From: spark AT es DOT co DOT nz (Zippy)
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.djgpp
Subject: why won't my .exe program run properly until I set env var?
Date: Thu, 29 Jan 1998 02:01:08 +1200
Organization: The Internet Group (Dunedin)
Lines: 56
Message-ID: <spark-2901980201090001@p113-thalia.es.co.nz>
NNTP-Posting-Host: chaos.es.co.nz
Cache-Post-Path: Chaos.es.co.nz!unknown AT p113-thalia DOT es DOT co DOT nz
To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com
DJ-Gateway: from newsgroup comp.os.msdos.djgpp
Precedence: bulk

I am new to DJGPP, so this might be a dumb q, but here it goes...

I run DJGPP within a DOS window in Windows95.  I've got a batch file which
sets the path and the environment var.  So the procedure I take to use
DJGPP is
1. Start up a DOS window from windows95
2. Run the batch file (which has 
set djgpp=c:\djgpp\djgpp.env
set path=c:\djgpp\bin;%path%)
3. Start programming

OK, I wrote a very short program that renames a file.

#include <stdio.h>

main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
   char *d, *p, *n, *e;
   int dummy = fnsplit(argv[1], d, p, n, e);            
 /* This splits a filename into drive, path, name and extension. */

   dummy = rename("oldname.txt", strcat(n, ".txt"));
}

The idea was to pass the new filename to the .exe program and rename the
file "oldname.txt" into the new one.

I compiled the program by typing in

    gcc nameit.c -o nameit.exe

Now I run the program by typing in

   nameit newname

and the old file is rename to "newname.txt"  The program works.

So far so good.

I quit the DOS window and start up another DOS window to run the program
again.  However since I am not programming, I don't run the batch file.

I run the renaming program, and strangely, it doesn't work.  I managed to
trace the problem down to  the environment variable not being set, ie.
after starting a new DOS window, if I type in the line
set djgpp = c:\djgpp\djgpp.env

and then run the renaming program, it works.

Now, this is what I don't understand.  Why do I need to set the variable
when I am running the stand-along .exe file?

Please someone enlighten me.

-- 
spark AT es DOT co DOT nz