NAME

Bio::DB::Registry - Access to the Open Bio Database Access registry scheme

SYNOPSIS

use Bio::DB::Registry();

$registry = new Bio::DB::Registry();

@available_services = $registry->services;

$db = $registry->get_database('embl');
# $db is a Bio::DB::SeqI implementing class

$seq = $db->get_Seq_by_acc("J02231");

DESCRIPTION

This module provides access to the Open Bio Database Access (OBDA) scheme, which provides a single cross-language and cross-platform specification of how to get to databases. These databases may be accessible through the Web, they may be BioSQL databases, or they may be local, indexed flatfile databases.

If the user or system administrator has not installed the default init file, seqdatabase.ini, in /etc/bioinformatics or ${HOME}/.bioinformatics then creating the first Registry object copies the default settings from the www.open-bio.org. The Registry object will attempt to store these settings in a new file, ${HOME}/.bioinformatics/seqdatabase.ini.

Users can specify one or more custom locations for the init file by setting $OBDA_SEARCH_PATH to those directories, where multiple directories should be separated by ';'.

Please see the OBDA Access HOWTO for more information (http://bioperl.open-bio.org/wiki/HOWTO:OBDA).

Reporting Bugs

Report bugs to the Bioperl bug tracking system to help us keep track the bugs and their resolution. Bug reports can be submitted via the web:

http://bugzilla.open-bio.org/

APPENDIX

The rest of the documentation details each of the object methods. Internal methods are usually preceded with a _

_load_registry

Title   : _load_registry
Usage   :
Function: Looks for seqdatabase.ini files in the expected locations and
          in the directories specified by $OBDA_SEARCH_PATH. If no files
          are found download a default file from www.open-bio.org
Returns : nothing
Args    : none

get_database

Title   : get_database
Usage   : my $db = $registry->get_database($dbname);
Function: Retrieve a Database object which implements Bio::DB::SeqI interface
Returns : Bio::DB::SeqI object
Args    : string describing the name of the database

services

Title   : services
Usage   : my @available = $registry->services();
Function: returns list of possible services
Returns : list of strings
Args    : none

_get_ini_files

Title   : _get_ini_files
Usage   : my @files = $self->_get_ini_files
Function: To find all the seqdatabase.ini files
Returns : list of seqdatabase.ini paths
Args    : None

_make_private_registry

Title   : _make_private_registry
Usage   :
Function: Make private registry in file in $HOME
Returns : Path to private registry file
Args    : None