**fScan Reference Manual, Chapter 1 (Topics): DBAX**
===== DBAX -- Interacting with the DBAX imaging database web-service =====

The fScan [[jvs:fscan:manual:chapter2:connect|Connect]] command can be used to open a network socket connection to a [[jvs:dbax|DBAX]] web-service. The database icons (green table-looking icons) in fScan's "File" taskbar show pre-defined examples of using Connect to perform database searches (right-click an icon to see a description of what it does.)

Typical use of DBAX within fScan is to search for subjects or exams to find pointers to WDF files or individual image data sets.  Once these pointers have been found they can be converted into pathnames to files and then those files can be opened for viewing or data processing.

Using DBAX in fScan depends on having a DBAX web-service running on a network-accesible computer, and having the fScan user variable "connect_dbax" properly defined to point to that web-service.  Connect_dbax is typically defined in a fScan configuration file (config.txt).  To see how the variable is defined you can enter the fScan command:\\
  * **fscan -echo \$connect_dbax**  (from a Linux command line)
  * **-echo $connect_dbax**         (as an interactive command within fScan itself)

Connect_dbax should be of the form "host:port". The default BIAC setting is "sagan.biac.duke.edu:5570

**See Also:**\\
[[jvs:dbax|DBAX]],
[[jvs:fscan:manual:chapter2:connect|Connect command]]

[[jvs:fscan|fScan Home]], 
[[jvs:fscan:manual|fScan Manual]], 
[[jvs:fscan:manual:chapter1|Topics]], 
[[jvs:fscan:manual:help|Manual Help]]