NAME
configfile - generic configuration file format
SYNOPSIS
*/etc/*.conf
DESCRIPTION
The syntax of the generic configuration file format is as
follows:
configfile: empty
| configline configfile
;
configline: wordlist ';'
| include string ';'
;
wordlist: empty
| word wordlist
| string wordlist
| '{' configfile '}' wordlist
;
empty: ;
A word is a sequence of letters, numbers, and characters
from the set !#$%&*+-./<=>?[\]^_|~. A backslash (\) may be
followed by a character in the set abefnrstv to form a BEL,
BS, ESC, FF, NL, CR, SP, TAB, or VT character. Followed by
up to three octal digits a character of that value is
formed, and likewise for an x followed by up to two hexade-
cimal digits. Any other character is left as-is. A
backslash followed by whitespace is completely removed from
the input. (This includes comments.)
A string is started by a single or double quote, a series of
characters, and ended by the same type of quote it started
with. Any character or escape with \ may be found in a
string. Strings may not span lines.
Tokens are separated by whitespace, being the usual whi-
tespace characters and comments. A comment starts with the
# character, and ends at a newline.
The special word include tells that the file mentioned in
the following string must be read and included at that
point. The file is found relative to the directory the
current configuration file is found in, unless its name
starts with a /. A file that doesn't exist is seen as
empty.
A generic configuration file can be read with the functions
described in configfile(3).
EXAMPLES
Have a look at /etc/dhcp.conf.
SEE ALSO
configfile(3).
NOTES
Inspired by the configuration file of Paul Vixie's bind.
AUTHOR
Kees J. Bot (kjb@cs.vu.nl)