dbm(3x)                    DG/UX 4.30                     dbm(3x)



     NAME
          dbminit, fetch, store, delete, firstkey, nextkey - data base
          subroutines

     SYNOPSIS
          #include <dbm.h>

          typedef struct {
               char *dptr;
               int dsize;
          } datum;

          dbminit(file)
          char *file;

          dbmclose()

          datum fetch(key)
          datum key;

          store(key, content)
          datum key, content;

          delete(key)
          datum key;

          datum firstkey()

          datum nextkey(key)
          datum key;

     DESCRIPTION
          Note: the dbm library has been superceded by ndbm(3), and is
          now implemented using ndbm.  These functions maintain
          key/content pairs in a data base.  The functions will handle
          very large (a billion blocks) databases and will access a
          keyed item in one or two file system accesses.  The
          functions are obtained with the loader option -ldbm.

          Keys and contents are described by the datum typedef.  A
          datum specifies a string of dsize bytes pointed to by dptr.
          Arbitrary binary data, as well as normal ASCII strings, are
          allowed.  The data base is stored in two files.  One file is
          a directory containing a bit map and has `.dir' as its
          suffix.  The second file contains all data and has `.pag' as
          its suffix.

          Before a database can be accessed, it must be opened by
          dbminit. At the time of this call, the files file.dir and
          file.pag must exist.  (An empty database is created by
          creating zero-length `.dir' and `.pag' files.)




     Licensed material--property of copyright holder(s)         Page 1

     dbm(3x)                    DG/UX 4.30                     dbm(3x)



          A database may be closed by calling dbmclose.  You must
          close a database before opening a new one.

          Once open, the data stored under a key is accessed by fetch
          and data is placed under a key by store.  A key (and its
          associated contents) is deleted by delete.  A linear pass
          through all keys in a database may be made, in an
          (apparently) random order, by use of firstkey and nextkey.
          Firstkey will return the first key in the database.  With
          any key nextkey will return the next key in the database.
          This code will traverse the data base:

               for (key = firstkey(); key.dptr != NULL; key =
               nextkey(key))

     DIAGNOSTICS
          All functions that return an int indicate errors with
          negative values.  A zero return indicates ok.  Routines that
          return a datum indicate errors with a null (0) dptr.

     SEE ALSO
          ndbm(3)

     BUGS
          The `.pag' file will contain holes so that its apparent size
          is about four times its actual content.  Older UNIX systems
          may create real file blocks for these holes when touched.
          These files cannot be copied by normal means (cp, cat, tp,
          tar, ar) without filling in the holes.

          Dptr pointers returned by these subroutines point into
          static storage that is changed by subsequent calls.

          The sum of the sizes of a key/content pair must not exceed
          the internal block size (currently 1024 bytes).  Moreover
          all key/content pairs that hash together must fit on a
          single block.  Store will return an error in the event that
          a disk block fills with inseparable data.

          Delete does not physically reclaim file space, although it
          does make it available for reuse.

          The order of keys presented by firstkey and nextkey depends
          on a hashing function, not on anything interesting.











     Licensed material--property of copyright holder(s)         Page 2