plucky (3) gd_validate.3.gz

NAME

       gd_validate — check a Dirfile field code for validity

SYNOPSIS

       #include <getdata.h>

       int gd_validate(DIRFILE *dirfile, const char *field_code);

DESCRIPTION

       The  gd_validate()  function  queries  a  dirfile(5)  database  specified  by  dirfile and checks whether
       field_code, which may contain a representation suffix, specifies a valid field.

       The dirfile argument must point to a valid DIRFILE object previously created by a call to gd_open(3).

       This function checks whether the field and its input fields (if any) are found, and also  that  all  non-
       literal parameters specify valid scalar fields.

RETURN VALUE

       If  all  checks  pass,  gd_validate()  returns  zero.  On error, it returns a negative-valued error code.
       Possible error codes are:

       GD_E_BAD_CODE
               The field specified by field_code or one of the fields it uses as input  was  not  found  in  the
               database.

       GD_E_BAD_DIRFILE
               The supplied dirfile was invalid.

       GD_E_BAD_SCALAR
               A  non-literal  scalar used in the definition of the field or one of its inputs was not found, or
               was not a CONST or CARRAY field.

       GD_E_DIMENSION
               A scalar field was found where a vector field was expected.

       The error code is also stored in the DIRFILE object and may be retrieved after this function  returns  by
       calling   gd_error(3).    A   descriptive  error  string  for  the  error  may  be  obtained  by  calling
       gd_error_string(3).

NOTES

       It is not necessary to call this function before passing a field code to another  GetData  function:  all
       functions which accept field codes perform these checks themselves.

HISTORY

       The dirfile_validate(3) function appared in GetData-0.6.0.

       In GetData-0.7.0, this function was renamed to gd_validate(3).

       In GetData-0.10.0, the error return from this function changed from -1 to a negative-valued error code.

SEE ALSO

       gd_error(3), gd_error_string(3), gd_getdata(3), gd_open(3), dirfile(5)