MAKECAT(1) User Contributed Perl Documentation MAKECAT(1)NAMEmakecat - Build an Interchange catalog from a template
SYNOPSISmakecat [--options] name
VERSION
# $Id: makecat.PL,v 2.27 2007-08-09 13:40:57 pajamian Exp $
INTRODUCTION
The makecat program builds a Interchange catalog from a template based
on your server configuration. It interrogates for parameters like the
directories to use, URL to base the catalog in, HTTP server
definitions, and file ownership. It is self-documenting in that it
asks verbose questions and gives relevant examples.
On UNIX, if you want to check on something during the process you can
usually hit <CTRL-Z> to suspend the program and do something and then
type "fg" to return to <makecat>. Also, if your input begins with an
exclamation mark ("!"), it will be interpreted as a shell command. An
exclamation mark ("!") alone should drop you into a shell.
If you have the "Term::ReadLine::Perl" and "Term::ReadKey" modules
installed, the <UP> and <DOWN> arrows will cycle between suggested
defaults; and the following features will be in place:
TAB Completes file name
<UP> Cycle suggestion up
<DOWN> Cycle suggestion down
<CTRL-P> Cycle suggestion up
<CTRL-N> Cycle suggestion down
<CTRL-B> Go back one question (if possible)
<CTRL-U> Erase line
<LEFT> Command-line editing left
<RIGHT> Command-line editing left
Also, if you make a mistake at some stage of the interrogation, you can
often hit the <CTRL-B> key to return to the previous query. If you
don't have Term::ReadLine installed, then you can enter an at sign
("@") by itself on the line.
OPTIONS
usage: makecat [options] [catalogname]
The makecat program can build a catalog based completely on a command
line description. An example is in eg/makecat.sh.
There are just a few flag-based options:
"-F"
Force make of catalog with defaults supplied on command line.
"-c"
Configuration file -- default is makecat.cfg in Interchange Confdir
(etc) directory.
"-l"
File to log to (default makecat.log)
"-r"
Reconfigure defaults normally set in makecat.cfg; this is done
automatically the first time the program is run.
The remainder of the options are supplied on the command line as named
parameters followed by an "=" sign, followed by the value, i.e.
--parameter=value
Normally, if "makecat" supplies a default you might guess at that. It
is fairly intelligent if you have an Apache server and it has found the
httpd.conf file. If you are on a Netscape or other web server, it is
less likely to be right.
The options set at reconfig time, i.e. the first time the program is
run:
--basedir=directory
Base directory for catalogs. This defaults to "catalogs" in the
home directory of the catalog user.
--cgibase=url_fragment
Base URL for link programs. This is normally either blank (your
programs are made with .cgi extension) or "/cgi-bin" (you have a
CGI directory).
--documentroot=directory
The directory where HTML is based. This is the root directory of
the web server, i.e. DocumentRoot.
--interchangegroup=group
The default group files should be owned by.
--interchangeuser=username
The user ID which runs Interchange.
--serverconf=filename
Location of httpd.conf; you will be queried otherwise.
--vendroot=filename
Location of Interchange software.
--homedir=directory
Use instead of \$HOME to set defaults
These are options which are required to be set for any catalog; the
default will often be correct if you have set the above options
correctly.
--catroot=directory
Directory where Interchange catalog files go. This is the base
directory for this catalog.
--cgidir=directory
The directory the CGI link should go to. This is the CGI directory;
if your CGI programs all end in ".cgi" then this would normally be
the same as "documentroot"; if you have a "cgi bin" directory it
should be used.
--servername=server
Name of server (www.whatever.domain). You can supply a port:
www.foo.com:8080
or a username:
www.foo.com/~bar
For testing on your local machine, just use "localhost".
--cgiurl=url_fragment
The path to the CGI link (no server name). For a catalog named
"standard", this would normally be one of:
--cgiurl=/cgi-bin/standard
or
--cgiurl=/standard.cgi
--demotype=template
The template catalog. The default is <standard>.
--mailorderto=email
Email address to send orders
--catuser=username
The user files should be owned by (option only operative if
"root").
The rest of the parameters need not be supplied on the command line as
intelligent defaults can be derived from the above parameters.
--samplehtml=directory
The directory where template HTML goes.
--imagedir=directory
The directory where template images go.
--imageurl=url
The URL to prefix images with.
--sharedir=directory
The directory where shared admin images go.
--shareurl=url
The URL to prefix shared admin images with.
--nocfg
Don't add to interchange.cfg.
--nocopy
Don't actually copy the files, just test.
--norunning
Don't add to running server.
--reference
Return hash of config as string (sets "-F", no write). This is for
passing back to the makecat program in a autobuild environment.
--linkprogram=file
Use file as link program instead of vlink/tlink.
--linkmode=mode
UNIX or INET (link program vlink or tlink).
--sampleurl=url
URL to access HTML for catalog.
--noumask
Don't set umask to the value implied by mode.
--catalogconf=file
Use file as configuration file for catalog definitions. This option
has been designed for the use with Debian installations.
