[Lazarus] How to use environment variables in lazarus IDE config?

[Mattias Gaertner]

On Wed, 01 Dec 2010 09:23:23 +0100
Bo Berglund <bo.berglund at gmail.com> wrote:

> On Tue, 30 Nov 2010 18:35:48 +0100, Mattias Gaertner
> <nc-gaertnma at netcologne.de> wrote:
> 
> >On Tue, 30 Nov 2010 17:48:47 +0100
> >Bo Berglund <bo.berglund at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >> I would like to specify things like the base location of files using
> >> environment variables rather than entering full paths.
> >> 
> >> In Delphi this can be done by using the $(varname) construct, but this
> >> is apparently not supported by Lazarus.
> >> I googled my way through and found a reference to using $Env(varname)
> >> instead.
> >> 
> >> But when I use this in my lazarus (to specify the location of the FPC
> >> compiler for instance), lazarus complains that it cannot find the
> >> executable.
> >
> >I implemented resolving macros for the environment option compiler file
> >name.
> >
> >Use on your on risk.
> >There is currently no real circle detection for macros, so you can
> >create endless loops. There is already a bug report.
> 
> Macros?? I am talking about how to use environment variables in file
> specifications in Lazarus, not about macros...
> 
> Like for example in Delphi I have this in my project path to define
> the location of Indy. I have several versions of Indy on my PC because
> they change Indy around such that old code breaks severely if using
> the new Indy versions:
> 
> $(INDY10)\System
> $(INDY10)\Protocols
> $(INDY10)\Core
> 
> In another project I can have:
> 
> $(INDY9)\System
> $(INDY9)\Protocols
> $(INDY9)\Core
> 
> This way no matter where the individual developer has placed his Indy
> files he can use the env var to set the location and the project file
> (*.dof) does not have to be changed when retrieved from CVS.
> It simply just works...

... and Lazarus does not need this one variable per version,
because it has versions in the lpk files. If a project needs Indy9 it
can be specified in the dependency. When you give the project to
another developer he does not need to set his environment options to
your names and he will get a proper error message if the package is
not there, instead of "unit not found".

 
> There are also other uses, like in lazarus to specify which FPC to
> use..

For cross compiling you can use one compiler: fpc.

For several FPC versions: You can specify the compiler per project.
And with build modes you can switch easily. (At the moment this not yet
passed to the codetools. This is a ToDo.)


> >> I entered the following as the FPC compiler path:
> >> 
> >> $Env(FPCBASE)\2.4.2\bin\i386-Win32\fpc.exe
> >
> >Should work now.
> 
> "Now" meaning what? Do I need to grab a newer version of lazarus and
> rebuild it?

Yes. Please test.

Mattias