NAME
gpgconf - Modify .gnupg home directories
SYNOPSIS
gpgconf [options] --list-components gpgconf [options] --list-options component gpgconf [options] --change-options component
DESCRIPTION
The gpgconf is a utility to automatically and reasonable safely query and modify configuration files in the \(oq.gnupg\(cq home directory. It is designed not to be invoked manually by the user, but automatically by graphical user interfaces (GUI). ([Please note that currently no locking is done, so concurrent access should be avoided. There are some precautions to avoid corruption with concurrent usage, but results may be inconsistent and some changes may get lost. The stateless design makes it difficult to provide more guarantees.])
gpgconf provides access to the configuration of one or more components of the GnuPG system. These components correspond more or less to the programs that exist in the GnuPG framework, like GnuPG, GPGSM, DirMngr, etc. But this is not a strict one-to-one relationship. Not all configuration options are available through gpgconf. gpgconf provides a generic and abstract method to access the most important configuration options that can feasibly be controlled via such a mechanism.
gpgconf can be used to gather and change the options available in each component, and can also provide their default values. gpgconf will give detailed type information that can be used to restrict the users input without making an attempt to commit the changes.
gpgconf provides the backend of a configuration editor. The configuration editor would usually be a graphical user interface program, that allows to display the current options, their default values, and allows the user to make changes to the options. These changes can then be made active with gpgconf again. Such a program that uses gpgconf in this way will be called GUI throughout this section.
COMMANDS
One of the following commands must be given:
--list-components | |
List all components. This is the default command used if none is
specified.
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--check-programs | |
List all available backend programs and test whether they are runnable.
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--list-options component | |
List all options of the component component.
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--change-options component | |
Change the options of the component component.
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--check-options component | |
Check the options for the component component.
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--apply-defaults | |
Update all configuration files with values taken from the global
configuration file (usually \(oq/etc/gnupg/gpgconf.conf\(cq).
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--list-dirs | |
Lists the directories used by gpgconf. One directory is
listed per line, and each line consists of a colon-separated list where
the first field names the directory type (for example sysconfdir)
and the second field contains the percent-escaped directory. Although
they are not directories, the socket file names used by
gpg-agent and dirmngr are printed as well. Note
that the socket file names and the homedir lines are the default
names and they may be overridden by command line switches.
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--list-config [filename] | |
List the global configuration file in a colon separated format. If
filename is given, check that file instead.
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--check-config [filename] | |
Run a syntax check on the global configuration file. If filename
is given, check that file instead.
| |
OPTIONS
The following options may be used:
-v
--verbose | Outputs additional information while running. Specifically, this
extends numerical field values by human-readable descriptions.
|
-n
--dry-run | Do not actually change anything. This is currently only implemented
for --change-options and can be used for testing purposes.
|
-r
--runtime | Only used together with --change-options. If one of the
modified options can be changed in a running daemon process, signal
the running daemon to ask it to reparse its configuration file after
changing.
This means that the changes will take effect at run-time, as far as this is possible. Otherwise, they will take effect at the next start of the respective backend programs. |
USAGE
The command --list-components will list all components that can be configured with gpgconf. Usually, one component will correspond to one GnuPG-related program and contain the options of that programs configuration file that can be modified using gpgconf. However, this is not necessarily the case. A component might also be a group of selected options from several programs, or contain entirely virtual options that have a special effect rather than changing exactly one option in one configuration file.
A component is a set of configuration options that semantically belong together. Furthermore, several changes to a component can be made in an atomic way with a single operation. The GUI could for example provide a menu with one entry for each component, or a window with one tabulator sheet per component.
The command argument --list-components lists all available components, one per line. The format of each line is:
name:description:pgmname:
name | This field contains a name tag of the component. The name tag is used
to specify the component in all communication with gpgconf.
