NAME

       elektra-glossary - glossary of Elektra

Introduction

       Configurations
              contain user preferences or other application settings.

       Configuration storage
              makes  this  information  permanent. The application will read the configuration at
              every start, but it is only stored if a user changes settings.

       Key databases
              are used because of these constraints. They can do fast key lookups  and  the  keys
              can  be  structured  hierarchically by defining separators in the key names. Unlike
              SQL databases, the key name is the only primary key; there are no foreign keys, and
              no query language exists.

       Global key database
              provides  global  access  to all key databases of all applications in a system that
              wants to access a key database.

       To elektrify an application
              to change the application so that it uses Elektra afterwards.

Technical Concepts

       Backends elektra-backends.md
              A collection of plugins to be mounted.

       Bootstrapping elektra-bootstrapping.md
              To read the mounting configuration and mount during kdbOpen().

       Cascading elektra-cascading.md
              To consider multiple places to look for a key.

       Contracts elektra-contracts.md
              Contracts state the purpose, functionality and requirements of plugins.

       Mounting elektra-mounting.md
              To persistently and permanently include a backend in the global key database.

       Namespaces elektra-namespaces.md
              Allow us to have multiple keys for the same purpose  and  otherwise  the  same  key
              name.

       Plugins elektra-plugins-framework.md
              The unit of implementation for a feature.

Details

       Sync Flag elektra-sync-flag.md
              Marks keys that were changed and need to be written out to disc.

       Null Keys, Null Values elektra-values.md
              The absence of keys or values.

       pop    used in ksPop() and @ref KDB_O_POP means to remove a key from a keyset.

       delete or  abbr.  del, used in keyDel(), ksDel() and @ref KDB_O_DEL means to free a key or
              keyset. The memory can be used for something else afterwards.

       remove means that the key/value information in  the  physical  database  will  be  removed
              permanently.

                                            July 2017                         ELEKTRA-GLOSSARY(7)