Syntax of a system path in 95

Recommend changing that:

set path=c:\djgpp\bin;%path%

to:

set path=%path%;c:\djgpp\bin

The:

set djgpp=c:\djgpp\djgpp.env

is fine. (It shouldn't effect anything other DJGPP).

The:

chdir c:\djgpp\mystuff

means change directory into the c:\djgpp\mystuff directory. (The command "cd" does exactly the same thing as "chdir"). However, since this command will only put you in the c:\djgpp\djgpp.env directory if you are already on drive C:, recommend changing that one line to the following two lines:

c:
cd c:\djgpp\mystuff

By that last line, the:

command
(you can replace that last line with any other shell you'd like)

means you could type command to load the command shell (the one that ships with DOS and Windows) or, "you can replace that last line with any other shell you'd like". I don't know why you'd want to load any other command shell at this point. If you're at the DOS/CMD prompt, you're already in a shell.

Note: With most 'DOS' commands you can type the command followed by a space and then a "/?" to get a little help. For example:

chdir /?
cd /?
dir /?
set /?
path /?
command /?

Quote:

---

chdir c:\djgpp\mystuff
means change directory into the c:\djgpp\mystuff directory. (The command "cd" does exactly the same thing as "chdir"). However, since this command will only put you in the c:\djgpp\djgpp.env directory if you are already on drive C:, recommend changing that one line to the following two lines:
c:
cd c:\djgpp\mystuff

---

I think I get this. If I understand right, what this does is automatically put me into the djgpp directory when I go to the dos command prompt correct? And the 'mystuff' which is whatever directory I created to hold my C programs and such in right? Incidentally, I went ahead and named it MYSTUFF. :)

As I have only one HD on this system I wouldn't worry about the C: part. However in the future I may have other drives/partitions on here so I'll put it in anyway. ;)

Quote:

---

By that last line, the:
command
(you can replace that last line with any other shell you'd like)
means you could type command to load the command shell (the one that ships with DOS and Windows) or, "you can replace that last line with any other shell you'd like". I don't know why you'd want to load any other command shell at this point. If you're at the DOS/CMD prompt, you're already in a shell.

---

So I'll just ignore all this last part then since it seems kinda pointless.

I've made the changes you recommended. Thank you again for you time and help. :)

Since there is usually more than one way to get where you want to be with the "cd" command, might be best to start with a few examples ...

If are already anywhere on drive C:,

• the command:
  cd\
  or:
  cd \
  will put you in the root directory of drive C: ("C:\")
  
  
• the command:
  cd\windows
  or:
  cd \windows
  or:
  cd c:\windows
  will place you in the "c:\windows" directory
  
  
• the command:
  cd\windows\system
  or:
  cd \windows\system
  or:
  cd c:\windows\system
  will put you in directory "c:\windows\system"

If you're in the root directory of drive C:,

• the command:
  cd windows
  will also put you in "c:\windows",
  
  
• and the command:
  cd windows\system
  would put you in "c:\windows\system"

If you were in "c:\windows", the command:

cd system

would put you in "c:\windows\system".

You can move up a directory by using the command:

cd ..

For example, to go from "c:\windows\system" to "c:\windows" you can type:

cd ..

or:

cd \windows

or:

cd c:\windows

Let's say you were in "c:\windows\system" and you wanted to change into the "c:\windows\fonts" directory. You could either type:

cd\windows\fonts

or:

cd \windows\fonts

or:

cd c:\windows\fonts

or simply:

cd ..\fonts

(".." = up a directory into "windows" then "\fonts" = down a directory into "fonts").

For comparision, if you were to try and do a:

cd \fonts

(no leading ".."'s) from within "c:\windows", DOS would try and change you into a "c:\fonts" directory. If it doesn't exist, DOS will return the error "The system cannot find the path specified".

And finally, let's say you were in "c:\windows\system" and changed to drive A: with the command:

a:

If you were then to issue the command:

cd c:\

the results would not be immediately evident. However, whenever you do decide to go back to drive C: with the command:

c:

you would no longer be in "c:\windows\system" but in "c:\".

---

So, back to your "chdir c:\djgpp\mystuff" command. If:

1. you are already on drive C:, and
2. the directory "c:\djgpp" exists, and
3. the directory "c:\djgpp" contains a subdirectory named "mystuff",

then yes, the command:

chdir c:\djgpp\mystuff

will change you into the "c:\djgpp\mystuff" directory.

