[GRASS-dev] [RFC] Glossary: GISDATABASE -> DATASTORE

[Hamish]

Thierry wrote:
> Glossary proposal for gis "database" naming scheme
..
> Hence I propose to replace GISDATABASE by: DATASTORE.

DATASTORE is a fine suggestion, the best I've heard so far. See also
email threads discussing the wording of the start-up mapset-picker menu.


> Note 2: in CERL GRASS, the gis environment variable LOCATION_NAME was
> used for the "location", while LOCATION was set to the full path. I
> have found that indeed, for users, LOCATION should be set to the
> location name, symetric with the use of MAPSET. The full pathname is
> only used in scripts, since the gis has dedicated functions to
> precisely find a name in its databases or tables (locations and
> mapsets). Any comments? -- 


In GPL GRASS 6 LOCATION_NAME is still a GIS variable (stored in
~/.grassrc6 and not a shell variable*) and viewed/changed with the
g.gisenv module. LOCATION_NAME is just the name, not the path.
GISDBASE has the path.

The shell variable $LOCATION has been abandoned, but a number of scripts
do this to recreate it:  (due to path of least modification after
$LOCATION was dropped)


eval `g.gisenv`
: ${GISBASE?} ${GISDBASE?} ${LOCATION_NAME?} ${MAPSET?}
LOCATION="$GISDBASE"/"$LOCATION_NAME"/"$MAPSET"


[*] not a shell variable to allow child process (the GUI menus) to
adjust variables which affect the parent, and thus new non-derivative
sibling processes. [e.g. switch mapsets without exiting GRASS]


Hamish