--- name: "workmandb" section: "5" platform: "linux" package: "workman" version: "1.3.4-28" release: "Debian 5.0 (Lenny)" platforms: ["linux"] url: "https://new.carta.tech/workmandb" --- # workmandb(5) database and preferences files for workman ## NAME workmanrc, workmandb - database and preferences files for workman ## SYNOPSIS **$HOME/.workmanrc** or value of WORKMANRC variable **$HOME/.workmandb** or value(s) of WORKMANDB variable ## DESCRIPTION The **.workmandb** file stores information about compact discs. It is generated by [*workman*(1)](/workman/1.md) based on user input. Its companion file, **.workmanrc**, stores the general user preferences and the user preferences for each disc. The distinction between the two is that **.workmandb** contains only the hard information about a CD (the disc name, artist, track titles, etc.) and is often shared among several users. **.workmanrc**, on the other hand, contains settings like the user's email address sent to the CDDB server, the default volumes of particular tracks, the numbers of tracks to be avoided, and so forth. Each user generally maintains a private **.workmanrc**, even if a shared **.workmandb** is being used. Though [*workman*(1)](/workman/1.md) stores different information in each file, both files have an identical format; most of this manual page will not distinguish between the two. Each line of the file is of the form \[s-\]keyword \[*optional whitespace-separated arguments*\] Empty lines are ignored. Lines starting with unrecognized keywords are retained and written back out verbatim when the database is saved. The program preserves the ordering of unrecognized lines, and their positions relative to the track information. This allows the database to be extended to hold any sort of information desired by the user. Keywords that begin with "s-" apply to sections rather than tracks. See the **sections** keyword below. A CD entry with "s-" keywords must have a **sections** keyword as well. This is done for backward compatibility and will disappear eventually, and in any case only applies to keywords found in **.workmandb** (the assumption is that users won't downgrade the versions they run, so **.workmanrc** doesn't need to be backward-compatible.) Some keywords are delimiters that modify the meanings of keywords that follow; others are position-independent and may occur anywhere in the file. (In general, the position-independent keywords are concerned with settings for the tool as a whole, rather than for a particular disc.) The keywords, and their arguments, follow. All numeric arguments are in decimal unless otherwise specified. ### Initial Keywords These keywords must appear before the first CD's entry, and represent global settings for the tool. They are usually found in **.workmanrc**. - **whendone eject** \| **stop** \| **repeat** Select the default action taken by [*workman*(1)](/workman/1.md) when a CD is finished playing. The default is **stop**. - **playnew** If specified, [*workman*(1)](/workman/1.md) will play unknown CDs (those not listed in **.workmanrc**) when they're inserted. - **cddbprotocol** **cddbp** \| **http** \| **proxy** Protocol to be used for CDDB requests. *[workman(1)](/workman/1.md)* can either use the CDDBP or the HTTP protocol. PROXY denotes the use of a proxy server for CDDBP requests. If this keyword is not set *[workman(1)](/workman/1.md)* does not use CDDB support. - **cddbserver** *host*\[*:port*\] name of the CDDB server to be used, e.g. de3.freedb.org. If *port* is not provided we use port 888 for CDDBP requests and port 80 for HTTP requests. - **cddbmailaddress** *email-address* This is the user's email address that will be sent to the CDDB server. It must be given in the form *user@host*. If this address is not provided an identification based on the login name and the hostname will be sent. - **cddbpathtocgi** *path* If the HTTP protocol is used this keyword provides the path to the CGI script answering the CDDB requests. This is usually /~cddb/cddb.cgi - **cddbproxy** *host*\[*:port*\] The name of a proxy that can be used for CDDB requests. If *port* is not provided port 80 will be used. ### CD Information The rest of the keywords describe specific CDs. - **tracks** *ntracks start1 start2 ... startn length* *This keyword delimits the start of a particular CD's entry (and thus* *the end of the previous entry.) Its* *arguments contain the information used to distinguish one disc from* *another. The first argument, ntracks, is the number of tracks* *on the CD. For each of those tracks, there is a start value,* *which is the starting frame of the track (a frame is approximately* *1/75th of a second.) The final argument is the length of the CD in* *seconds.* - **sections** *nsects start1 start2 ... startn* *Workman*(1) *allows the user to split a CD's physical tracks into smaller virtual tracks* *called sections.* *The* **sections** *keyword, which must immediately follow* **tracks***,* *defines the starting positions of the sections. Sections are inserted into* *the track list, and track numbers are adjusted accordingly, e.g. section 1.2* *as presented to the user is represented as track 2 in the database file.