DESCRIPTION
"makecat" needs a template catalog to operate on. The Foundation Store
demo template is distributed with Interchange. You can also look for
additional demo catalogs (mostly for ideas) at
http://www.icdevgroup.org/
IMPORTANT NOTE: You only make a catalog once. All further configuration
is done by editing the files within the catalog directory.
A catalog template contains an image of a configured catalog. The best
way to see what the makecat program does is to configure the 'standard'
demo and then run a recursive "diff" on the template and configured
catalog directories:
diff -r interchange/standard catalogs/standard
You will see that the files are mostly the same, except that certain
macro strings have been replaced with the answers you gave to the
script. For example, if you answered "www.mydomain.com" at the prompt
for server name, then you would see this difference in the catalog.cfg
file:
# template
Variable SERVER_NAME __MVC_SERVERNAME__
# configured catalog
Variable SERVER_NAME www.mydomain.com
The macro string __MVC_SERVERNAME__ was substituted with the answer to
the question about server name. In the same way, other variables are
substituted, and include (at least):
MVC_BASEDIR MVC_IMAGEDIR
MVC_CATROOT MVC_IMAGEURL
MVC_CATUSER MVC_MAILORDERTO
MVC_CGIBASE MVC_MINIVENDGROUP
MVC_CGIDIR MVC_MINIVENDUSER
MVC_CGIURL MVC_SAMPLEHTML
MVC_DEMOTYPE MVC_SAMPLEURL
MVC_DOCUMENTROOT MVC_VENDROOT
MVC_ENCRYPTOR
(Not all of these are present in the standard template, and quite a few
more may be defined.) In fact, any environment variable that is set
and begins with MVC_ will be substituted for by the "makecat" script.
So if you wanted to set up a configurable parameter to customize the
COMPANY variable in catalog.cfg, you could run a pre-qualifying script
that set the environment variable MVC_COMPANY and then place in the
catalog.cfg file:
Variable COMPANY __MVC_COMPANY__
All files within a template directory are substituted for macros, not
just the catalog.cfg file. There are two special directories named
"html" and "images". These will be recursively copied to the
directories defined as SampleHTML and ImageDir.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The template directory is located in the Interchange
software directory, i.e. where "interchange.cfg" resides. You normally
do not edit files in the template directory. If you want to try
creating your own template, it is recommended that you name it
something besides standard and copy the "standard" demo directory to it
as a starting point. Templates are normally placed in the Interchange
base directory, but can be located anywhere -- the script will prompt
you for location if it cannot find a template.
In addition to the standard parameters prompted for by Interchange, and
the standard catalog creation procedure, you may define four other
files in the "config" directory of the template:
additional_fields -- file with more parameters for macro substitution
additional_help -- extended description for the additional_fields
precopy_commands -- commands passed to the system prior to catalog copy
postcopy_commands -- commands passed to the system after catalog copy
All files are paragraph-based; in other words, a blank line (with no
spaces) terminates the individual setting.
The additional_fields file contains:
PARAM
The prompt. Set PARAM to?
The default value of PARAM
This would cause a question during makecat:
The prompt. Set PARAM to?.....[The default value of PARAM]
If the additional_help file is present, you can give additional
instructions for PARAM.
PARAM
These are additional instructions for PARAM, and they
may span multiple lines up to the first blank line.
The prompt would now be:
These are additional instructions for PARAM, and they
may span multiple lines up to the first blank line.
The prompt. Set PARAM to?.....[The default value of PARAM]
If the file config/precopy_commands exists, it will be read as a
command followed by the prompt/help value.
mysqladmin create __MVC_CATALOGNAME__
We need to create an SQL database for your Interchange
database tables.
This will cause the prompt:
We need to create an SQL database for your Interchange
database tables.
Run command "mysqladmin create test_standard"?
If the response is "y" or "yes", then the command will be run by
passing it through the Perl system() function. As with any of the
additional configuration files, MVC_PARAM macro substitution is done on
the command and help. Obviously you must have proper permissions for
the command.
The file config/postcopy_commands is exactly the same as
precopy_commands except you are prompted after the catalog files are
copied and macro substitution is performed on all files.
ABOUT INTERCHANGE IN GENERAL
Interchange has many, many, functions and features; they are too
numerous to describe in this venue. Complete information can be found
at its web site:
http://www.icdevgroup.org/
Interchange requires Perl 5.6.0 or higher; more information on Perl can
be seen at:
http://www.perl.com/
SEE ALSOinterchange(1)LICENSE
Interchange comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY. This is free software,
and you are welcome to redistribute and modify it under the terms of
the GNU General Public License.
COPYRIGHT
Copyright 2002-2007 Interchange Development Group. Copyright
1995-2002, Red Hat, Inc. All rights reserved except as in the license.
AUTHOR
Mike Heins, <mike@perusion.com>. Please do not contact the author for
direct help with the system. Use the Interchange mail list:
interchange-users
Information on subscribing to the list, and general information and
documentation for Interchange is at:
http://www.icdevgroup.org/
perl v5.20.2 2015-08-31 MAKECAT(1)
