.TH "md_src_plugins_augeas_README" 3elektra "Sun May 29 2016" "Version 0.8.14" "Elektra" \" -*- nroff -*-
.ad l
.nh
.SH NAME
md_src_plugins_augeas_README \- README 

.IP "\(bu" 2
infos = Information about augeas plugin is in keys below
.IP "\(bu" 2
infos/author = Felix Berlakovich elektra@berlakovich.net
.IP "\(bu" 2
infos/licence = BSD
.IP "\(bu" 2
infos/needs =
.IP "\(bu" 2
infos/provides = storage
.IP "\(bu" 2
infos/recommends = glob keytometa
.IP "\(bu" 2
infos/placements = getstorage setstorage
.IP "\(bu" 2
infos/description = reading and writing configurations via libaugeas
.PP
.PP
This is a plugin for reading and writing configuration files with help from Augeas\&. The plugin should be able to read all configuration files for which an Augeas lens exists\&. However, not all stock lenses of Augeas have been tested yet\&. A detailed description of the lens language and a tutorial on how to write new lenses" can be found at http://augeas.net/
.PP
.SS "DEPENDENCIES"
.PP
.IP "\(bu" 2
\fClibaugeas-dev\fP #note: You need version 0\&.16 or higher which is not in debian wheezy
.PP
.PP
.SS "INSTALLATION"
.PP
If you have installed Augeas manually, it may be neccessary to update the ld configuration\&. This is especially true if an older version of Augeas is installed also\&. Such a situation may lead to an error similar to this:
.PP
/usr/lib/libaugeas\&.so\&.0: version `AUGEAS_0\&.16\&.0' not found (required by kdb)
.PP
This is because ld tries to link /usr/lib/libaugeas\&.so\&.0 which is an older version of Augeas\&. Simply add the path to the newer library to your ld search paths (consult your system documentation on how to do this)
.PP
.SS "MOUNTING AND CONFIGURATION"
.PP
In order to mount the hosts file with the augeas plugin, issue the following command: 
.PP
.nf
    kdb mount /etc/hosts system/hosts augeas lens=Hosts.lns

.fi
.PP
.PP
The value of the plugin configuration option 'lens' should be the module name of the lens (Hosts in the example) with a '\&.lns' suffix\&. Depending on your distribution and kind of installation, lenses can be found at \fC/usr/share/augeas/lenses/dist\fP, \fC/usr/local/share/augeas/lenses/dist\fP, or something similar\&. The lens module name is equal to the filename without extension in pascal notation\&. For example, the lens \fC/usr/share/augeas/lenses/dist/hosts\&.aug\fP contains the module Hosts\&.
.PP
Note that, without configuring the plugin to use a lens, the plugin would bail out an error on the first usage: 
.PP
.nf
    kdb ls system/hosts
    The command ls terminated unsuccessfully with the info: Error (#85) occurred!
    Description: an Augeas error occurred
    Ingroup: plugin
    Module: storage
    At: /path/augeas.c:166
    Reason: Lens not found

.fi
.PP
.PP
because the plugin would not know which lens to use to read and write the configuration\&. For that reason, the lens configuration option was supplied together with the mount command\&.
.PP
.SS "RESTRICTIONS"
.PP
.SS "Inner node values"
.PP
Currently no Augeas lens supports values for inner nodes\&. Unfortunately no validation plugin exists yet that would prevent such modifications early: 
.PP
.nf
    kdb set system/hosts/1 somevalue
    The command set terminated unsuccessfully with the info: Error (#85) occurred!
    Description: an Augeas error occurred
    Ingroup: plugin
    Module: storage
    At: /path/augeas.c:166
    Reason: Malformed child node '1'

.fi
.PP
.PP
The operation simply fails with an undescriptive error\&.
.PP
.SS "Leaky abstraction of order"
.PP
Most Augeas lenses require subtrees to be in a specific order\&. For example the hosts lens requires the ipaddr node of an entry to precede the canonical node\&. Unfortunately the Augeas storage plugin has no knowledge about this required order\&. Therefore the correct order must be ensured via order meta keys\&. Otherwise saving the KeySet may fail\&. As an example consider the following kdb shell script: 
.PP
.nf
    kdbGet system/hosts
    keySetName system/hosts/6
    ksAppendKey
    keySetName system/hosts/6/ipaddr
    keySetString 14.14.14.14
    ksAppendKey
    keySetName system/hosts/6/canonical
    keySetString newhost
    ksAppendKey
    kdbSet system/hosts

.fi
.PP
.PP
This fails with an error similar to this 
.PP
.nf
    Description: an Augeas error occurred
    Ingroup: plugin
    Module: storage
    At: /path/augeas.c:179
    Reason: Failed to match
    some augeas match expression
    with tree
    { \"canonical\" = \"newhost\" } { \"ipaddr\" = \"14.14.14.14\" }

.fi
.PP
.PP
Wheras the following script succeeds due to the correct order 
.PP
.nf
    kdbGet system/hosts
    keySetName system/hosts/6
    ksAppendKey
    keySetName system/hosts/6/ipaddr
    keySetString 14.14.14.14
    keySetMeta order 100
    ksAppendKey
    keySetName system/hosts/6/canonical
    keySetString newhost
    keySetMeta order 110
    ksAppendKey
    kdbSet system/hosts

.fi
.PP
.PP
.SS "PLANNED IMPROVEMENTS"
.PP
.IP "\(bu" 2
a validation plugin preventing inner node values, 
.PP