Thoughts on updating the setpath.bat file to persist setting the path? Here's an updated version that sets the system environment variable while preserving the existing unexpanded PATH value: rem SOF echo off set OWNPATH=%~dp0 set PLATFORM=mswin if defined ProgramFiles(x86) set PLATFORM=win64 if "%PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE%"=="AMD64" set PLATFORM=win64 if exist "%OWNPATH%tex\texmf-mswin\bin\context.exe" set PLATFORM=mswin if exist "%OWNPATH%tex\texmf-win64\bin\context.exe" set PLATFORM=win64 echo %PATH% | findstr "texmf-%PLATFORM%" > nul rem Only update the PATH if not previously updated if ERRORLEVEL 1 ( set Key="HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment" set "CurrPath=" for /F "USEBACKQ tokens=2*" %%A in (`reg query %%Key%% /v PATH`) do ( if not "%%~B" == "" ( rem Preserve the existing PATH echo %%B > currpath.txt rem Update the current session set PATH=%PATH%;%OWNPATH%tex\texmf-%PLATFORM%\bin rem Change the PATH environment variable setx PATH "%%B;%OWNPATH%tex\texmf-%PLATFORM%\bin" /M ) ) ) rem EOF Another possibility would be to define CONTEXT_HOME as an unexpanded value added to both the system environment variables and the PATH variable. For example (haven't tried it): setx CONTEXT_HOME "%OWNPATH%tex\texmf-%PLATFORM%\bin" setx PATH "%%B;%%CONTEXT_HOME%%" The advantage with this pattern is that subsequent updates need only check for CONTEXT_HOME and change its value without having to worry about PATH parsing, which can be hairy. Yet another option to consider is changing the value for only the existing user, rather than system-wide. Perhaps two different batch files? The reason for this change is because the Windows installation instructions (on the wiki) are incomplete: technically, the user must run setpath.bat for each new session. This implies that any third-party program that wants to make use of ConTeXt on Windows would have to communicate said fact to the user, or let the user set the full path to ConTeXt within the third-party program. Both of these can be avoided by persisting the PATH setting across sessions. Thank you! P.S. Pasted: https://pastebin.com/qpsqXZNB
Here's a version that persits the current user's PATH (i.e., not system-wide): rem SOF @echo off set "OWNPATH=%~dp0" set "PLATFORM=mswin" if defined ProgramFiles(x86) set "PLATFORM=win64" if "%PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE%"=="AMD64" set "PLATFORM=win64" if exist "%OWNPATH%tex\texmf-mswin\bin\context.exe" set "PLATFORM=mswin" if exist "%OWNPATH%tex\texmf-win64\bin\context.exe" set "PLATFORM=win64" set "TeXPath=%OWNPATH%tex\texmf-%PLATFORM%\bin" echo %PATH% | findstr "texmf-%PLATFORM%" > nul rem Only update the PATH if not previously updated if ERRORLEVEL 1 ( setlocal enabledelayedexpansion set "Exists=false" set "Key=HKCU\Environment" for /F "USEBACKQ tokens=2*" %%A in (`reg query %%Key%% /v PATH 2^>nul`) do ( if not "%%~B" == "" ( set "Exists=true" rem Preserve the existing PATH echo %%B > currpath.txt rem Change the PATH environment variable setx PATH "%%B;%TeXPath%" ) ) rem The user-defined PATH does not exist, create it if "!Exists!" == "false" ( rem Change the user PATH environment variable setx PATH "%TeXPath%" ) endlocal rem Update the current session set "PATH=%PATH%;%TeXPath%" ) rem EOF
On Sun, 9 May 2021, Thangalin wrote:
Thoughts on updating the setpath.bat file to persist setting the path?
Here's an updated version that sets the system environment variable while preserving the existing unexpanded PATH value:
[....]
The reason for this change is because the Windows installation instructions (on the wiki) are incomplete: technically, the user must run setpath.bat for each new session.
This is how setuptex works on linux as well.
This implies that any third-party program that wants to make use of ConTeXt on Windows would have to communicate said fact to the user, or let the user set the full path to ConTeXt within the third-party program. Both of these can be avoided by persisting the PATH setting across sessions.
One of the benefits of context minimals is that you can install multiple versions in parallel, which allows the user to update frequently without the risk of breaking something for long-term projects. Specifically, you can keep a "frozen" version of context for long-term projects and install a newer version in parallel for newer projects. So, your suggestions should be included as a separate script and not as part of the default. Then there is the question of providing an uninstall script as well... Aditya
One of the benefits of context minimals is that you can install multiple versions in parallel, which allows the user to update frequently without the risk of breaking something for long-term projects. Specifically, you can keep a "frozen" version of context for long-term projects and install a newer version in parallel for newer projects.
For sure! My environment looks as follows: export CONTEXT_HOME=/opt/context export PATH="$PATH:...:$CONTEXT_HOME/tex/texmf-linux-64/bin:..." The /opt/context directory is a symbolic link, which eases switching between versions: I seldom have to change the environment variables settings. So, your suggestions should be included as a separate script and not as
part of the default. Then there is the question of providing an uninstall script as well...
Using a ConTeXt-specific environment variable (e.g., LMTX_HOME) would make uninstalling a matter of removing it from the PATH and registry (on Windows, anyway). Here are the current instructions: https://github.com/DaveJarvis/keenwrite/blob/master/docs/typesetting.md#wind... Is there a way we can eliminate steps 3 - 6 for Windows installs?
On 5/10/2021 9:18 AM, Thangalin wrote:
One of the benefits of context minimals is that you can install multiple versions in parallel, which allows the user to update frequently without the risk of breaking something for long-term projects. Specifically, you can keep a "frozen" version of context for long-term projects and install a newer version in parallel for newer projects.
For sure! My environment looks as follows:
export CONTEXT_HOME=/opt/context export PATH="$PATH:...:$CONTEXT_HOME/tex/texmf-linux-64/bin:..."
The /opt/context directory is a symbolic link, which eases switching between versions: I seldom have to change the environment variables settings.
So, your suggestions should be included as a separate script and not as part of the default. Then there is the question of providing an uninstall script as well...
Using a ConTeXt-specific environment variable (e.g., LMTX_HOME) would make uninstalling a matter of removing it from the PATH and registry (on Windows, anyway). Here are the current instructions:
https://github.com/DaveJarvis/keenwrite/blob/master/docs/typesetting.md#wind... https://github.com/DaveJarvis/keenwrite/blob/master/docs/typesetting.md#wind...
Is there a way we can eliminate steps 3 - 6 for Windows installs?
if one starts up mtxrun or context with a fully quallified path it will work ok (because it then knows where it sits in the tex tree), like c:\data\context\tex\texmf-win64\bin\mtxrun --script context ... Hans ----------------------------------------------------------------- Hans Hagen | PRAGMA ADE Ridderstraat 27 | 8061 GH Hasselt | The Netherlands tel: 038 477 53 69 | www.pragma-ade.nl | www.pragma-pod.nl -----------------------------------------------------------------
participants (3)
-
Aditya Mahajan -
Hans Hagen -
Thangalin