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RCORDER(8)             DragonFly System Manager's Manual            RCORDER(8)

NAME
     rcorder -- print a dependency ordering of interdependent files

SYNOPSIS
     rcorder [-k keep] [-s skip] [-o keyword] [-p] file ...

DESCRIPTION
     The rcorder utility is designed to print out a dependency ordering of a
     set of interdependent files.  Typically it is used to find an execution
     sequence for a set of shell scripts in which certain files must be
     executed before others.

     Each file passed to rcorder must be annotated with special lines (which
     look like comments to the shell) which indicate the dependencies the
     files have upon certain points in the sequence, known as ``conditions'',
     and which indicate, for each file, which ``conditions'' may be expected
     to be filled by that file.

     Within each file, a block containing a series of ``REQUIRE'',
     ``PROVIDE'', ``BEFORE'' and ``KEYWORD'' lines must appear.  The format of
     the lines is rigid.  Each line must begin with a single `#', followed by
     a single space, followed by ``PROVIDE:'', ``REQUIRE:'', ``BEFORE:'', or
     ``KEYWORD:''.  No deviation is permitted.  Each dependency line is then
     followed by a series of conditions, separated by whitespace.  Multiple
     ``PROVIDE'', ``REQUIRE'', ``BEFORE'' and ``KEYWORD'' lines may appear,
     but all such lines must appear in a sequence without any intervening
     lines, as once a line that does not follow the format is reached, parsing
     stops.

     The options are as follows:

     -k      Add the specified keyword to the ``keep list''.  If any -k option
             is given, only those files containing the matching keyword are
             listed.

     -s      Add the specified keyword to the ``skip list''.  If any -s option
             is given, files containing the matching keyword are not listed.

     -o      Generate the dependency list required to activate the specified
             keyword, including the file providing keyword.  If several -o
             options are specified, the results are merged.

     -p      Output the list of provided keywords for the specified files.

     An example block follows:

           # REQUIRE: networking syslog
           # REQUIRE: usr
           # PROVIDE: dns nscd

     This block states that the file in which it appears depends upon the
     ``networking'', ``syslog'', and ``usr'' conditions, and provides the
     ``dns'' and ``nscd'' conditions.

     A file may contain zero ``PROVIDE'' lines, in which case it provides no
     conditions, and may contain zero ``REQUIRE'' lines, in which case it has
     no dependencies.  There must be at least one file with no dependencies in
     the set of arguments passed to rcorder in order for it to find a starting
     place in the dependency ordering.

EXIT STATUS
     The rcorder utility exits 0 on success, and >0 if an error occurs.

DIAGNOSTICS
     The rcorder utility may print one of the following error messages if it
     encounters an error while processing the file list.

     Requirement %s has no providers, aborting.  No file has a ``PROVIDE''
     line corresponding to a condition present in a ``REQUIRE'' line in
     another file.

     Circular dependency on provision %s, aborting.  A set of files has a
     circular dependency which was detected while processing the stated
     condition.

     Circular dependency on file %s, aborting.  A set of files has a circular
     dependency which was detected while processing the stated file.

SEE ALSO
     rc(8)

HISTORY
     The rcorder utility appeared in NetBSD 1.5.  rcorder first appeared in
     DragonFly 1.0.

AUTHORS
     Written by Perry E. Metzger <perry@piermont.com> and Matthew R. Green
     <mrg@eterna.com.au>.

DragonFly 5.1                 September 29, 2016                 DragonFly 5.1