NAME

       dictdconfig - write dictd database configuration section

SYNOPSIS

       dictdconfig [-hlovw] [--help] [--list] [--order] [--version] [--write]

DESCRIPTION

       dictdconfig  generates a complete dictd database configuration section for available dictionary databases
       found in /usr/share/dictd/ (or possibly elsewhere if an optional order override file is present).   If  a
       dictionary  database contains a <basename>.suffix and/or a <basename>.word file, appropriate index_suffix
       and index_word entries are created.

       Its  output  file  /var/lib/dictd/db.list  may  then  be  included  from  the  dictd  configuration  file
       /etc/dictd/dictd.conf  with  an ``include /var/lib/dictd/db.list'' line.  See dictd(8) for an explanation
       of dictd configuration.

       In Debian, dictdconfig is automatically invoked upon  installation  or  removal  of  dictionary  database
       packages, so most users will never need to invoke it by hand.

   DATABASE ORDER
       The  default  order  in  which database entries are written is hard coded into dictdconfig, but it may be
       overridden via the optional order override file /etc/dictd/dictd.order.   This  may  be  desired  because
       dictd  returns  definitions  from  dictionary  databases  in  the  order  in which they are listed in its
       configuration file.  The order override file may also be used to include local dictionary databases which
       may not necessarily reside in /usr/share/dictd/.

       /etc/dictd/dictd.order, if present, should be a whitespace separated list of basenames  and  directories.
       It  may also include comments starting with # and extending to the end of the line.  Virtual dictionaries
       and the directive database_exit may be included in the order override file.  (If virtual dictionaries are
       used, it is necessary to use this directive after the default set  of  dictionaries  to  avoid  returning
       duplicate entries.  See dictd(8).)

       Dictionary  database  entries will be generated only for those databases found via basename and directory
       entries in the default order (or the order override file, if present), and they will be generated in  the
       order  in  which these entries appear.  No more than one dictionary database entry of any given name will
       be generated.

       Entries without a leading / are relative to /usr/share/dictd/.

       Entries without a trailing / are basenames.  A dictionary database entry is generated if <basename>.index
       and <basename>.dict.dz or <basename>.dict are present.

       Entries with a trailing / are directories.  A dictionary database entry  is  generated  for  each  <name>
       where <directory>/<name>.index and <directory>/<name>.dict.dz or <directory>/<name>.dict are present.

       The  default  order  includes  the directory /usr/share/dictd/ as its final entry so that if a previously
       unknown dictionary database (one not explicitly  mentioned  in  the  default  order)  is  installed,  its
       dictionary  database  entry  will  still  be  generated.   An  order  override  file should also use this
       technique, both for /usr/share/dictd/ and for any other directory where local dictionary  database  might
       be installed.

       The  -o option may be used to make dictdconfig display the default order information along with the order
       override information if /etc/dictd/dictd.order is present.

   DUMMY ENTRY
       If no dictionary databases are found (via basename or directory entries in the default order or the order
       override file), a dummy dictionary database entry will be generated with  /dev/null  for  both  data  and
       index.  This allows dictd to start without error.

   DATABASE ALIASES
       If an executable script named /etc/dictd/dictdconfig.alias exists, dictdconfig will filter database names
       through  it.   The  script  can  be bash, sed, perl, or whatever.  Although dict -D will display database
       names of any length, names longer than 16 characters are  displayed  in  a  ragged  format.   Appropriate
       entries  in  this  alias  file can be used to cause dict -D to display the database names in a reasonable
       format.

OPTIONS

       -w, --write
              Write database section to /var/lib/dictd/db.list.

       -l, --list
              List database section to standard out.

       -o, --order
              Display database order information.

       -h, --help
              Display a usage message and exit.

       -v, --version
              Display version information and exit.

FILES

       /var/lib/dictd/db.list
              Output of dictdconfig.

       /etc/dictd/dictd.config
              dictd configuration file which "includes" /var/lib/dictd/db.list.

       /etc/dictd/dictd.order
              Optional dictdconfig order override file.

SEE ALSO

       dictd(8)

BUGS

       Older dictionary database packages  did  not  automatically  invoke  dictdconfig  upon  installation  and
       removal, so you may need to do so manually (after which, you should restart dictd).

AUTHOR

       Kirk Hilliard <kirk@debian.org>.

DEBIAN                                          January 20, 2008                                  DICTDCONFIG(8)