NAME¶
makecat - Build an Interchange catalog from a template
SYNOPSIS¶
makecat [--options] name
VERSION¶
# $Id: makecat.PL,v 2.28 2008-05-21 03:05:20 jon Exp $
INTRODUCTION¶
The makecat program builds a Interchange catalog from a template based on your
server configuration. It interrogates for parameters like the directories to
use, URL to base the catalog in, HTTP server definitions, and file ownership.
It is self-documenting in that it asks verbose questions and gives relevant
examples.
On UNIX, if you want to check on something during the process you can usually
hit <CTRL-Z> to suspend the program and do something and then type
"fg" to return to <makecat>. Also, if your input begins with
an exclamation mark ("!"), it will be interpreted as a shell
command. An exclamation mark ("!") alone should drop you into a
shell.
If you have the "Term::ReadLine::Perl" and "Term::ReadKey"
modules installed, the <UP> and <DOWN> arrows will cycle between
suggested defaults; and the following features will be in place:
TAB Completes file name
<UP> Cycle suggestion up
<DOWN> Cycle suggestion down
<CTRL-P> Cycle suggestion up
<CTRL-N> Cycle suggestion down
<CTRL-B> Go back one question (if possible)
<CTRL-U> Erase line
<LEFT> Command-line editing left
<RIGHT> Command-line editing left
Also, if you make a mistake at some stage of the interrogation, you can often
hit the <CTRL-B> key to return to the previous query. If you don't have
Term::ReadLine installed, then you can enter an at sign ("@") by
itself on the line.
OPTIONS¶
usage: makecat [options] [catalogname]
The makecat program can build a catalog based completely on a command line
description. An example is in eg/makecat.sh.
There are just a few flag-based options:
- "-F"
- Force make of catalog with defaults supplied on command
line.
- "-c"
- Configuration file -- default is makecat.cfg in Interchange
Confdir (etc) directory.
- "-l"
- File to log to (default makecat.log)
- "-r"
- Reconfigure defaults normally set in makecat.cfg; this is
done automatically the first time the program is run.
The remainder of the options are supplied on the command line as named
parameters followed by an "=" sign, followed by the value, i.e.
--parameter=value
Normally, if "makecat" supplies a default you might guess at that. It
is fairly intelligent if you have an Apache server and it has found the
httpd.conf file. If you are on a Netscape or other web server, it is less
likely to be right.
The options set at reconfig time, i.e. the first time the program is run:
- --basedir=directory
- Base directory for catalogs. This defaults to
"catalogs" in the home directory of the catalog user.
- --cgibase=url_fragment
- Base URL for link programs. This is normally either blank
(your programs are made with .cgi extension) or "/cgi-bin" (you
have a CGI directory).
- --documentroot=directory
- The directory where HTML is based. This is the root
directory of the web server, i.e. DocumentRoot.
- --interchangegroup=group
- The default group files should be owned by.
- --interchangeuser=username
- The user ID which runs Interchange.
- --serverconf=filename
- Location of httpd.conf; you will be queried otherwise.
- --vendroot=filename
- Location of Interchange software.
- --homedir=directory
- Use instead of \$HOME to set defaults
These are options which are required to be set for any catalog; the default will
often be correct if you have set the above options correctly.
- --catroot=directory
- Directory where Interchange catalog files go. This is the
base directory for this catalog.
- --cgidir=directory
- The directory the CGI link should go to. This is the CGI
directory; if your CGI programs all end in ".cgi" then this
would normally be the same as "documentroot"; if you have a
"cgi bin" directory it should be used.
- --servername=server
- Name of server (www.whatever.domain). You can supply a
port:
www.foo.com:8080
or a username:
www.foo.com/~bar
For testing on your local machine, just use "localhost".
- --cgiurl=url_fragment
- The path to the CGI link (no server name). For a catalog
named "standard", this would normally be one of:
--cgiurl=/cgi-bin/standard
or
--cgiurl=/standard.cgi
- --demotype=template
- The template catalog. The default is <standard>.
- --mailorderto=email
- Email address to send orders
- --catuser=username
- The user files should be owned by (option only operative if
"root").
The rest of the parameters need not be supplied on the command line as
intelligent defaults can be derived from the above parameters.
- --samplehtml=directory
- The directory where template HTML goes.
- --imagedir=directory
- The directory where template images go.
- --imageurl=url
- The URL to prefix images with.
- --sharedir=directory
- The directory where shared admin images go.
- --shareurl=url
- The URL to prefix shared admin images with.
- --nocfg
- Don't add to interchange.cfg.
- --nocopy
- Don't actually copy the files, just test.
- --norunning
- Don't add to running server.
- --reference
- Return hash of config as string (sets "-F", no
write). This is for passing back to the makecat program in a autobuild
environment.
- --linkprogram=file
- Use file as link program instead of vlink/tlink.
- --linkmode=mode
- UNIX or INET (link program vlink or tlink).
- --sampleurl=url
- URL to access HTML for catalog.
- --noumask
- Don't set umask to the value implied by mode.
