Configuration file syntax howto
Project file/Configuration file usage
Project files are files that replace command lines. Their syntax is exactly the same as that of configuration files (see below). They can be used as follows:
dvda-author --project project_file
If you named your project dvda-author.dap in the directory from which you are launching dvda-author, simply use:
dvda-author --project
Configuration files are named dvda-author.conf
They are used to set default values for command line arguments that will not be entered by the user on the command line yet activated silently.
Usually in this case dvda-author.conf will only contain output parameters.
Project file usage
Configuration files can alternatively be used as project files, for complex projects.
See example for a concrete case.
To launch a configuration file as a project file, simply use:
dvda-author -d
or:
dvda-author -P
or any other option compatible with your project,
as dvda-author without argument is used as dvda-author --help.
To deactivate configuration file parsing use the -W option.
Project file syntax
Configuration file syntax is fairly simple and runs as follows:
1. Write each command-line switch between square brackets on a new line
either in its short or long form. Blanks are ignored:
[d]
or:
[debug]
2. Write the switch obligatory argument on a new line
[menustyle]
hierarchical
3. For optional arguments use the equal sign on the same line as the option within brackets
[pause=0]
4. For clarity, the following syntax is used for --screentext and --stillpics and --stilloptions
For path to picture k of track j denoted by pathkj:
[stillpics]
path11
path21
...
pathN1
(blank line)
path12
path22
...
pathN2
(blank line)
...
For option k of picture l (in sequential order of pictures) denoted by optionkl:
[stilloptions]
rank=0
option11
option21
...
optionN1
(blank line)
rank=1
option12
option22
...
optionN2
(blank line)
...
(blank line)
rank=P-1
option1P
option2P
...
optionNP
Menu text is entered as follows:
# No quotes are necessary to enclose text with white spaces
[screentext]
album title (right on the following line)
(blank line)
group text 1
(blank line)
track text 1
track text 2
...
group text 2
(blank line)
track text 1
track text 2
...
5. Other command line arguments are given as on command line (usually with comma separators)
[background]
a.jpg,b.jpg,c.jpg
6. Comments follow a # sign