Plugin: directoryvalue

• infos = Information about the directoryvalue plugin is in keys below
• infos/author = René Schwaiger sanss.nosp@m.ecou.nosp@m.rs@me.nosp@m..com
• infos/licence = BSD
• infos/needs =
• infos/provides =
• infos/recommends =
• infos/placements = postgetstorage presetstorage
• infos/status = maintained unittest nodep preview
• infos/metadata =
• infos/description = This plugin converts directory keys to leaf keys in the set direction

Directory Value

Introduction

The Directory Value plugin converts

1. directory (non-leaf) keys to leaf keys in the “set” direction, and
2. converts them back to directory keys in the “get” direction.

A directory key is a key that has children. For example in the key set:

user/grandparent                = Grandparent
user/grandparent/leaf           = Leaf
user/grandparent/parent         = Parent
user/grandparent/parent/child   = Child
user/mother                     = Mother
user/mother/daughter            = Daughter
user/mother/son                 = Son

the keys

user/grandparent
user/grandparent/parent
user/mother

represent directory keys, while the keys

user/grandparent/leaf
user/grandparent/parent/child
user/mother/daughter
user/mother/son

are leaf keys. You can easily check this by drawing the key set in the form of a rooted tree:

             user
      /               \
  granparent        mother
  /      |          /    \
leaf  parent    daughter son
         |
       child

. The Directory Value plugin converts all directory keys to leaf keys in the “set” direction by adding new keys with the postfix ___dirdata. Theses keys then store the old value of their parent keys

user/grandparent                    =
user/grandparent/___dirdata         = Grandparent
user/grandparent/leaf               = Leaf
user/grandparent/parent             =
user/grandparent/parent/___dirdata  = Parent
user/grandparent/parent/child       = Child
user/mother                         =
user/mother/___dirdata              = Mother
user/mother/daughter                = Daughter
user/mother/son                     = Son

. You might ask why we need the Directory Value plugin at all. The reason why we created this plugin is that some storage plugins like `yajl` or `yamlcpp` are only able to save values inside leaf keys. By loading the Directory Value plugin these storage plugins are also able to represent directory values properly.

Array Values

The Directory value plugin also converts array values. Let us take a look at an example key set:

user/array    = Array Value
user/array/#0 = Firt Value
user/array/#1 = Second Value
user/array/#2 = Third Value

. The plugin does not convert this key set into:

user/array            =
user/array/___dirdata = Array Value
user/array/#0         = First Value
user/array/#1         = Second Value
user/array/#2         = Third Value

, since then user/array would not be an array any more. Instead the plugin inserts a new element at index 0 with the value prefix ___dirdata::

user/array            =
user/array/#0         = ___dirdata: Array Value
user/array/#1         = First Value
user/array/#2         = Second Value
user/array/#3         = Third Value

. This way a storage plugin such as YAJL or YAML CPP are still able to store user/array as an array.

Remark: The plugin only converts array parents that store string values.

Usage

To mount the plugin use the command:

`` <h1>Mount plugin to cascading namespace/tests/directoryvalue` sudo kdb mount config.file /tests/directoryvalue directoryvalue

. To unmount the plugin use the command

sudo kdb umount /tests/directoryvalue

.

## Example

Mount plugin to cascading namespace /tests/directoryvalue

sudo kdb mount config.file /tests/directoryvalue directoryvalue

Add a directory value

kdb set /tests/directoryvalue/harold 'Father of SpongeBob SquarePants'

Add a leaf value

kdb set /tests/directoryvalue/harold/spongebob 'I am ready!'

Add an array

kdb set /tests/directoryvalue/patrick Star kdb set /tests/directoryvalue/patrick/#0 'Being grown-up is boring. Besides, I don’t get Jazz.'

Since the plugin converts values back in the get direction

a user of the database will not notice any changes.

kdb ls /tests/directoryvalue #> user/tests/directoryvalue/harold #> user/tests/directoryvalue/harold/spongebob #> user/tests/directoryvalue/patrick #> user/tests/directoryvalue/patrick/#0

kdb get /tests/directoryvalue/harold #> Father of SpongeBob SquarePants kdb get /tests/directoryvalue/harold/spongebob #> I am ready!

kdb get /tests/directoryvalue/patrick #> Star kdb get /tests/directoryvalue/patrick/#0 #> Being grown-up is boring. Besides, I don’t get Jazz.

Retrieve index of last element in array.

This also works if the storage plugin does not store this index.

kdb getmeta /tests/directoryvalue/patrick array #> #0

Undo changes to the key database

kdb rm -r /tests/directoryvalue sudo kdb umount /tests/directoryvalue ```

Limitations

• Escaping is currently not possible. If you use the Directory Value plugin you can not

  • use the name ___dirdata as the last part of a normal key,
  • use ___dirdata: at the beginning of a normal value in the first array element

  !

• The plugin is quite slow.