Syntax for Configuration File Settings

Most configuration options for Application Server are set in the various configuration files. Understanding how these files work is important if you want to change the behavior of the system.

All settings in the Application Server configuration files use the same format:

Variable = Value

...where Variable is the name of the Application Server variable to set, and Value is the value for the variable. The variable names represent the various options or settings you can set for how Application Server behaves.

Throughout the configuration files, the pound character (#) indicates a comment. Application Server ignores these when processing the configuration file. InterAction automatically installs the InterAction.cfg file. It includes several comments explaining the meaning of the various settings.

Many variables allow multiple values. Whenever entering a list of items, separate them with semi-colons (;).

For example, the variable SMTPSendAlertsTo specifies the e-mail addresses for the individuals who should receive e-mail alerts if Application Server encounters a problem. If you want these messages to go to two different users, you would set this option like this:

Using Semicolons to Separate Values

SMTPSendAlertsTo = [e-mail];[e-mail]

When entering especially long values, or a lengthy list of values, you may want to break the value into multiple lines. This makes it easier to read when reviewing or editing the file later.

To do this, enter a backslash (\) at the end of each line. Application Server ignores the line break in this case.

For example, the value for the methodFiles has several items entered in an easy-to-read list:

Breaking the Value into Multiple Lines

methodFiles = $(IRIS_ETC_DIR)/InterActionMethods.xml;\

$(IRIS_ETC_DIR)/IAMethods.xml;\

$(IRIS_ETC_DIR)/InterActionWebPageMethods.xml;\

$(IRIS_ETC_DIR)/pages.xml;\

$(IRIS_ETC_DIR)/nuggetMethods.xml;\

Without the backslash characters, this would be considered five separate lines.

Using Variable Substitution

Variable substitution lets you set a variable to a value in a configuration file, then use the name of the variable within other configuration settings. When Application Server processes the configuration file, the variable names are replaced with their values.

Variable substitution works throughout the various Application Server and Web Client configuration files.

When entering a variable name in a configuration setting, you enter it as the following:

$(Variable Name)

For example, the InterAction.cfg file includes a variable called SMTPDomain. You set this to your organization’s e-mail domain name - for example, “crawford.com”. You can then use this as a variable anywhere you need to enter “crawford.com”:

Specifying a Variable

SMTPDomain = crawford.com

...(other settings in the file)

SMTPSendAlertsTo = appserveradmin@$(SMTPDomain);iaadmin@$(SMTPDomain)

In the example above, Application Server substitutes the text crawford.com for each instance of $(SMTPDomain). The SMTPSendAlertsTo option updates to the following:

Using a Variable

SMTPSendAlertsTo = [e-mail];[e-mail]

If the SMTPDomain setting needs to change for any reason, you only need to change it in one place.

You can also set variables to not update immediately. To do this, you enter it as the following:

$$(Variable Name)

For example, if you set the variable Test to $$(SMTPDomain), the value of Test would become $(SMTPDomain), not the current value of SMTPDomain.

This is primarily used when configuring the Web sites for the street map and weather providers. The variables are evaluated when the nugget is generated.

Defining Multiple Configuration Files

You can create multiple configuration files for Application Server. This is useful for organizing related groups of configuration settings for easier maintenance.

To define additional files, you list them in the additionalConfigFiles option in the InterAction.cfg. The following example defines two additional configuration files:

Defining Multiple Configuration Files

additionalConfigFiles = $(IRIS_ETC_DIR)/InterActionWebPage.cfg;\

$(IRIS_HOME_DIR)/additionalFields.cfg;\

The InterAction.cfg file is always read first. The remaining configuration files are processed in the order in which they are listed in the additionalConfigFiles variable.

If the same variable is defined in multiple places, the last one defined is used. For example, assume an environment using the additionalConfigFiles setting shown above. If you defined the same variable in both the InterAction.cfg file and the IntDemo.cfg file, Application Server would use the value set in the IntDemo.cfg file. This lets you start with one set of variables and use additional configuration files to override those variables for particular situations.

You can use the Global Environment Variables report to see all currently defined variables and their values. This is useful if you need to determine which value won. For details about using Application Server reports, see Administrative Reports for the Application Server.

Internally-Defined Variables

The InterAction.cfg includes several internally-defined variables that you can use when setting values. These are defined within Application Server, not in the InterAction.cfg.

Typical variables you use include the following:

• hostName
• hostAddress