GConf
GConf is a system used by the Gnome desktop environment to store configuration settings for the desktop and the GNOME applications. With the release of version 3 of the desktop environment, it is considered obsolete and is gradually being replaced by the newly introduced dconf / GSettings .
method
Changes to the settings are made by the gconfd daemon . gconfd monitors the database for changes and applies new settings to all applications that use them. This technique is also known as “auto apply” as opposed to “explicit apply,” which means that changes are not applied until the user clicks “OK” or “Apply”. The phrase "instant apply" is also sometimes used.
By default, the GConf database uses a directory structure with XML files that are ~/.gconfstored in the directory . GConf can also use other backends , such as a database server, but storage in XML files is the most common configuration.
The gconf-editor application allows users to change settings manually, but is typically not used by end users to define user settings. These should be managed by the application itself.
architecture
GConf is based on the ORBit called C implementation services of CORBA . The software consists of a session daemon that initializes various sources for configuration schemes when the user logs on. Each source is based on a specific backend that provides the key-value pairs to the configuration database. By default, the backend is based on XML. At the moment this is the only working backend for GConf, besides there is only one LDAP backend in the early development stage. Each source can also be operated in read-only mode in order to provide a basic configuration in company networks, for example.
The values in the GConf database are /pfad/zum/anwendungsschluesseladdressed via a path of the form .
A GConfClient-based GObject class should be used to access the GConf database managed by the GConf daemon.
Propagation of changes
An application that uses GConf should not query the database by polling , but register a callback function for the desired key, which corresponds to the Model View Controller paradigm. Every time an application changes the value bound to this key, the callback functions are called.
Schemes
An application that uses GConf should provide a description for each key that it creates within the GConf database. These configuration metadata , called 'schema', are also stored in the configuration database. The scheme should contain a descriptive text ( localized if possible ), a valid value type and a default setting .
Interfaces
Like many libraries on the GNOME platform, GConf can be accessed in various programming languages such as C , C ++ , Perl , Java and Python .
Normally the GConf is not edited directly by the end user. Access is indirect via the respective program that stores its settings. However, certain additional options cannot be configured via a graphical interface and can only be set in the registry. Tools such as the command line program gconftool or the graphic tool gconf-editor are available to developers and advanced users .
Web links
- GConf project page (English)
- Article Gconf in the GNOME Desktop System Administration Guide (German)
- GConf expansion plans (English)
- Gnome2 :: GConf Perl Module (English)
- easygconf Python module (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from July 23, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
