How to convert a .CFG CommDB configuration file to the new XML format

=====================================================================

1. Installing the CommDB Editor and Utilities

---------------------------------------------

The process to convert a CommDB configuration file in the .CFG format to the new XML format

requires the installation of the "cxmled" component in your Symbian OS directory. Currently

this component can be found in the GT167 project branch in Perforce:

\\EPOC\Development\Networking\projects\GT167\commdb-xml\comms-infras\commdb\cxmled

Once this component is installed you need to open a command-line shell and then

go to the "cxmled\group" directory. In that directory issue the commands:

  bldmake bldfiles

  abld export

These commands will copy the binary Java files and utilities to the \epoc32\tools\ directory

of your Symbian OS installation. It will also copy all the XML Schema files which define

the structure of CommDB to the \epoc32\tools\commdb-schema\ directory. 

You can only perform the conversion process if your computer has the Java Runtime Version 1.4

or higher installed. If this is not already installed you can obtain it from Sun's web site:

  http://java.sun.com/

For more details on the requirements for using the CommDB Editor and the conversion utility

read the file:

\\EPOC\Development\Networking\projects\GT167\commdb-xml\comms-infras\commdb\cxmled\group\ReadMe.txt

2. Conversion Process

---------------------

The conversion process is simple. You need to use the command-line and enter the directory

which contains the CFG file to modify. Then issue the following command:

  cfg2xml -mode:file filename.cfg

where "filename.cfg" is assumed to be the name of the .CFG file to convert. Once the execution

is completed file "filename.xml" will be created in the same directory. If the directory

contains more than one CFG files and you wish to convert them all then you can issue the

command:

  cfg2xml -mode:dir .\

This command will convert all CFG files to the XML format. However, note that it will also

convert all CFG files encountered in any subdirectory which happens to be under the working

directory. As a result, this command can be used to modify many CFG files located in various

subdirectories at any depth in one go.

If you need to examine the XML file you can view it on any text or XML editor, load it on 

any web browser or alternatively load it on the CommDB Editor using the "Import XML" menu

option.

3. Using the XML configuration file

-----------------------------------

In order to use the XML configuration file to run test cases you also need to build the new

dual-mode CED utility currently located at:

\\EPOC\Development\Networking\projects\GT167\commdb-xml\comms-infras\commdb\ced

Since this version of CED parses an XML file, you also need to build the XML Framework library

which can be obtained from:

\\EPOC\master\common\generic\syslibs\xml\

Furthermore, you need to modify the script files which call CED so that they use the XML

configuration file instead of the original CFG file. If for example, the script file has the

command:

  ced -i c:\ced.cfg ced.log

you need to modify it to the following:

  ced -i c:\test.xml ced.log

Finally, you need to make sure that the XML configuration file is now exported to the appropriate

directory rather than the CFG file and that means a modification of the "bld.inf" and "*.iby" files

which perform the exporting.

-- 

Panos Asproulis (01/12/2003)