- --catalogconf=file
- Use file as configuration file for catalog definitions.
This option has been designed for the use with Debian installations.
DESCRIPTION¶
"makecat" needs a template catalog to operate on. The
Foundation Store demo template is distributed with Interchange.
You can also look for additional demo catalogs (mostly for ideas) at
http://www.icdevgroup.org/
IMPORTANT NOTE: You only make a catalog once. All further configuration
is done by editing the files within the
catalog directory.
A catalog template contains an image of a configured catalog. The best way to
see what the makecat program does is to configure the 'standard' demo and then
run a recursive "diff" on the template and configured catalog
directories:
diff -r interchange/standard catalogs/standard
You will see that the files are mostly the same, except that certain macro
strings have been replaced with the answers you gave to the script. For
example, if you answered "www.mydomain.com" at the prompt for server
name, then you would see this difference in the catalog.cfg file:
# template
Variable SERVER_NAME __MVC_SERVERNAME__
# configured catalog
Variable SERVER_NAME www.mydomain.com
The macro string __MVC_SERVERNAME__ was substituted with the answer to the
question about server name. In the same way, other variables are substituted,
and include (at least):
MVC_BASEDIR MVC_IMAGEDIR
MVC_CATROOT MVC_IMAGEURL
MVC_CATUSER MVC_MAILORDERTO
MVC_CGIBASE MVC_MINIVENDGROUP
MVC_CGIDIR MVC_MINIVENDUSER
MVC_CGIURL MVC_SAMPLEHTML
MVC_DEMOTYPE MVC_SAMPLEURL
MVC_DOCUMENTROOT MVC_VENDROOT
MVC_ENCRYPTOR
(Not all of these are present in the standard template, and quite a few more may
be defined.) In fact, any environment variable that is set and begins with
MVC_ will be substituted for by the "makecat" script. So if you
wanted to set up a configurable parameter to customize the COMPANY variable in
catalog.cfg, you could run a pre-qualifying script that set the environment
variable MVC_COMPANY and then place in the catalog.cfg file:
Variable COMPANY __MVC_COMPANY__
All files within a template directory are substituted for macros, not just the
catalog.cfg file. There are two special directories named "html" and
"images". These will be recursively copied to the directories
defined as SampleHTML and ImageDir.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The template directory is located in the Interchange
software directory, i.e. where "interchange.cfg" resides. You
normally do not edit files in the template directory. If you want to try
creating your own template, it is recommended that you name it something
besides standard and copy the "standard" demo directory to it as a
starting point. Templates are normally placed in the Interchange base
directory, but can be located anywhere -- the script will prompt you for
location if it cannot find a template.
In addition to the standard parameters prompted for by Interchange, and the
standard catalog creation procedure, you may define four other files in the
"config" directory of the template:
additional_fields -- file with more parameters for macro substitution
additional_help -- extended description for the additional_fields
precopy_commands -- commands passed to the system prior to catalog copy
postcopy_commands -- commands passed to the system after catalog copy
All files are paragraph-based; in other words, a blank line (with no spaces)
terminates the individual setting.
The
additional_fields file contains:
PARAM
The prompt. Set PARAM to?
The default value of PARAM
This would cause a question during makecat:
The prompt. Set PARAM to?.....[The default value of PARAM]
If the
additional_help file is present, you can give additional
instructions for PARAM.
PARAM
These are additional instructions for PARAM, and they
may span multiple lines up to the first blank line.
The prompt would now be:
These are additional instructions for PARAM, and they
may span multiple lines up to the first blank line.
The prompt. Set PARAM to?.....[The default value of PARAM]
If the file
config/precopy_commands exists, it will be read as a command
followed by the prompt/help value.
mysqladmin create __MVC_CATALOGNAME__
We need to create an SQL database for your Interchange
database tables.
This will cause the prompt:
We need to create an SQL database for your Interchange
database tables.
Run command "mysqladmin create test_standard"?
If the response is "y" or "yes", then the command will be
run by passing it through the Perl
system() function. As with any of
the additional configuration files, MVC_PARAM macro substitution is done on
the command and help. Obviously you must have proper permissions for the
command.
The file
config/postcopy_commands is exactly the same as
precopy_commands except you are prompted
after the catalog files
are copied and macro substitution is performed on all files.
ABOUT INTERCHANGE IN GENERAL¶
Interchange has many, many, functions and features; they are too numerous to
describe in this venue. Complete information can be found at its web site:
http://www.icdevgroup.org/
SEE ALSO¶
interchange(1)
LICENSE¶
Interchange comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY. This is free software, and you
are welcome to redistribute and modify it under the terms of the GNU General
Public License.
COPYRIGHT¶
Copyright 2002-2008 Interchange Development Group. Copyright 1995-2002, Red Hat,
Inc. All rights reserved except as in the license.
AUTHOR¶
Mike Heins, <mike@perusion.com>. Please do not contact the author for
direct help with the system. Use the Interchange mail list:
interchange-users
Information on subscribing to the list, and general information and
documentation for Interchange is at:
http://www.icdevgroup.org/