NAME¶

fillup - the SuSE tool for merging config files

SYNOPSIS¶

fillup [options] basefile addfile outputfile

fillup [options] basefile addfile

fillup -V|--version ...

fillup -h|--help ...

DESCRIPTION¶

fillup - merges input files into one resulting output file. Usually, each file is a configuration file.

fillup merges files which are holding variables (ie configuration or environment variables). A variable is defined by an entity composed of a preceding comment, a variable name, an assignment delimiter, and a related variable value. A variable is determined by its variable name.

A preceding comment is optional. An assignment delimiter may be optional, but if there is an assignment delimiter, a variable name must precede it. The last entity may be composed only of a comment.

Only if variables are included in both input files (basefile and addfile) fillup has to select one of the variables. Otherwise, if variables are included only in one of the input files they are added to the resulting output file (with the exception of the -i|--ignoreDefinites option).

The functionality is now controlled by a parameter which determines whether a variable included both in the basefile and in the addfile is taken from the former or from the latter. Furthermore, a parameter controls whether the variable is removed from a copy of the basefile.

To keep the fillup v1.04 functionality, the outputfile parameter can be omitted -- this means the resulting output file is named exactly like the first input file name (basefile = outputfile).

If variables should be removed from the basefile, the basefile is not touched, but the result is written to basefile.new.

If basefile includes a header as part of the first variable this header is preserved only for the outputfile if after the header an empty line follows.

Starting with version 1.20 handling of metadata for /etc/sysconfig files is included. Metadata is part of preceding comment, each metadata line begins with double hash ("##"). A metadata line contains a pair <keyword>:<value>. The value itself can be described on several lines, each beginning with double hash and the optional keyword.

EXAMPLES¶

fillup -m "/etc/rc.config" "my.config" "/etc/rc.config"

All variables of "/etc/rc.config" are passed to the resulting output file "/etc/rc.config". Variables defined only within "my.config" are appended.

fillup -exchange "/etc/rc.config" "my.config"

Only variables of "/etc/rc.config" that are not also defined within "my.config" are passed to the resulting output file "/etc/rc.config". All variables of "my.config" are appended.

fillup -m -r "/etc/rc.config" "my.config" "/etc/rc.config"

All variables of "/etc/rc.config" are passed to the resulting output file "/etc/rc.config". Variables defined only within "my.config" are appended. The additional parameter '-r' removes variables defined more than once from a copy of "/etc/rc.config". "/etc/rc.config" isn't touched and the result of the removal is written to "/etc/rc.config.new".

fillup -i "/etc/rc.config" "my.config"

This is a filter functionality. Variables of "/etc/rc.config" are only passed to the resulting output file "/etc/rc.config" if they are defined in both input files. Because "my.config" is normally only a list of variable names from "/etc/rc.config", this is named filter functionality. Additionally variables of "my.config" are appended if they are defined only in "my.config".

OPTIONS¶

There are many options, which are displayed if fillup is called without or with the -h or --help option.

Most of the parameters are based on v1.04. In the sequel only useful parameters are listed:

-i, --ignoreDefinites filter functionality
-t, --trailing save trailing comment
-v, --verbose maximum output to screen
-V, --version print fillup version and exit
-c | --char <char> use <char> as comment marker
-d | --delim <char> use <char> as delimiter

-m, --maintain maintaining the basefile
-x, --exchange exchanging the basefile
-r, --remove removing within a copy

EXIT CODE¶

fillup returns EXIT_SUCCESS on successful completion. Otherwise, an exception handler is called, which may return EXIT_FAILURE;

BUGS¶

If a bug occurs which is not based on invalid options or missing input files, please add the option -v|--verbose to the call. The result and some classifications are displayed to locate the bug.

With handlung of metadata and thus replacement of information within files a hardly documented debugging feature is introduced by adding two options on command line: information about a special variable (given by --variable <variable name>) is logged into a special file (determined by --logfile <file name>).

COPYRIGHT¶

fillup is copyright 1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001 by SuSE GmbH, Germany. fillup is copyright 2002,2003 by SuSE Linux AG, Germany.

There is NO warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

AUTHOR¶

Martin Scherbaum, maddin@suse.de (v1.04, 1996)
Joerg Dippel, jd@suse.de (v1.05, 1998)
Joerg Dippel, jd@suse.de (v1.06, 2000)
Joerg Dippel, jd@suse.de (v1.10, 2002)
Joerg Dippel, jd@suse.de (v1.21, 2003)