno\fR will be set upon failure. + +For instance, to set a database to use a cache of 10, after opening it +with \fBgdbm_open\fR, but prior to accessing it in any way, the following +code could be used: +.sp +.nf +.in +5 +int value = 10; + +ret = gdbm_setopt( dbf, GDBM_CACHESIZE, &value, sizeof(int)); +.in +.fi +.PP +If the database was opened with the \fBGDBM_NOLOCK\fR flag, the user may +wish to perform their own file locking on the database file in order to +prevent multiple writers operating on the same file simultaneously. + +In order to support this, the \fIgdbm_fdesc\fR routine is provided. + +.BI "int gdbm_fdesc (GDBM_FILE " dbf ); + +Where \fIdbf\fR is the return value from a previous call to \fBgdbm_open\fR. +The return value will be the file descriptor of the database. + +The following two external variables may be useful: + +\fIgdbm_errno\fR is the variable that contains more information about +gdbm errors. (gdbm.h has the definitions of the error values and +defines gdbm_errno as an external variable.) + +\fIgdbm_version\fR is the string containing the version information. + +There are a few more things of interest. First, \fBgdbm\fR files are +not "sparse". You can copy them with the UNIX \fBcp(1)\fR command and +they will not expand in the copying process. Also, there is a +compatibility mode for use with programs that already use UNIX +\fBdbm\fR. In this compatibility mode, no \fRgdbm\fR file pointer is +required by the programmer, and only one file may be opened at a time. +All users in compatibility mode are assumed to be writers. If the +\fBgdbm\fR file is a read only, it will fail as a writer, but will +also try to open it as a reader. All returned pointers in datum +structures point to data that \fBgdbm\fR WILL free. They should be +treated as static pointers (as standard UNIX \fBdbm\fR does). +.SH LINKING +This library is accessed by specifying \fI\-lgdbm\fR as the last +parameter to the compile line, e.g.: +.sp +.nf +.in +5 +gcc \-o prog prog.c \-lgdbm +.in +.fi +.PP +If you wish to use the \fBdbm\fR or \fBndbm\fR compatibility routines, +you must link in the \fIgdbm_compat\fR library as well. For example: +.sp +.nf +.in +5 +gcc \-o prog proc.c \-lgdbm \-lgdbm_compat +.in +.fi +.\" .SH BUGS + +.SH "BUG REPORTS" +Send bug reports to <bug\-gdbm@gnu.org>. +.SH "SEE ALSO" +.BR gdbm_dump (1), +.BR gdbm_load (1), +.BR gdbmtool (1). +.SH AUTHORS +by Philip A. Nelson, Jason Downs and Sergey Poznyakoff. +.SH COPYRIGHT +Copyright \(co 1990 - 2011 Free Software Foundation, Inc. + +GDBM is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify +it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by +the Free Software Foundation; either version 1, or (at your option) +any later version. + +GDBM is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, +but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of +MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the +GNU General Public License for more details. + +You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License +along with GDBM. If not, see <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html> +.SH CONTACTS +You may contact the original author by: +.br + e-mail: phil@cs.wwu.edu +.br + us-mail: Philip A. Nelson +.br +Computer Science Department +.br +Western Washington University +.br +Bellingham, WA 98226 + +You may contact the current maintainers by: +.br + e-mail: downsj@downsj.com +.br +and + e-mail: gray@gnu.org + +.\" Local variables: +.\" eval: (add-hook 'write-file-hooks 'time-stamp) +.\" time-stamp-start: ".TH GDBM 3 \"" +.\" time-stamp-format: "%:B %:d, %:y" +.\" time-stamp-end: "\"" +.\" time-stamp-line-limit: 20 +.\" end: |