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<h1 class="topictitle1">Extended attributes</h1>
<div><p>An extended attribute is information associated with an object
that provides additional details about the object. The extended attribute
consists of a name, which is used to refer to it, and a value. The value
can be text, binary data, or another type of data.</p>
<p>The extended attributes for an object exist only as long as the object
exists.</p>
<p>Extended attributes come in many varieties and can be used to contain a
variety of information. You may need to be aware of the following three extended
attributes, in particular: </p>
<dl><dt class="dlterm">.SUBJECT</dt>
<dd>A brief description of the content or purpose of the object.</dd>
<dt class="dlterm">.TYPE</dt>
<dd>The type of data in the object. The type of data might be text, binary,
source for a program, a compiled program, or other information.</dd>
<dt class="dlterm">.CODEPAGE</dt>
<dd>The code page to be used for the object. The code page used for the object
is also used for the extended attribute associated with the object.</dd>
</dl>
<p>A period (.) as the first character of the name means that the extended
attribute is a standard system extended attribute (SEA), which is reserved
for system use.</p>
<p>Various objects in the various file systems may or may not have extended
attributes. The QSYS.LIB and independent ASP QSYS.LIB file systems support
three predefined extended attributes: .SUBJECT, .TYPE, and .CODEPAGE. In
the document library services (QDLS) file system, folders and documents can
have any kind of extended attribute. Some folders and documents may have
extended attributes, and some may not. In the <span class="q">"root"</span> (/), QOpenSys,
and user-defined file systems, all directories, stream files, and symbolic
links can have extended attributes of any kind. Some, however, may not have
any extended attributes at all.</p>
<p><img src="./delta.gif" alt="Start of change" />The <span class="cmdname">Work with Object Links (WRKLNK)</span> command
and <span class="cmdname">Display Object Links (DSPLNK)</span> command can be used to
display the .SUBJECT extended attribute for an object. There is no other integrated
file system support through which applications or users can access and change
extended attributes. The only exceptions to this rule are the <span class="cmdname">Display
a UDFS (DSPUDFS)</span> and the <span class="cmdname">Display Mounted File System Information
(DSPMFSINF)</span> CL commands, which present extended attributes to users.<img src="./deltaend.gif" alt="End of change" /></p>
<p>Extended attributes associated with some objects in the QDLS can, however,
be changed through interfaces provided by the hierarchical file system (HFS).
</p>
<p>If a client PC is connected to an iSeries™ server through OS/2<sup>®</sup> or Windows<sup>®</sup>,
the programming interfaces of the respective operating system (such as DosQueryFileInfo
and DosSetFileInfo) can be used to query and set the extended attributes of
any file object. OS/2 users can also change the extended attributes of
an object on the desktop by using the settings notebook; that is, by selecting <samp class="codeph">Settings</samp> on
the pop-up menu associated with the object.</p>
<p>If you define extended attributes, use the following naming guidelines: </p>
<ul><li>The name of an extended attribute can be up to 255 characters long.</li>
<li>Do not use a period (.) as the first character of the name. An extended
attribute whose name begins with a period is interpreted as a standard system
extended attribute.</li>
<li>To minimize the possibility of name conflicts, use a consistent naming
structure for extended attributes. The following form is recommended: <pre> CompanyNameProductName.Attribute_Name</pre>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
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<div class="familylinks">
<div class="parentlink"><strong>Parent topic:</strong> <a href="rzaaxbasics.htm" title="This topic introduces the basic concepts of integrated file system, such as directory, link, path name, stream file, name continuity, extended attributes, and scanning support.">Integrated file system concepts</a></div>
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