Webace - AceDB on the web [ Configure | Help ]

webace config files

There are 2 types of configuration files for webace, those to be set by the webace administrator which affect all acedb databases servered from that URL and those set by individual acedb database curators. The former are located in the cgi-bin/acelib directory and the later in each acedb-database-root/wspec directory. Some of these files are essential for the system to work at all, whereas others are optional and their presence only enables additional functionality.

Example files are distributed in the example-config directory and are hyperlinked to this page. They each need to be manually edited and moved to the appropriate location before the system will work. Each file has a version number, independent of the webace release number. Both these points are for ease of upgrading: if you have already installed webace you only need to update your existing configuration files if the version number has changed. You can safely install over your existing setup without overwriting your existing setup.

webace administrator

1. cgi-bin/acelib/hostinfo.pl, essential, will need editing for each installation.
This defines the name of the web server, and directories of configuration files. Only the former should be changed.

2. cgi-bin/acelib/dbinfo, essential, will need editing for each installation.
Location of acedb database servers. Each line of this file defines

Note that if the Java gif viewer is used, the cache directory must have the http URL /javacache the webserver. Depending on the webserver security setup it may be possible to make this a link to an external disk, however the directory must be the same for each database (one per line definition is for historical reasons and may be removed at a future date - the cache filename includes the database name, so there is no namespace conflict resulting from this.)

3. cgi-bin/acelib/global_markup.pl, essential, does not necessarily need editing.
Global rules for adding URL links for acedb objects. Identical in format to wspec/markup.pl. Works with wspec/markup.pl and cgi-bin/acelib/standard_urls to define rules for automatic markup of external links to data in acedb text objects. See here for details on how to edit these files.

4. cgi-bin/acelib/standard_urls, essential, does not necessarily need editing.
List of URLs for variable substitution. Works with wspec/markup.pl and cgi-bin/acelib/global_markup.pl to define rules for automatic markup of external links to data in acedb text objects. See here for details on how to edit these files.

5. cgi-bin/acelib/webace_header.pl, optional, will need editing for each installation.
Site specific header. An example is contained in the file.

6. cgi-bin/acelib/webace_def.pl, optional, will need editing for each installation.
By default, the URL /cgi-bin/webace returns a list of acedb databases as defined in dbinfo. This file allows the list to be hidden from outside users instead result in a static html page being returned that can be something more comprehensible to users. An example is given in dblist.html.

acedb curators

11. wspec/markup.pl, optional, does not necessarily need editing.
Rules for adding URL links for acedb objects specific to this acedb database. Works with cgi-bin/acelib/standard_urls and cgi-bin/acelib/global_markup.pl to define rules for automatic markup of external links to data in acedb text objects. See here for details on how to edit these files.

12. wspec/webace_view.pl, optional, does not necessarily need editing.
This file defines FMAP and GMAP views with associated header and key legend text and the rules for making external URL links and context sensitive help from these graphical displays. A full discription of how to edit these curator level files can be found here.

15/3/98, webace@sanger.ac.uk