NAME¶
md_doc_help_elektra-glossary - elektra-glossary(7) -- glossary of
Elektra
- Configurations: contain user preferences or other application
settings.
- Configuration storage: makes this information permanent. The
application will read the configuration at every start, but it is only
stored if a user changes settings.
- Key databases: are used because of these constraints. They can do
fast key lookups and the keys can be structured hierarchically by defining
separators in the key names. Unlike SQL databases, the key name is the
only primary key; there are no foreign keys, and no query language
exists.
- Global key database: provides global access to all key databases of
all applications in a system that wants to access a key database.
- To elektrify an application: to change the application so that it
uses Elektra afterwards.
Technical Concepts¶
- Backends: A collection of plugins to be mounted.
- Bootstrapping: To read the mounting configuration and mount during
kdbOpen().
- Cascading: To consider multiple places to look for a key.
- Contracts: Contracts state the purpose, functionality and
requirements of plugins.
- Mounting: To persistently and permanently include a backend in the
global key database.
- Namespaces: Allow us to have multiple keys for the same purpose and
otherwise the same key name.
- Plugins: The unit of implementation for a feature.
Details¶
- Sync Flag: Marks keys that were changed and need to be written out
to disc.
- Null Keys, Null Values: The absence of keys or values.
- pop: used in ksPop() and KDB_O_POP means to remove a
key from a keyset.
- delete: or abbr. del, used in keyDel(), ksDel() and
KDB_O_DEL means to free a key or keyset. The memory can be used for
something else afterwards.
- remove: means that the key/value information in the physical
database will be removed permanently.
