Configuration File Format

The configuration files consist of a set of alias stanzas of the form:

<aliasN>:
  <property1>  "<Value1>"
  <property2>  "<Value2>"
  .   .
  <propertyN>  "<ValueN>"
 *NEXT
  <property1>  "<Value1>"
  <property2>  "<Value2>"
  .   .
  <propertyN>  "<ValueN>"
 *NEXT
  <property1>  "<Value1>"
  <property2>  "<Value2>"
  .   .
  <propertyN>  "<ValueN>"

Where:

<aliasN>

is referred to as the alias name and is a string of non-whitespace characters that does not begin with '*'. An alias must be on the first line of the file. Aliases are frequently composed of "." separated strings of the form:

string0<.string1><.string2>...<stringN>

Where each appended string further qualifies the alias. For example the aliases:

Audio.movie_editor.ProductName
Audio.audio_editor.ProductName

Would be used by developers of the product ProductName and documented in product configuration literature as the aliases used for opening an audio device for movie editor and audio editor applications, respectively. This unique string permits the system manager to map these applications to specific audio devices by defining these aliases in the configuration file.

Ultimedia Services object searches for alias names result in successive searches for the alias where the trailing <.stringN> is truncated on each iteration. If the system manager chooses not to uniquely configure the product, the alias search would resolve to the base <Audio> alias.

Where:

<propertyN> 

Is referred to as a property name and is a string of non-whitespace characters, not containing a quotation mark or a double quotation mark, and preceded by at least one space or tab. It is usually paired with a value string.

Where:

<ValueN>

Is referred to as the value string and is a string of characters surrounded by single or double quotation marks. It is paired with a property name.

Where:

<*Next:> 

Is referred to as the alias stanza clause separator. It is a reserved alias which is not valid as the first alias in the file and is used only to extend an alias stanza to include multiple clauses. A set of properties defined under an alias is referred to as a clause. Multiple clauses within an alias stanza can be defined. For example, an audio alias stanza might have several clauses where each clause defines the properties of distinct audio devices, any of which would be appropriate for the application.

For introductory information, see Programming with Configuration Objects.