Configuration file

 

The structure of the configuration file is:

keyword = list of parameters

There is no difference in writing:

keyword=list   of     parameters

If you have too much parameters for an optical nice length of the line in the configuration file, you can continue in the next line if you add one or more white space (space or tab) in the beginning of that line:

keyword = list of parameters but now really really really
    too much for one single line

You can add comments by setting a hash sign at the beginning of a line:

# this is a comment

You can also make a comment by typing a semicolon (;) at the beginning of a line. For better readability, storebackup uses this when writing (not specified) keywords in configuration files. Sometimes, this approach is used to identify commented keywords. So you shouldn't change this convention.

You can use environment variables like in a shell, here it's $VAR:

keyword = $VAR ${VAR}var

If $VAR was set to XXX, this will be equal to:

keyword = XXX XXXvar

You can use quotes:

keyword = 1 2 "1 2" '1 2' $VAR "$VAR 1" '$VAR' '$VAR 1'

This will be expanded (internally) to (the brackets are only used to show the grouping of parameters, they do not exist in reality):

keyword = <1> <2> <1 2> <1 2> <XXX> <XXX 1> <$VAR> <$VAR 1>

Next thing you can do is masking of special characters. Special characters you can mask with backslash ($\backslash$) are:

$ { } " '

It depends on the keyword, how many ``words'' you can assign to them. There are also underlying rules, that some keywords are only allowed if others are set. And finally, not all characters or words are allowed for all keywords.

Heinz-Josef Claes 2014-04-20