Re: Pathname for SPERFORM

->From: walt@mathcs.emory.edu (Walt Hultgren {rmy}) ->Subject: Re: Pathname for SPERFORM ->Date: 23 Aug 1994 13:45:33 -0400 ->Reply-To: walt@mathcs.emory.edu (Walt Hultgren {rmy}) ->Organization: Emory University -> ->In article <dennisp.777654982@infmx> dennisp@informix.com (Dennis Pimple) ->writes: ->> ->>Just to clarify a bit: sperform and sacego will look in current ->>directory first, then in each directory of DBPATH for the appropriate ->>.frm/.arc file. -> ->I just verified that this is indeed the case under ISQL 4.11.UC1 and ->SE 5.01.UC1. I'm usually pretty good about reading all documentation, but ->I confess that I missed this point. I guess I assumed that since the ->environment variable was named *PATH, it would act like the shell's PATH. -> ->What's the rationale behind initially ignoring DBPATH? Am I correct in ->assuming that if I inadvertently cd to the parent directory of my production ->database, I will be working against it even though DBPATH contains only the ->absolute pathname(s) of my test directory structure? -> ->I suggest that a better approach would be to use the current directory if ->DBPATH is not set, or use *only* DBPATH exactly as set if it is non-null. ->Is anyone making specific use of the fact that the current directory is ->always checked regardless of DBPATH's value? -> ->Thanks, -> ->Walt. I actually like the current setup, and think that it is eminently sensible. It is particularly useful in an environment where production and test are on the same machine, but in different directories. Consider a database 4GL application suite that includes 100's of forms. Now you need to modify three of them. Put the three new forms in a test directory and run from the test directory. Thus, the new forms will be found before the corres- ponding production forms, and it is not necessary to copy the 100's of unchanged forms into the test directory. For what it's worth (not much), I prefer the MS-DOS use of PATH over the Unix use of PATH. [For those not familiar with both, DOS looks in the current directory, THEN in the directories listed in PATH. Unix ignores current directory unless you explicitly put "." into PATH.] The Informix use of DBPATH is like the DOS use of PATH. Makes sense to me!! :-) Regards, Alan ___________________________ ______________________| R. Alan Popiel |__________________________ \\ Internet: | Martin Marietta, SLS | / \\ alan@den.mmc.com | P.O. Box 179, M/S 3810 | Std disclaimers apply. / )Voice: | Denver, CO 80201-0179 USA | ( / 303-977-9998 |___________________________| (But you knew that!) \\ /________________________) (____________________________\\