swimrc is the configuartion file for swim allowing many default values to be set so that they do not have to be mentioned on the command line. Swimrc interacts directly with Perl allowing a wide variety of variables found in SWIW::Conf to be altered. USAGE

Values for variable can be altered for swim by assigning different values enclosed in quotes or quoted whitespace (qw()), and ending with a semi-colon.

$variable = ``value'';

$variable = ``(value1 value2 ..)'';

VARIABLES

This is a list of variables with explanations. The default values for swim are shown. OUTPUT VARIABLE

$my_number can be changed to how many lines you would like ``swim -qf <>'' to print out, before the program asks for -t or --total. Exception: If -i is used in the query and there is more than one package then the total will be presented.

Hint: -t can be used with all the various --scripts family members to view the title of the script file regardless of this variable setting, and if -t has to be used, the titles will be displayed, which makes sense.

$my_number = 23; HISTORY

This is a shell-like history kept in relation to searches and the most recent edit when --stdin is used.

$HISTORY = 10; AR or DPKG?

Debian packages are ar archives. If you are using a Debian Distribution assign ``dpkg'' to $package_tool, otherwise assign ``ar'' to $package_tool.

$package_tool = "/usr/bin/ar"; APT

Swim does not assign a value for apt. To use --apt and -xyz assign $apt the value ``yes''.

Example: $apt = "yes"; PAGER

less is a nice pager, unless you like more! Pager is used for --help and swim called without any options. There is an option --nopager or -n. more comes from the required package util-linux, whereas less comes from a standard package called less. Values: ``less'', ``more'', or ``most'' or...

$ENV{PAGER} = "less"; NOT-INSTALLED VARIABLES

Assign values for $architecture and/or $distribution to avoid having to use --arch and --dists everytime the not-installed databases are accessed with -n or made or altered.

Architectures are always being added so check with Debian to find a list. There is alpha, arm, hurd-i386 (alternative kernel to linux), i386, m68k, powerpc, sparc. Just use the arch found after the hyphen in the Contents-(arch) file.

$architecture = "i386";

The distribution can be either stable, unstable, frozen, or experimental (rare). These represent the state of development that the packages are under. The unstable distribution can have lot's of changes within a very short time period, and frozen may or may not be available.

$distribution = "unstable";

Distributions are divided into sections. These sections were called distributions in the version 2.4.1.0 packaging manual, because they were at one time separate distributions, but this has since changed.

You can determine which of the sections main, non-free, contrib or non-US to pull out of the Contents file if you don't want to use --main, --contrib, --non-free, and --non-us to selectively pick the sections.

For efficiency, you should choose the sections which you will be pulling out of the Packages file(s) being targetted.

Rule: Use ``non-US'' not ``non-us''.

@user_defined_section = qw(main contrib non-free non-US); DF LOCATION

A little philosophy: swim was developed for maximum versatility, so whether you are just interested in researching, and keeping tabs on the newest packages, or maintaining a Debian virtual distribution on a non-Debian distribution, or you are a using swim for distribution development, swim provides a way.

The next two variables determine the location of the DF (default directory/file system)

The default directory keeps track of Contents and/or Packages databases retrieved with --ftp. The Contents and Packages databases and Release file are give names specific to the distribution and architectures they represent using the naming convention found in apt's sources directory. You also have the freedom not to use the default directory, in which case swim will still do the renaming and keeping track of the mtime, but you will have to remember where you put the files.

$default_directory = '/root/.swim';

The default root directory (DRD) is the key to easy management of binary packages, source, dsc, and diff files received from --ftp, and provides an easy way to put together a personalized distribution. This directory can be a real ftp site on your computer, or put wherever else you are allowed to have directories. The DRD is always placed below the value assigned to $default_directory. According to the previous assignment to $default_directory, if the DRD is ``/pub/a/debian'' then the full path would be ``/root/.swim/pub/a/debian''.

Example: When a package is downloaded it will be placed in dists/distribution/section/architecture/subject below the DRD.

Rule: debian must be the final directory before dists, this is because other distributions are placed alongside debian, like debian-non-US or personal (specialized distribution).

$default_root_directory = '/pub/debian';

Because you may be using a real ftp site, this variable allows you to determine what permissions swim will assign for directories it creates below the DRD.

$permission = '0755'; TEMPORARY DIRECTORY

If you want to set an alternative directory for the temporary files created when the databases are made, change here. You may want to make $tmp a RAM disk. See package loadlin for initrd documentation and an explanation for making such a disk. There is also documentation in /usr/src/kernel-source.version/Documentation. Whether this will speed things up is a subject of experimentation.

$tmp = "/tmp"; FTP

You can alter the Firewall, Port, Timeout, Debug and Passive characteristics of the ftp client as defined in Net::FTP(3pm) by providing arguments to these variables. All variables but $timeout are set to untrue by default. $firewall = 0; (FTP firewall machine name) $port = 0; (defaults to 23) $timeout = 120; (120 seconds) $debug = 0; (1 will turn on STDERR) $passive = 0; (1 will enable) OTHER VARIABLES

see SWIM::Conf FILES

/etc/swim/swimrc

~/.swim/swimrc BUGS

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