Application Files Under UNIX

In this section:

This topic describes how WebFOCUS references and searches for application files.

When you do not change the default file type, you can prepare a report without issuing a FILEDEF command or other communication. When you change the default file type of a FOCUS data source, or the data source does not reside in a standard search path, you must issue the USE command. The USE command is discussed in Accessing a FOCUS Data Source.

Master Files Under UNIX

Reference:

A Master File contains metadata about a data source, and is identified with a file name and extension, for example, filename.mas. It consists of attributes that describe a data source. A Master File and the data source that it describes usually have the same name. A Master File must consist of 80-byte, fixed length records.

The description of a data source and all files it cross-references must be available whenever you refer to the data source.

For more information about how to generate Master Files, see the Describing Data With TIBCO WebFOCUS® Language manual.

WebFOCUS searches for a Master File on the path of the WebFOCUS Reporting Sever, using either EDAPATH or APP PATH logic.

Reference: Naming a Master File Under UNIX

The following rules apply:

  • The file name can be up to 64 characters long. The first character should be a letter, and the remaining characters can be any combination of letters, numbers, and underscores. Other special characters may be used, but could cause problems and are therefore not recommended or supported.
  • The file extension must be .mas for a Master File, since WebFOCUS searches for a Master File with that extension by default.

Access Files Under UNIX

Reference:

For some data sources, an Access File supplements a Master File. An Access File includes additional information that completes the description of the data source. For example, it includes the full data source name and location. You need one Master File, and for some data sources one Access File, to describe a data source.

WebFOCUS searches for an Access File on the path of the WebFOCUS Reporting Server using either EDAPATH or APP PATH logic.

Reference: Naming an Access File Under UNIX

The following rules apply:

  • The file name can be up to 64 characters long. The first character should be a letter, and the remaining characters can be any combination of letters, numbers, and underscores. Other special characters may be used, but could cause problems and are therefore not recommended or supported.
  • The file extension must be .acx since WebFOCUS searches for a FOCUS data source with that extension by default.

Procedures Under UNIX

Reference:

A procedure contains your report requests and can contain up to 80 bytes on a single line, but cannot have control characters. A procedure is identified with a file name and extension, for example, filename.fex.

Procedures can be simultaneously accessed and executed by all users. The device and directory must precede the procedure file name and extension for the server to locate the procedure. If you specify a disk and a directory, you must include both the file name and the file extension (.fex) when calling the procedure.

WebFOCUS searches for a procedure on the path of the WebFOCUS Reporting Server, using either EDAPATH or APP PATH logic.

Reference: Naming a Procedure Under UNIX

The following rules apply:

  • File names can be up to 64 characters long. The first character should be a letter, and the remaining characters can be any combination of letters, numbers, and underscores. Other special characters may be used, but could cause problems and are not recommended or supported.
  • The file extension must be .fex, since WebFOCUS searches for a procedure with that extension by default.

TIBCO FOCUS Data Sources Under UNIX

Reference:

FOCUS data sources contain data written in FOCUS format. All FOCUS data sources have a record length of 4096 and a fixed length record format. The maximum size of a FOCUS data source is 1G or 256K pages.

A FOCUS data source is identified with a file name and extension, for example, filename.foc. The name of a FOCUS data source usually matches the name of the corresponding Master File. For example, if the Master File is ledger.mas, then the FOCUS data source is ledger.foc. You can override this default with the USE command, described in Accessing a FOCUS Data Source.

WebFOCUS searches for a FOCUS data source on the platform with the WebFOCUS Reporting Server or subserver.

Reference: Naming a TIBCO FOCUS Data Source Under UNIX

The following rules apply:

  • The file name can be up to 64 characters long. The first character should be a letter, and the remaining characters can be any combination of letters, numbers, and underscores. Other special characters may be used, but could cause problems and are therefore not recommended or supported.
  • The file extension must be .foc since WebFOCUS searches for an Access File with that extension by default.

External Indexes for TIBCO FOCUS Data Sources Under UNIX

An external index is a FOCUS data source that contains index, field, and segment information for one or more specified FOCUS data sources. The external index is independent of its associated FOCUS data source and is used to improve retrieval performance. In UNIX, the external index is automatically allocated as a permanent file when it is created using REBUILD.

For more information, see the EDA Server documentation for UNIX.

Sequential Data Sources Under UNIX

WebFOCUS recognizes sequential data sources formatted in the following ways:

For details see the Describing Data With TIBCO WebFOCUS® Language manual.

WebFOCUS StyleSheets Under UNIX

Reference:

WebFOCUS StyleSheets enable you to style and produce reports that highlight key information. With StyleSheets, you specify various stylistic characteristics of a report and style report components individually. You can also use StyleSheets to define a hyperlink from any reporting object.

You can create StyleSheets externally or within a report request. For details, see the Creating Reports With TIBCO WebFOCUS® Language manual.

WebFOCUS searches for a WebFOCUS StyleSheet on the path of the WebFOCUS Reporting Server, using either EDAPATH or APP PATH logic.

Reference: Naming a StyleSheet Under UNIX

The following rules apply:

  • File names can be up to eight characters long. The first character should be a letter, and the remaining characters can be any combination of letters, numbers, and underscores. Other special characters may be used, but could cause problems and are not recommended or supported.
  • The file extension must be .sty since WebFOCUS searches for a StyleSheet with that extension by default.

Profiles Under UNIX

WebFOCUS supports the following levels of profiles to provide flexibility in designing and running applications.