GConf Configuration Sources (Java Desktop System Release 3 Administration Guide)

Java Desktop System Release 3 Administration Guide

GConf Configuration Sources

The GConf repository contains a series of storage locations that are called configuration sources. The configuration sources are listed in the GConf path file. The location of the GConf path file is /etc/gconf/gconf-version-number/path. Each user has a path file. The path file specifies the following information for each configuration source:

The backend module to use to read the repository.
The permissions on the repository.
The location of the repository.

The GConf path file also contains include instructions. By default, the contents of the GConf path file are as follows:

xml:readonly:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.mandatory
include /etc/gconf/2/local-mandatory.path
apoc:readonly:mandatory@
include "$(HOME)/.gconf.path"
xml:readwrite:$(HOME)/.gconf
apoc:readonly:@
include /etc/gconf/2/local-defaults.path
xml:readonly:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.defaults

When GConf searches for a preference value, GConf reads the configuration sources in the order specified in the path file. The following table describes the configuration sources in the path file:

Configuration Source	Description
Mandatory	The permissions on this configuration source are set to read only. Users cannot overwrite the values in this source, so the preferences in the source are mandatory.
User	This configuration source is stored in the `.gconf` directory in the home directory of the user. When the user sets a preference, the new preference information is added to this location. You can use `GConf Editor` to modify the user configuration source.
Default	This configuration source contains the default preference settings.

Configuration Source

Description

Mandatory

The permissions on this configuration source are set to read only. Users cannot overwrite the values in this source, so the preferences in the source are mandatory.

User

This configuration source is stored in the .gconf directory in the home directory of the user. When the user sets a preference, the new preference information is added to this location.

You can use GConf Editor to modify the user configuration source.

Default

This configuration source contains the default preference settings.

The sequence of the configuration sources in the path file ensures that mandatory preference settings override user preference settings. The sequence also ensures that user preference settings override default preference settings. That is, GConf applies preferences in the following order of priority:

Mandatory preferences
User-specified preferences
Default preferences

The include instructions in the GConf path file enable system administrators to specify other configuration sources.

Included Configuration Source	Description
`/etc/gconf/2/local-mandatory.path`	Use this configuration source to store mandatory preference values for a particular system.
`$(HOME)/.gconf.path`	The user specifies the location of the configuration source in the home directory, in a file that is called `.gconf.path`.
`/etc/gconf/2/local-defaults.path`	Use this configuration source to store default preference values for a particular system.

The apoc references in the GConf path file specify a Sun Java Desktop System Configuration Manager backend module. For more information about Sun Java Desktop System Configuration Manager, see the Sun Java Desktop System Configuration Manager documentation at http://docs.sun.com.