List

The global data List item allows you to create a list of string values that can be referred to by WinGate services and components when they need to find a match for the value of a piece of event data.

When using a WinGate script system, or defining a policy in WinGate, you can have the script or policy check whether the value of a piece of current event data matches the value on a specified global data list.

You can create lists for such purposes as:

• Allowed/banned urls
• Allowed users
• Allowed/Prohibited IP addresses etc.
• Acceptable values/words

Creating lists

Lists can be created in several ways:

1. Using the Global Data panel

   1. Open the WinGate Management console.
   2. Navigate to Control Panel > Data.
   3. On the Tasks menu select New list. Or alternatively right click anywhere on the Global Data panel and select New List from the menu. This will open the Edit List configuration.

      

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   4. In the List name field, enter a name for the list. This is the name that will be used to refer to this list when accessing global data from throughout WinGate.
   5. In the Method drop down menu, select either pattern match or exact match, depending on how the values on the list should be compared.

      1. Exact match (faster)

         As the title implies, only an exact match of the data against the value on this list will be valid. This type of method is processed faster then the pattern match method.

         Note

         When the exact match method is chosen all normal punctuation marks such as a period (.) or a comma (,) are considered as part of the value to be matched. This also includes the question mark(?) and asterisk(*).

      2. Pattern match

         Pattern matching will allow you to add a value pattern to the list using the standard WinGate wildcards of ? (question mark) or *(asterisk).

         The question mark wildcard is used to indicate a match of a single character. While an asterisk allows you to widen the pattern match value further, as the match will include one or more characters from where the asterisk is placed in the value.

         Note

         When using the pattern match method against a value on the list, normal punctuation marks such as a . (period) -(hyphen) or , (comma) etc. are considered as valid characters. This however excludes the WinGate wildcards, ? (question mark) or *(asterisk).

   6. In the Matching values window, enter the values you want the list to contain. These can be words, numbers, or both. Add each value by clicking on the Add value button at the bottom of the Matching values window. Alternatively you can also select two other options (if available).

      1. Link the content of a file to this list

         Selecting this option allows you to have the list item match the value against the contents of a selected file. The global data list item will scan the file on a line by line basis (depending on the occurrence of newlines found in the file).

         License restriction: Linking to the contents of a file is only available when using a WinGate Professional or WinGate Enterprise license.

      2. Link the content of another list to this list

         Selecting this option allows you to have the global data list item match the value against the content of another global data list that you have created.

   7. Click OK to finish. The new list will now appear on the Global Data panel.

2. Using script

   When using a WinGate scripting system (such as the Lua or Javascript event processors) or a configuration that has access to a Symbol browser, you can utilize the Data object published by the Data module to access and manage global data lists. The Data object provides the GetList(Text ListName) method which you can use to create a global data list.

   

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   If the list does not already exist it is created. This greatly simplifies script access to global data lists, since the script does not need to first check whether a particular global List item exists before using it.

   e.g. A script could contain:

   Data.GetList("testlist")

   This would attempt to get the value of a global data list item called testlist. If this list did not exist, a new list would be created automatically with the name testlist.

   Read more about using WinGate objects

Note

Using Lists

Like other global data items, global data lists can be created, referenced, modified, and deleted whenever you are:

1. Using a WinGate script system.
2. Using a WinGate configuration that has access to the Symbol browser.

Read about accessing global data items