Which GBC client is used for an application?

As an administrator, you have options for specifying which GBC client an application uses. You can specify a default application to use for all GBC clients, and you have several options for overriding the default at the application level.

Set a default GBC client for all applications to use

The GAS uses the combination of the GBC and GBC_LOOKUP_PATH elements to identify the default GBC client:
  • The GBC element contains the name of the GBC client or the name of a file that specifies the name of a GBC client. At installation, the GBC element is set to a file named _default; by default this file specifies the GBC client delivered with the FGLGWS package. You can change the GBC element to the name of any customization directory or file.
    Tip:

    Typically, there is no need to change the filename, _default; however, you can change it by setting the resource $(res.gbc) in the GAS configuration file (as.xcf).

    If the GBC element contains the name of a file, the file has a very specific format – a single line with the name of the customization to use. This file must be located in the same directory as the customization directory.

  • The GBC_LOOKUP_PATH environment variable – initially set by the GBC_LOOKUP_PATH element – defines the directory list to search to find the customization directory or file specified by the GBC element.

To go into deeper detail, see How the GAS finds the default GBC client to use.

To change the name of the GBC client listed in the _default file, you do not need to edit the file directly.

To reset the default GBC client to the GBC delivered with the FGLGWS package, see Reset GBC client to use version provided by the FGLGWS package

Specify a GBC client for a specific application

For an application, there are three methods for overriding the GAS default and specifying a GBC client to use, listed below in order of precedence:
  1. A client is provided at appdir/gbc in the application path. See Provide the GBC in the application path.
  2. A client is specified using the ?gbc=gbc_name query string parameter. See Specify the GBC client in the application URL.
  3. A client is specified by the GBC element in the application configuration file (.xcf). See Specify the GBC client in the application configuration file.

Test the GBC client you are currently developing

When in development mode, you may wish to test your customized GBC client without deploying it. You can override the GAS dispatcher to use your customized client as it is being developed, without having to move it from your GBC project directory. See Test a GBC client during development.