The most common use of fb_config is to determine how a database will be accessed, using the -t option. fb_onfig first reports, in order, on the configuration files it opens, then reports any translation of the file name, then lists the provider and the shared library that implements the provider.

Example

In this example, fb_config reports that the installation configuration file for clients is the first one located, and that the file rogers.fdb be opened locally.

C:\harrison>config -t rogers.gdb
Opening \harrison\Firebird Vulcan\install/client.conf
Opening \harrison\Firebird Vulcan\install/databases.conf
Opening \harrison\Firebird Vulcan\install/master.conf
Looking up database name string "rogers.fdb"
  Matches "*", translates to "rogers.fdb"
    Provider engine11
      Library "C:\harrison\Firebird Vulcan\install\bin\engine11": succeeded
  

This example comes from the Firebird Vulcan build directory. There is a vulcan.conf file in the source directory that invokes a shared configuration file called build.conf. Build.conf renames yachts.lnk to be help.fdb - solving one of the long-standing build problems.

C:\harrison\Firebird Vulcan\src\qli>config -t yachts.lnk
Opening Firebird Vulcan.conf
Opening ../build.conf
Opening \harrison\Firebird Vulcan\install/client.conf
Opening \harrison\Firebird Vulcan\install/databases.conf
Opening \harrison\Firebird Vulcan\install/master.conf
Looking up database name string "yachts.lnk"
  Matches "yachts.lnk", translates to "../../install/help/help.fdb"
    Provider engine11
      Library "C:\harrison\Firebird Vulcan\install\bin\engine11": succeeded