XrmGetResource(3X11)

XrmGetResource, XrmQGetResource, XrmQGetSearchList, XrmQGetSearchResource - retrieve database resources and search lists

As shipped in IRIX 6.5.19. Unchanged since IRIX 6.5.

     NAME
          XrmGetResource, XrmQGetResource, XrmQGetSearchList,
          XrmQGetSearchResource - retrieve database resources and
          search lists

     SYNTAX
          Bool XrmGetResource(database, str_name, str_class,
          str_type_return, value_return)
               XrmDatabase database;
               char *str_name;
               char *str_class;
               char **str_type_return;
               XrmValue *value_return;

          Bool XrmQGetResource(database, quark_name, quark_class,
          quark_type_return, value_return)
               XrmDatabase database;
               XrmNameList quark_name;
               XrmClassList quark_class;
               XrmRepresentation *quark_type_return;
               XrmValue *value_return;

          typedef XrmHashTable *XrmSearchList;

          Bool XrmQGetSearchList(database, names, classes,
          list_return, list_length)
               XrmDatabase database;
               XrmNameList names;
               XrmClassList classes;
               XrmSearchList list_return;
               int list_length;

          Bool XrmQGetSearchResource(list, name, class, type_return,
          value_return)
               XrmSearchList list;
               XrmName name;
               XrmClass class;
               XrmRepresentation *type_return;
               XrmValue *value_return;

     ARGUMENTS
          class     Specifies the resource class.

          classes   Specifies a list of resource classes.

          database  Specifies the database that is to be used.

          list      Specifies the search list returned by
                    XrmQGetSearchList.

          list_length
                    Specifies the number of entries (not the byte
                    size) allocated for list_return.

          list_return
                    Returns a search list for further use.

          name      Specifies the resource name.

          names     Specifies a list of resource names.

          quark_class
                    Specifies the fully qualified class of the value
                    being retrieved (as a quark).

          quark_name
                    Specifies the fully qualified name of the value
                    being retrieved (as a quark).

          quark_type_return
                    Returns the representation type of the destination
                    (as a quark).

          str_class Specifies the fully qualified class of the value
                    being retrieved (as a string).

          str_name  Specifies the fully qualified name of the value
                    being retrieved (as a string).

          str_type_return
                    Returns the representation type of the destination
                    (as a string).

          type_return
                    Returns data representation type.

          value_return
                    Returns the value in the database.

     DESCRIPTION
          The XrmGetResource and XrmQGetResource functions retrieve a
          resource from the specified database.  Both take a fully
          qualified name/class pair, a destination resource
          representation, and the address of a value (size/address
          pair). The value and returned type point into database
          memory; therefore, you must not modify the data.

          The database only frees or overwrites entries on
          XrmPutResource, XrmQPutResource, or XrmMergeDatabases.  A
          client that is not storing new values into the database or
          is not merging the database should be safe using the address
          passed back at any time until it exits.  If a resource was
          found, both XrmGetResource and XrmQGetResource return True;
          otherwise, they return False.
          The XrmQGetSearchList function takes a list of names and
          classes and returns a list of database levels where a match
          might occur.  The returned list is in best-to-worst order
          and uses the same algorithm as XrmGetResource for
          determining precedence.  If list_return was large enough for
          the search list, XrmQGetSearchList returns True; otherwise,
          it returns False.

          The size of the search list that the caller must allocate is
          dependent upon the number of levels and wildcards in the
          resource specifiers that are stored in the database.  The
          worst case length is %3 sup n%, where n is the number of
          name or class components in names or classes.

          When using XrmQGetSearchList followed by multiple probes for
          resources with a common name and class prefix, only the
          common prefix should be specified in the name and class list
          to XrmQGetSearchList.

          The XrmQGetSearchResource function searches the specified
          database levels for the resource that is fully identified by
          the specified name and class.  The search stops with the
          first match.  XrmQGetSearchResource returns True if the
          resource was found; otherwise, it returns False.

          A call to XrmQGetSearchList with a name and class list
          containing all but the last component of a resource name
          followed by a call to XrmQGetSearchResource with the last
          component name and class returns the same database entry as
          XrmGetResource and XrmQGetResource with the fully qualified
          name and class.

     MATCHING RULES
          The algorithm for determining which resource database entry
          matches a given query is the heart of the resource manager.
          All queries must fully specify the name and class of the
          desired resource (use of the characters ``*'' and ``?'' are
          not permitted).  The library supports up to 100 components
          in a full name or class.  Resources are stored in the
          database with only partially specified names and classes,
          using pattern matching constructs.  An asterisk (*) is a
          loose binding and is used to represent any number of
          intervening components, including none.  A period (.) is a
          tight binding and is used to separate immediately adjacent
          components.  A question mark (?) is used to match any single
          component name or class.  A database entry cannot end in a
          loose binding; the final component (which cannot be the
          character ``?'') must be specified.  The lookup algorithm
          searches the database for the entry that most closely
          matches (is most specific for) the full name and class being
          queried.  When more than one database entry matches the full
          name and class, precedence rules are used to select just
          one.

          The full name and class are scanned from left to right (from
          highest level in the hierarchy to lowest), one component at
          a time.  At each level, the corresponding component and/or
          binding of each matching entry is determined, and these
          matching components and bindings are compared according to
          precedence rules.  Each of the rules is applied at each
          level before moving to the next level, until a rule selects
          a single entry over all others.  The rules, in order of
          precedence, are:

          1.   An entry that contains a matching component (whether
               name, class, or the character ``?'')  takes precedence
               over entries that elide the level (that is, entries
               that match the level in a loose binding).

          2.   An entry with a matching name takes precedence over
               both entries with a matching class and entries that
               match using the character ``?''.  An entry with a
               matching class takes precedence over entries that match
               using the character ``?''.

          3.   An entry preceded by a tight binding takes precedence
               over entries preceded by a loose binding.

     SEE ALSO
          XrmInitialize(3X11), XrmMergeDatabases(3X11),
          XrmPutResource(3X11), XrmUniqueQuark(3X11)
          Xlib - C Language X Interface