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Resource file

This section describes how to use a resource file that contains fixed dates and appointments. The name of the standard resource file is `$HOME/.gcalrc' (31).

Gcal uses a special file searching mechanism:

  1. The Gcal program expects the standard resource file in that directory which is referenced in the environment variable HOME. If no HOME environment variable is defined and set, Gcal omits this step. See section Environment Variables.
  2. If the above action fails, Gcal scans the directories which are referenced in the environment variable GCALPATH (see section Environment Variables) for the standard resource file. The GCALPATH environment variable contains a (`:') colon-separated (32) list of directories. If no such environment variable is defined and set, Gcal also omits this step.
  3. If the above action fails, Gcal inspects the user data directory (33) to find the standard resource file. This directory is a directory relative to the HOME directory. If an environment variable GCAL_USR_DATADIR is set, Gcal appends the contents of this environment variable to the contents of the HOME environment variable, and tries to use that directory first instead of using the burned-in default name of that directory (see section Environment Variables). If no HOME environment variable is defined and set, naturally Gcal also omits this step.
  4. If all above actions fail, Gcal inspects the system data directory (34) to find the standard resource file. This directory is a directory absolute the root/$(prefix) directory. If an environment variable GCAL_SYS_DATADIR is set, Gcal tries to use that directory first instead of using the burned-in default name of that directory (see section Environment Variables).

If the standard resource file is not found during the steps 1...4 of the file searching mechanism, no fixed date messages will be created!

In case the `--debug=abort' option is given and no standard resource file is found during the steps 1...4 of the file searching mechanism, the Gcal program will be aborted with an error code. See section Error Codes, and section Global options, for more information.

If a `-f|F name[+...]' respectively `--resource-file=name' command line argument is given, a file name will be used for the resource file instead of the standard resource file. See section Fixed date options.

Annotation:

An extended file name contains one ore more `/' (slash) characters (35) and denotes a file, which fixed access path either starts from the root directory, like `/foo/bar/file', or from the actual directory, like `./bar/file' or `../bar/file'. If name is an extended file name:

A simple file name denotes a file, which access path doesn't either starts from the root directory or from the actual directory, like `file' or `bar/file'. If name is a simple file name:

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