[Lazarus] Lazarus config woes

[Hans-Peter Diettrich]

Mattias Gaertner schrieb:

>>     Where does the IDE look for the configuration? 
>>
>  
> 
> If no --pcp is given it uses
> 
> Under windows:
> 
> PrimaryConfigPath:= 
> ExtractFilePath(ChompPathDelim(SysToUTF8(GetAppConfigDir(False)))) + 
> 'lazarus';
> 
> all other:
> 
> ~/.lazarus

This will be the common configuration, that only can apply to *one* 
installation. As long as we consider only that single installation, 
*everything* is acceptable for the config path.


> If no --lazarus-dir option is given the Lazarus source directory is 
> taken from the environmentoptions.xml.
> 
> If there is no environmentoptions.xml it is copied from the secondary 
> config directory.
> 
> The default for the Lazarus directory is under windows:
> 
> DefaultDrive + '\lazarus';
> 
> all other:
> 
> The IDE searches in a list of common directories.

What's the purpose of specifying a Lazarus directory, other than the one 
with the IDE?

IOW is there a purpose for specifying a Lazarus directory other than the 
one with the IDE?

If not, that directory must not be stored anywhere, making a single 
configuration usable with multiple installations, and every installation 
uses its EXE path for the Lazarus directory. That's perfectly compatible 
with the commandline (make all...).


> Each distribution/installer adds some gory details. For example to 
> explain all the paths of the debian packages would require at least one 
> wiki page on its own.
> 
> The basic Lazarus setup is pretty simple, but you can do it arbitrarily 
> complicated.

Why do you see complications all around? What's so complicated in 
removing the "Lazarus directory" entry from the stored entries, and 
replacing it (at IDE start) with the EXE directory?


>>     Is it sufficient to have a MyLazarus\cfg\ directory, to make the
>>     MyLazarus\Lazarus.exe use the configuration in that directory? 
>>
>  
> 
> I'm not an expert for the windows installer, but the IDE sources do not 
> mention 'cfg'. I guess "cfg" is not used.

Okay, name it as you like. The config directory name only must not 
conflict with any name in a Lazarus directory.


>>     IMO the IDE should look for a configuration in the current (EXE)
>>     directory first, 
>>
>  
> 
> ... which might be read only and therefore only contains the defaults, 
> not the user settings.

In which case the IDE is free to look somewhere else. All I want is 
stopping the IDE from looking somewhere else, when the EXE directory 
contains a config directory (of a name to be specified). Is that so hard 
to understand?

DoDi