The name tag is to be used verbatim. It is thus not in any
escaped format.
|
description | |
The string in this field contains a human-readable description
of the component. It can be displayed to the user of the GUI for
informational purposes. It is percent-escaped and
localized.
| |
pgmname | |
The string in this field contains the absolute name of the
programs file. It can be used to unambiguously invoke that program.
It is percent-escaped.
Example: | |
$ gpgconf --list-components
gpg:GPG for OpenPGP:/usr/local/bin/gpg2:
gpg-agent:GPG Agent:/usr/local/bin/gpg-agent:
scdaemon:Smartcard Daemon:/usr/local/bin/scdaemon:
gpgsm:GPG for S/MIME:/usr/local/bin/gpgsm:
dirmngr:Directory Manager:/usr/local/bin/dirmngr:
| |
Checking programs
The command --check-programs is similar to --list-components but works on backend programs and not on components. It runs each program to test wether it is installed and runnable. This also includes a syntax check of all config file options of the program.
The command argument --check-programs lists all available programs, one per line. The format of each line is:
name:description:pgmname:avail:okay:cfgfile:line:error:
name | |
This field contains a name tag of the program which is identical to the
name of the component. The name tag is to be used verbatim. It
is thus not in any escaped format. This field may be empty to indicate
a continuation of error descriptions for the last name. The description
and pgmname fields are then also empty.
| |
description | |
The string in this field contains a human-readable description
of the component. It can be displayed to the user of the GUI for
informational purposes. It is percent-escaped and
localized.
| |
pgmname | |
The string in this field contains the absolute name of the
programs file. It can be used to unambiguously invoke that program.
It is percent-escaped.
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avail | |
The boolean value in this field indicates whether the program is
installed and runnable.
| |
okay | |
The boolean value in this field indicates whether the programs
config file is syntactically okay.
| |
cfgfile | |
If an error occured in the configuraion file (as indicated by a false
value in the field okay), this field has the name of the failing
configuration file. It is percent-escaped.
| |
line | |
If an error occured in the configuration file, this field has the line
number of the failing statement in the configuration file.
It is an unsigned number.
| |
error | |
If an error occured in the configuration file, this field has the error
text of the failing statement in the configuration file. It is
percent-escaped and localized.
In the following example the dirmngr is not runnable and the configuration file of scdaemon is not okay. $ gpgconf --check-programs gpg:GPG for OpenPGP:/usr/local/bin/gpg2:1:1: gpg-agent:GPG Agent:/usr/local/bin/gpg-agent:1:1: scdaemon:Smartcard Daemon:/usr/local/bin/scdaemon:1:0: gpgsm:GPG for S/MIME:/usr/local/bin/gpgsm:1:1: dirmngr:Directory Manager:/usr/local/bin/dirmngr:0:0:
The command configuration file in the same manner as --check-programs, but only for the component component.
| |
Listing options
Every component contains one or more options. Options may be gathered into option groups to allow the GUI to give visual hints to the user about which options are related.
The command argument lists all options (and the groups they belong to) in the component component, one per line. component must be the string in the field name in the output of the --list-components command.
There is one line for each option and each group. First come all options that are not in any group. Then comes a line describing a group. Then come all options that belong into each group. Then comes the next group and so on. There does not need to be any group (and in this case the output will stop after the last non-grouped option).
The format of each line is:
name:flags:level:description:type:alt-type:argname:default:argdef:value
name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This field contains a name tag for the group or option. The name tag
is used to specify the group or option in all communication with
gpgconf. The name tag is to be used verbatim. It is
thus not in any escaped format.
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flags | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The flags field contains an unsigned number. Its value is the
OR-wise combination of the following flag values:
The following flag values are only defined for options (that is, if the group flag is not used).