* *If the sections listed in* **.workmandb** *and* **.workmanrc** *differ,* **.workmandb** *takes precedence, and sections listed only* *in* **.workmanrc** *are discarded.* - **cdname** *name* *The name of the current disc, as supplied by the user.* - **artist** *name* *The artist's name for the current disc, as supplied by the user.* - **playmode** *mode* *The default play mode for the CD is mode, a numeric value. 0 is* *the "normal" play mode (play all tracks sequentially) and 1 is "shuffle"* *mode. If mode is 2 or greater, the default play sequence is a* *playlist (mode 2 meaning the first playlist, 3 meaning the second,* *etc.)* - **autoplay** *If* **autoplay** *is present, this CD will begin playing immediately* *when it is inserted.* - **cdvolume** *volume* *The default play volume of the CD, a value from 0 to 32. If volume is 0,* *the CD has no default volume (since 0 is the default,* **cdvolume** *will* *usually not be present in that case.)* - **playlist** *name number track1 track2 ...* *Define a playlist for the current CD. The name does not contain any* *whitespace; whitespace is converted to "\_" on output and "\_" is converted* *to whitespace on input. (See the BUGS section.) The number* *argument is the number of tracks contained in the playlist; the rest of* *the line is a list of track numbers. Playlists are ordered; see the* **playmode** *keyword above.* - **track** *\[name\]* *The name of a track. This delimits the start of a* *track's information.* *The name argument is optional; it will not be present unless the* *user has supplied a track name. This line may be divided into display* *lines with the "//" token. Additionally, a display line beginning with* *"+" indicates that the rest of the display line contains a replacement* *disc title (usually the name of a group of tracks,* *such as "Symphony No. 2" on a disc* *with more than one piece of music.) A display line beginning with "@"* *replaces the artist's name for the track. If "+" or "@" is the only* *character on a display line,* [*workman*(1)](/workman/1.md) *will use the title or artist from the previous track, searching backwards* *as necessary. If a display line is empty, the corresponding display line* *from the previous track is used.* - **continue** *The current track is a continuation of the previous one (e.g. the* *second movement of a symphony.)* - **dontplay** *track* *Don't play a track (specified by number) unless it's specifically requested* *by the user.* - **volume** *track volume* *The default play volume for track, specified by number. volume* *is a number from 0 to 32. See* **cdvolume** *above.* - **mark** *frame mark-id* *Define a mark. Marks with IDs other than* **START** *and* **END** *are* *currently* *ignored. Those two marks represent the start and end of the part of* *the CD to be repeated (as set from the Goodies popup) respectively. The* *frame value is an absolute frame number.* ## EXAMPLE *The first example is a* **.workmandb** *entry for a hypothetical disc. At* *least, I hope it's hypothetical.* - *tracks 6 150 10341 20449 45117 100104 150100 1609*\ *cdname Amazing Accordion Tunes - The Early Years*\ *artist The Hemophiliacs*\ *track Polka 'Till the Sun Goes Down*\ *track I've Got Rocks In My Heart, Baby...*\ *track ...But I Still Get Stoned On You*\ *continue*\ *track You Never Know How Late It Is Until the Clock Strikes Blue*\ *track +The Big Exhibition//@Mussorgsky//IX. La Cabane//Allegro*\ *track +//@////Andante mosso*\ *continue* *The third track is a continuation of the second.* *The fifth* *track is an excerpt from a larger work, originally written by someone* *else; it has a two-line track title. The sixth track is a continuation of* *the fifth; it uses the same title and artist, and the first line of the* *track title is the same, but the second is different.* *The* **.workmanrc** *entry for the same CD might look like:* - *tracks 6 150 10341 20449 45117 100104 150100 1609*\ *cdvolume 32*\ *playmode 1*\ *playlist Originals 3 2 3 1*\ *autoplay*\ *dontplay 4*\ *volume 3 20* *The* **tracks** *line, naturally, is the same in both files, since it* *identifies which CD the entry is for. This CD plays at maximum volume* *in shuffle mode by default. It has one playlist with tracks 2, 3, and* *1. When inserted, it will start up automatically. Track 4 is particularly* *unpleasant, so the user never wants to hear it. And track 3 should be* *played more quietly than the others.* ## SEE ALSO [**workman**(1)](/workman/1.md) ## BUGS *The* **playlist** *keyword is not well thought-out. The name should* *go at the end of the line, so it can contain whitespace or whatever else* *the user likes.* *The file updating algorithm used by* [*workman*(1)](/workman/1.md) *leaves big holes (consisting of empty lines) in the database files. It* *makes an attempt to fill the holes when possible rather than growing* *the files.*