If you weren't on C: though, DOS will have changed the location while on C: to "c:\djgpp\mystuff" but you could actually still be located on any other drive.

And of course, if any of the directories specified in your command do not exist, DOS will display an error message.

Starting to make more sense or have I made it even more confusing? :( :)

This is what the new setpath additions look like on my Autoexec.bat:


path=c:\windows;c:\windows\system;c:\bjl\bjl_uploader

set PATH=%PATH%;C:\JAGUAR\BIN

set RDBRC=C:\JAGUAR\BIN\RDB.RC

set DBPATH=C:\JAGUAR\BIN

set ALNPATH=C:\JAGUAR\BIN

set MACPATH=C:\JAGUAR\INCLUDE

set GCC_EXEC_PREFIX=C:/JAGUAR/BIN

set path=%path%;c:\djgpp\bin

set DJGPP=C:\DJGPP\DJGPP.ENV

c:
cd c:\djgpp\mystuff

Upon reboot though and going to the ms dos prompt on the start menu, it still starts me out at c:\Windows>

Another thing is is I may have 2 C compilers on the system altogether. Although DGJPP runs fine with no hiccups so far, the docs recommend not affecting the global enviroment and creating a shortcut .bat file if more than one compiler is on the computer.

It doesn't really explain it all that clearly. I think it means an autoexec.bat file in the DGJPP directory but I'm not sure.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by A31Chris

This is what the new setpath additions look like on my Autoexec.bat:

path=c:\windows;c:\windows\system;c:\bjl\bjl_uploader

set PATH=%PATH%;C:\JAGUAR\BIN

set RDBRC=C:\JAGUAR\BIN\RDB.RC

set DBPATH=C:\JAGUAR\BIN

set ALNPATH=C:\JAGUAR\BIN

set MACPATH=C:\JAGUAR\INCLUDE

set GCC_EXEC_PREFIX=C:/JAGUAR/BIN

set path=%path%;c:\djgpp\bin

set DJGPP=C:\DJGPP\DJGPP.ENV

---

The PATH environment variable

A definition:

The PATH (or SET PATH) command sets the command path in the PATH environment variable. The PATH contains the set of directories used to search for executable files. Used without parameters, the PATH command displays the current command path.

The only "setpath" environment variables (that you refered to above) are ones that begin with:

• set path=
  
  or:
  
  
• path=

All the other SET commands in your C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file are unrelated to the PATH. (Apparently they are setting up various other environment variables needed by your two compilers).

The first "setup-a-path" command in your C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file:

path=c:\windows;c:\windows\system;c:\bjl\bjl_uploader

does exactly what it looks like it will do ... set the PATH environment variable to be equal to:

c:\windows;c:\windows\system;c:\bjl\bjl_uploader

The second path command:

set path=%path%;c:\jaguar\bin

means reset the PATH environment variable to %PATH% (i.e., "whatever is already set in the PATH environment variable") plus:

;c:\jaguar\bin

In other words, append the string:

;c:\jaguar\bin

to the end of whatever is already is stored in the PATH environment variable.

The third path command in your C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file:

set path=%path%;c:\djgpp\bin

appends the string:

;c:\djgpp\bin

to the end of the current PATH environment variable.

So, when DOS executed the first PATH-type command in your C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file, the PATH environment variable looked like so:

path=c:\windows;c:\windows\system;c:\bjl\bjl_uploader

After DOS executed the second PATH command in your C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file, the PATH environment variable looked like so:

path=c:\windows;c:\windows\system;c:\bjl\bjl_uploader;c:\jaguar\bin

And finally, after DOS executed the third path command in your C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file, the PATH environment variable looked like so:

path=c:\windows;c:\windows\system;c:\bjl\bjl_uploader;c:\jaguar\bin;c:\djgpp\bin

So, if you wanted to make your C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file more efficient, you could replace all three PATH command lines with simply one:

path=c:\windows;c:\windows\system;c:\bjl\bjl_uploader;c:\jaguar\bin;c:\djgpp\bin

More info:

Path
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/d...n-us/path.mspx

Set
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/d...en-us/set.mspx

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by A31Chris

...
c:
cd c:\djgpp\mystuff

Upon reboot though and going to the ms dos prompt on the start menu, it still starts me out at c:\Windows>

---

The C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT, Environment and Current drive:\path

The lines in the C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file are executed (one at a time, and in order), upon startup (bootup) and then the AUTOEXEC.BAT file is closed and forgotten until the next boot.