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
level | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This field is defined for options and for groups. It contains an
unsigned number that specifies the expert level under which
this group or option should be displayed. The following expert levels
are defined for options (they have analogous meaning for groups):
The level of a group will always be the lowest level of all options it contains.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
description | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This field is defined for options and groups. The string in
this field contains a human-readable description of the option or
group. It can be displayed to the user of the GUI for informational
purposes. It is percent-escaped and localized.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
type | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This field is only defined for options. It contains an unsigned
number that specifies the type of the options argument, if any. The
following types are defined:
Basic types:
Complex types:
More types will be added in the future. Please see the alt-type field for information on how to cope with unknown types.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
alt-type | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This field is identical to type, except that only the types
0 to 31 are allowed. The GUI is expected to present the
user the option in the format specified by type. But if the
argument type type is not supported by the GUI, it can still
display the option in the more generic basic type alt-type. The
GUI must support all the defined basic types to be able to display all
options. More basic types may be added in future versions. If the
GUI encounters a basic type it doesnt support, it should report an
error and abort the operation.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
argname | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This field is only defined for options with an argument type
type that is not 0. In this case it may contain a
percent-escaped and localised string that gives a short
name for the argument. The field may also be empty, though, in which
case a short name is not known.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
default | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This field is defined only for options for which the default or
default desc flag is set. If the default flag is set,
its format is that of an option argument (see: [Format
conventions], for details). If the default value is empty, then no
default is known. Otherwise, the value specifies the default value
for this option. If the default desc flag is set, the field is
either empty or contains a description of the effect if the option is
not given.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
argdef | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This field is defined only for options for which the optional
arg flag is set. If the no arg desc flag is not set, its
format is that of an option argument (see: [Format
conventions], for details). If the default value is empty, then no
default is known. Otherwise, the value specifies the default argument
for this option. If the no arg desc flag is set, the field is
either empty or contains a description of the effect of this option if
no argument is given.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
value | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This field is defined only for options. Its format is that of an
option argument. If it is empty, then the option is not
explicitely set in the current configuration, and the default applies
(if any). Otherwise, it contains the current value of the option.
Note that this field is also meaningful if the option itself does not
take a real argument (in this case, it contains the number of times
the option appears).
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Changing options
The command to change the options of the component component to the specified values. component must be the string in the field name in the output of the --list-components command. You have to provide the options that shall be changed in the following format on standard input:
name:flags:new-value
name | |||||
This is the name of the option to change. name must be the
string in the field name in the output of the
--list-options command.
| |||||
flags | |||||
The flags field contains an unsigned number. Its value is the
OR-wise combination of the following flag values:
| |||||
new-value | |||||
The new value for the option. This field is only defined if the
default flag is not set. The format is that of an option
argument. If it is empty (or the field is omitted), the default
argument is used (only allowed if the argument is optional for this
option). Otherwise, the option will be set to the specified value.
The output of the command is the same as that of --check-options for the modified configuration file. Examples: To set the force option, which is of basic type none (0): $ echo force:0:1 | gpgconf --change-options dirmngr To delete the force option: $ echo force:16: | gpgconf --change-options dirmngr The --runtime option can influence when the changes take effect.
| |||||
Listing global options
Sometimes it is useful for applications to look at the global options file \(oqgpgconf.conf\(cq. The colon separated listing format is record oriented and uses the first field to identify the record type:
k | This describes a key record to start the definition of a new ruleset for
a user/group. The format of a key record is:
k:user:group:
| ||||||||||||
r | This describes a rule record. All rule records up to the next key record
make up a rule set for that key. The format of a rule record is:
r:::component:option:flags:value:
Unknown record typs should be ignored. Note that there is intentionally no feature to change the global option file through gpgconf.
| ||||||||||||
FILES
/etc/gnupg/gpgconf.conf | |
If this file exists, it is processed as a global configuration file.
A commented example can be found in the \(oqexamples\(cq directory of
the distribution.
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SEE ALSO
gpg(1), gpgsm(1), gpg-agent(1), scdaemon(1), dirmngr(1)
The full documentation for this tool is maintained as a Texinfo manual. If GnuPG and the info program are properly installed at your site, the command
info gnupg
should give you access to the complete manual including a menu structure and an index.