How To Override FrontEnd/init.m Settings?
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg57456] How To Override FrontEnd/init.m Settings?
- From: "Harold" <Harold.Noffke at wpafb.af.mil>
- Date: Sat, 28 May 2005 05:39:37 -0400 (EDT)
- Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com
$Version = 5.0 for Microsoft Windows (November 18, 2003)
$Host = Windows XP Pro, Version 5.1
Mathgroup:
When a change is made to the OptionBrowser, it is stored in
$UserBaseDirectory/FrontEnd/init.m. My normal Magnification = 1.66.
To determine how $UserBaseDirectory/FrontEnd/init.m settings could be
overridden by a new user's FrontEnd/init.m settings, I placed the
override
SetOptions[ $FrontEnd, Magnification->3 ]
into an init.m file, and tried using it in all the FrontEnd/init.m and
Kernel/init.m file initialization options described in MathBook's File
Layout > Front End, Kernel, and Configuration sections. No matter
where I put this new init.m file, Mathematica gives a load error beep,
and prints
SetOptions::optnf: Magnification is not a known option for
$FrontEnd.
However, if I move this init.m file to $InstallationDirectory, AND
change its name from init.m to just "x" (no file extension), and
relaunch Mathematica, I get a normal Untitled-1 notebook with my
default font. Into this notebook I type
<< x
and Mathematica accepts the one line "SetOptions[ $FrontEnd,
Magnification->3 ]" without complaint, and instantly changes the
system's font size to 300% magnification.
This series of experiments brings me to the following conclusion.
Suppose I have several Mathematica users on the same machine, each of
whom wants a different set of FrontEnd settings overrides and Kernel
customizations. For simplicity, I would like to tell them we need only
put what they want into _one_ file in $InstallationDirectory, which
we'll name with each user's unique 3 initials (say jmb). Then all they
have to do when the Untitled-1 notebook appears is type
<< jmb <Num-Enter>
and Mathematica will accept all their FrontEnd overrides and Kernel
customizations.
What really bothers me is that I've found no simple way to make
Mathematica accept FrontEnd command overrides when I follow the
FrontEnd/init.m directions given in the Mathematica 5.0 Book.
Does anyone have some different or additional thoughts on this issue?
- Harold