So, those last two lines in your C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file simply change you to drive C: and then Change your Directory into c:\djgpp\mystuff. DOS then closes the C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file, Windows closes the DOS command window and continues to load itself.

In other words, since nothing apparently needs to be done while you're in your c:\djgpp\mystuff, (because there are no more line in your C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file), those last two lines are not needed. (They're just slowing your boot up time a millisecond or two).

Windows will remember the environment variables that are set in the C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file but not the last drive:\path location after it exits (closes) the file.

If you want your MS-DOS prompt (or CMD prompt) icon to start in a directory other than the one it's currently starting in, right-click it, select Properties and change (edit) the drive:\path that's in the Start in: box.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by A31Chris

Another thing is is I may have 2 C compilers on the system altogether. Although DGJPP runs fine with no hiccups so far, the docs recommend not affecting the global enviroment and creating a shortcut .bat file if more than one compiler is on the computer.

It doesn't really explain it all that clearly. I think it means an autoexec.bat file in the DGJPP directory but I'm not sure.

---

The only AUTOEXEC.BAT file that DOS will automatically run (use) is the one that's in the root directory of the boot drive ... and then only once upon bootup. Any other BATch file that you want to create/use can be named anything you like. (Something that makes more sense then AUTOEXEC.BAT).

If you want you could setup two different BATch files, (with two new shortcut icons on your Desktop), to setup whatever environment variables are needed for each compiler. When you are done with either compiler, (type exit in the command window), Windows would close the DOS window and everything that was setup in the environment for that particular session would be forgotten.

The environment variables setup in the C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file are set in the Master (Global) environment. After Windows boots up, and you subsequently start a DOS session, the environment variables in the Master environment are copied over to your Child session. When Windows closes that Child session, any alterations to the environment while in the Child session are forgotten. (The environment variables that were in the Master environment remain unchanged).

So, back to what I think you might be trying to accomplish. Create two separate BATch files that setup two different environments and launch two different programs. For example (edit as necessary):

1. c:\windows\djgpp.bat
   Code:

   ---

   @echo off
set path=%path%;c:\djgpp\bin
set djgpp=c:\djgpp\djgpp.env
c:
cd c:\djgpp
djgpp.exe

   ---

2. c:\windows\jaguar.bat
   Code:

   ---

   @echo off
set path=%path%;c:\jaguar\bin
set rdbrc=c:\jaguar\bin\rdb.rc
set dbpath=c:\jaguar\bin
set alnpath=c:\jaguar\bin
set macpath=c:\jaguar\include
set gcc_exec_prefix=c:/jaguar/bin
c:
cd\jaguar
jaguar.exe

   ---

Now create two new shortcuts on your Desktop, one pointing to your new c:\windows\djgpp.bat file and the other to your new c:\windows\jaguar.bat file.

Note that you don't have to store these BATch files in C:\Windows. They can be placed wherever. Recommend putting them in a directory that's listed in your PATH though so they could be easily executed (launched) any time you're at a DOS prompt. (Just type the name of the BATch file).

If you think you may need to jump from one compiler to the other while in a single DOS session, you may want to have the BATch file that launches Compiler1 to erase any environment variables that may exist for Compiler2. And in turn, the BATch file that launches Compiler2 to erase any environment variables that may exist for Compiler1.

However, if you think you may be running both at the same time, I'd leave the BATch files alone and cross my fingers that the two programs behave themselves. :)

No I'm pretty sure I'll be using them seperately. Thanks for the help. I'm going to save the setpaths for DGJPP and Jaguar/gcc in seperate notepad files. Then I'll rename them with the .bat extension.

I'll put the djgpp one in the dgjpp directory and the jaguar.bin on its directory and create shortcuts to the individual .bat files. That way I'll activate whatever .bat file I need for that session. Hmmm...I didnt think it would be this easy, unless I'm missing something. Thanks. :)

You're welcome. :)