DESCC(8)

NAME
descc - the describe(1) source compiler

SYNOPSIS
descc [ -hV ] sourcefile

DESCRIPTION
This manual page documents descc version 1.0.4.

descc compiles the describe source file sourcefile and saves the result to the system describe database. If the database doesn't exist, or doesn't have type BIN, then descc will set the database file type to BIN and the auxtype to 0x0000 after it has been updated.

OPTIONS
-h	Show usage information.
-V	Show version information.

FILE FORMATS
The describe source file consists of comments and records. A comment is any line starting with the # character. Each record consists of eight fields. The first seven consist of one line of text and begin with the following identifiers:
        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.)
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:
    Name:    describe
    Version: 1.0.4
    Shell:   GNO, ORCA/Shell
    Author:  James Brookes
    Contact: jamesb@ecst.csuchico.edu
    Where:   /usr/bin
    FTP:     apple2.caltech.edu, ground.isca.uiowa.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.

The describe database file consists of a Header, a set of Name Entries, and a set of Records, in the following format:
        Header
           2 bytes:  Short Int, number of Name Entries
        Name Entries
          34 bytes:  NULL-terminated string; name of the utility.
           4 bytes:  Long Int, offset of the record in file.
        Records
           8 variable-length NULL-terminated strings.

FILES

/usr/lib/describe
    The system describe database. If the environment variable DESCDB is set, its value will be used instead.

ENVIRONMENT

DESCDB
    Full path to the system describe database. If DESCDB is set, its value is used instead of the default location /usr/lib/describe.

AUTHOR
James Brookes <jamesb@ecst.csuchico.edu>.

HISTORY
descu was incorporated into the GNO base distribution as of version 1.0.4

SEE ALSO
apropos(1), describe(1), man(1), whatis(1), descu(8).