Ultimedia Services uses a configuration file as a means of specifying object selection, object existence, and object capabilities. The configuration file consists of ASCII text sections referred to as alias stanzas. Various types of alias stanzas convey different information.
The UMSConfig object is used to access a configuration database containing alias stanzas from the system configuration file and the user configuration file. If alias stanzas in these files have a common name, the definition contained in the user configuration file takes precedence. By default, the system file is found in the $UMSDIR/defaults directory, while the user file is in $HOME/.UMS_config. The two environment variables, $UMS_system_config and $UMS_user_config, control where the UMSConfig object actually searches for the system and user files, respectively. When the variable is not set, the default file is read. Also, if the variable is set to the null string (""), then that file is ignored in the search process.
To learn more about programming with a configuration file and UMSConfig object, see: