gno/usr.orca.bin/describe/descc.8
gdr 5ab0aa962f First beta version of describe v1.0.3 sent out by Soenke on 28 Jan 95.
Main changes include:
	searches are now case insensitive
	Lexicographic order in the database was incorrect; if two
	   keywords matched in the first N chars, the wrong entry
	   may be returned.
	Added a va_end() function since it is used by GNO open(2)
	   and Orca/C v2.0.4b now declares that as a macro.
1996-01-28 17:39:31 +00:00

98 lines
2.6 KiB
Groff

.TH DESCC 8 "System Administration" "7 May 1995" "Version 1.0.3"
.SH NAME
descc \- the describe(1) source compiler
.SH SYNOPSIS
.BR descc " [" -hV ]
.I sourcefile
.SH DESCRIPTION
.BR descc
compiles the describe source file
.I sourcefile
and saves the result to the system describe database.
.SH OPTIONS
.nf
\fB-h\fR Show usage information.
\fB-V\fR Show version information.
.fi
.SH "FILE FORMATS"
The describe source file consists of comments and records. A comment
is any line starting with the
.BR #
character. Each record consists of eight fields. The first
seven consist of one line of text and begin with the following identifiers:
.nf
Name: (The name of the program.)
Version: (The current version number.)
Shell: (The shell(s) the program was written for.)
Author: (The author or maintainer of the program.)
Contact: (How to contact the Author, typically an
email address.)
Where: (Where the program should be installed.)
FTP: (An ftp site from which the program may be
obtained.)
.fi
The last field consists of multiple lines of text. It should be
a brief description of the program. The following is an example of
a complete record:
.nf
Name: describe
Version: 1.0.3
Shell: ORCA/Shell, GNO/ME
Author: James Brookes
Contact: jamesb@ecst.csuchico.edu
Where: /usr/local/bin
FTP: ftp.cco.caltech.edu
Print a multi-line description obtained from the compiled
'describe' database; giving utility name, version, intended shell,
author, author's contact, where the utility is, as well as where the
utility can be FTPd from on the InterNet.
.fi
.LP
The describe database file consists of a
.BR Header ,
a set of
.BR "Name Entries" ,
and a set of
.BR Records ,
in the following format:
.nf
Header
2 bytes: Short Int, number of \fBName Entries\fR
Name Entries
34 bytes: NULL-terminated string; name of the utility.
4 bytes: Long Int, offset of the \fBrecord\fR in file.
Records
8 variable-length NULL-terminated strings.
.fi
.SH FILES
/usr/local/lib/describe \- the system
.B describe
database. If the environment variable
.B DESCDB
is set, its value will be used instead.
.SH ENVIRONMENT
.IP DESCDB
Full path to the system describe database. If
.B DESCDB
is set, its value is used instead of the default location
/usr/local/lib/describe.
.SH AUTHOR
James Brookes <jamesb@ecst.csuchico.edu>.
.SH "SEE ALSO"
.BR apropos (1),
.BR describe (1),
.BR man (1),
.BR whatis (1),
.BR descu (8).