Update database from disk in case of changes

devel/scheme/database/database-base.en.tm

@@ -6,13 +6,16 @@
   <tmdoc-title|The <TeXmacs> database model>
 
   The <TeXmacs> database manipulation API has mainly been designed for
-  internal use and not as a<nbsp>general purpose interface to SQL. In
+  internal use. It is based on a<nbsp>dedicated
-  particular, we only support a limit number of entry types and field types,
+  <hlink|NoSQL|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NoSQL>-style database model,
-  although new types can easily be added later. Currently, databases are used
+  using a variant of <hlink|column data stores|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Column_%28data_store%29>.
-  for managing remote files, bibliographies, user lists, versions, etc.
+  For the moment, we only support a limit number of entry types and field
+  types, although new types can easily be added later. Currently, databases
+  are used for managing remote files, bibliographies, user lists, versions,
+  etc.
 
-  The interface has been kept to be as simple as possible, so that our
+  The interface has been kept to be as simple as possible, so that our low
-  SQL-based implementation can be most easily optimized for efficiently when
+  level implementation can be most easily optimized for efficiently when
   needed. Furthermore, the routines of our basic API can all be customized
   <em|a posteriori> to add specific features. For instance, the basic API is
   string-based, so a<nbsp>special additional layer was added to support
@@ -30,14 +33,6 @@
   alternative time for database queries, which make it possible to easily
   recover any past state of the database.
 
-  From the SQL implementation point of view, the database consists of a
-  single table with five columns: unique identifier, attribute, value,
-  creation date, expiration date. Grouping together rows with the same
-  identifier, one obtains the various entries. Grouping together rows with
-  the same identifier and the same attribute, one obtains the individual
-  values. Strictly speaking, the creation and expiration dates apply to
-  individual values in the lists of values.
-
   <paragraph|Macros for context specification>
 
   <\explain>

devel/scheme/database/database-index.en.tm

@@ -5,15 +5,20 @@
 <\body>
   <tmdoc-title|Indexation>
 
-  The purpose of the first extension of the basic database API in
+  The purpose of the first extension of the basic database API is to permit
-  <scm|index-base.scm> is to permit searching for certain keywords in the
+  searching for certain keywords in the database entries. The current
-  database entries. The current implementation achieves this by maintaining a
+  implementation achieves this by maintaining a<nbsp>few additional tables
-  few additional tables with the list of entries in which given keywords
+  with the list of entries in which given keywords occur. We also maintain
-  occur and counters of how many times a given keyword appears. We also
+  a<nbsp>few additional prefix tables which allow us to search for
-  maintain a few additional prefix tables which allow us to search for
+  uncompleted keywords. For efficiency reasons, the indexation is done at a
-  uncompleted keywords. The indexation mechanism only indexates
+  low level in C++.
-  alphanumerical keywords and normalizes all keywords to lowercase; see
+
-  <verbatim|indexation.cpp> for more details.
+  It should be noticed that the indexation mechanism only indexates
+  alphanumerical keywords and normalizes all keywords to lowercase. Accented
+  characters and characters in other (<abbr|e.g.><nbsp>cyrillic) scripts are
+  also ``transliterated'' into basic unaccented roman characters. For
+  instance, we write ``é'' and ``\<#449\>'' as ``e'' and ``shch''. As a
+  consequence, a search for ``poincare'' will match ``Poincaré''.
 
   <paragraph|Macros for context specification>