enigma-bbs/docs/filebase/first-file-area.md

layout	title
page	Configuring a File Base

ENiGMA½ File Base Key Concepts

Like many things in ENiGMA½, configuration of file base(s) is handled via config.hjson — specifically in the fileBase section. First, there are a couple of concepts you should understand:

Storage tags

Storage Tags define paths to physical (file) storage locations that are referenced in a file Area entry. Each entry may be either a fully qualified path or a relative path. Relative paths are relative to the value set by the areaStoragePrefix key (defaults to <enigma_install_dir/file_base). Below is an example defining a both a relative and fully qualified path each attached to a storage tag:

storageTags: {
	retro_pc: "retro_pc" // relative
	retro_pc_bbs: "retro_pc/bbs" // still relative!
	bbs_stuff: "/path/to/bbs_stuff_storage" // fully qualified
}

Note that on their own, storage tags don't do anything — they are simply pointers to storage locations on your system.

Areas

File base Areas are configured using the fileBase::areas configuration block in config.hjson. Each entry within areas must contain a name, desc, and storageTags. Remember that in ENiGMA½ while areas are important, they should generally be used less than in tradditional BBS software. It is recommended to favor the use of more tags over more areas.

Example areas section:

areas: {
	retro_pc: {
		name: Retro PC
		desc: Oldschool PC/DOS
		storageTags: [ "retro_pc", "retro_pc_bbs" ]
	}
}

Example Configuration

This combines the two concepts described above. When viewing the file areas from ENiGMA½ a user will only see the "Retro PC" area, but the files in the area are stored in the two locations defined in the storageTags section.

fileBase: {
	areaStoragePrefix: /enigma-bbs/file_base

	storageTags: {
		retro_pc: "retro_pc"
        retro_pc_bbs: "retro_pc/bbs"
	}

	areas: {
		retro_pc: {
            name: Retro PC
            desc: Oldschool PC/DOS
            storageTags: [ "retro_pc", "retro_pc_bbs" ]
        }
	}
}