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Re: Re: change $UserDocumentsDirectory

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg76420] Re: [mg76391] Re: [mg76346] change $UserDocumentsDirectory
• From: Murray Eisenberg <murray at math.umass.edu>
• Date: Tue, 22 May 2007 02:41:56 -0400 (EDT)
• Organization: Mathematics & Statistics, Univ. of Mass./Amherst
• References: <200705211000.GAA10048@smc.vnet.net>
• Reply-to: murray at math.umass.edu

What I'm trying to accomplish by changing $HomeDirectory is very simple: 
when the Save As dialog comes up, the default location will be where _I_ 
want it to be (in e:\temp) instead of the Mathematica default of what 
I've set in Windows as the equivalent of My Documents.  Directory temp 
is where I'm working now; Documents is stuff I'm saving "forever".

I had hoped there was in environment variable for this, just as there 
are for $UserBaseDirectory and $UserBaseDirectory.

I prefer to set such things in the OS rather than edit any init.m.  It's 
easier and less likely to get lost when updating from on Mathematica 
version to another.

But I guess I have no choice here.

John Fultz wrote:
> No, there isn't.  It is merely a reflection of the default operating system
> location for documents (except on Unix, where it's just the same value as 
> $HomeDirectory).  Under Windows and Mac, there are probably operating-system
> methods (perhaps obscure) to change these system-wide.
> 
> The principle place where it shows up in the product is in the default value of 
> certain FE path options, and it's probably easier to change the path options for 
> many people than it is to set an environment variable.  As such, it never 
> occurred to me that somebody might want to set an environment variable.  If you 
> find my attitude curious, consider that there's never been a method via 
> environment variables to set $HomeDirectory (another default OS location), and I 
> can't recall anybody ever noticing.
> 
> But I'm curious to hear what you're trying to accomplish, and perhaps there's 
> reasonable justification to consider it.
> 
> As for the documentation, those environment variables which can be overridden by environment variables specify that on their home pages.  For example,
> 
> http://reference.wolfram.com/mathematica/ref/$UserBaseDirectory.html
> 
> (in the More Information section)
> 
> Also, this page is helpful...
> 
> http://reference.wolfram.com/mathematica/tutorial/MathematicaSessions.html
> 
> Sincerely,
>  
> John Fultz
> jfultz at wolfram.com
> User Interface Group
> Wolfram Research, Inc.
> 
> On Sun, 20 May 2007 02:26:50 -0400 (EDT), Murray Eisenberg wrote:
>> Is there an OS environment variable that can be used to change
>> $UserDocumentsDirectory?
>>
>> This is with 6.0 under Windows XP. I tried MATHEMATICA_USERDOCUMENTS but
>> that didn't seem to do anything.
>>
>> (Comment: the use of OS environment variables seems poorly documented.)
> 
> 

-- 
Murray Eisenberg                     murray at math.umass.edu
Mathematics & Statistics Dept.
Lederle Graduate Research Tower      phone 413 549-1020 (H)
University of Massachusetts                413 545-2859 (W)
710 North Pleasant Street            fax   413 545-1801
Amherst, MA 01003-9305

• References:
  • Re: change $UserDocumentsDirectory
    • From: John Fultz <jfultz@wolfram.com>