mirror/emacs
1
0
Fork 0
mirror of https://git.savannah.gnu.org/git/emacs.git synced 2025-01-31 20:02:42 +00:00
Code Issues Releases Activity

Fix bug #8221 with description of how HOME is set on Windows.

Browse Source 
doc/emacs/msdog.texi (Windows HOME): Fix the wording to clarify how
 Emacs sets HOME on Windows and where it looks for init files.
This commit is contained in:
Eli Zaretskii 2011-03-11 13:17:24 +02:00
parent 126bc0dcac
commit 69cc79e9e0
2 changed files with 34 additions and 20 deletions
Show Stats Download Patch File Download Diff File Expand all files Collapse all files

5
doc/emacs/ChangeLog
View File

@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
2011-03-11 Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
* msdog.texi (Windows HOME): Fix the wording to clarify how Emacs sets
HOME on Windows and where it looks for init files. (Bug#8221)
2011-03-07 Chong Yidong <cyd@stupidchicken.com>
* Version 23.3 released.

49
doc/emacs/msdog.texi
View File

@ -404,36 +404,45 @@ names, which might cause misalignment of columns in Dired display.
@dfn{user-specific application data directory}. The actual location
depends on your Windows version and system configuration; typical values
are @file{C:\Documents and Settings\@var{username}\Application Data} on
Windows 2K/XP and later, and either @file{C:\WINDOWS\Application Data}
Windows 2K/XP/2K3, @file{C:\Users\@var{username}\AppData\Roaming} on
Windows Vista/7/2K8, and either @file{C:\WINDOWS\Application Data}
or @file{C:\WINDOWS\Profiles\@var{username}\Application Data} on the
older Windows 9X/ME systems.
older Windows 9X/ME systems. If this directory does not exist or
cannot be accessed, Emacs falls back to @file{C:\} as the default
value of @code{HOME}.
@code{HOME} can also be set in the system registry, for details see
You can override this default value of @code{HOME} by explicitly
setting the environment variable @env{HOME} to point to any directory
on your system. @env{HOME} can be set either from the command shell
prompt or from the @samp{My Computer}s @samp{Properties} dialog.
@code{HOME} can also be set in the system registry, for details see
@ref{MS-Windows Registry}.
@cindex init file @file{.emacs} on MS-Windows
The home directory is where your init file @file{.emacs} is stored.
When Emacs starts, it first checks whether the environment variable
@env{HOME} is set. If it is, it looks for the init file in the
directory pointed by @env{HOME}. If @env{HOME} is not defined, Emacs
checks for an existing @file{.emacs} file in @file{C:\}, the root
directory of drive @file{C:}@footnote{
The check in @file{C:\} is for compatibility with older versions of Emacs,
which didn't check the application data directory.
}. If there's no such file in @file{C:\}, Emacs next uses the Windows
system calls to find out the exact location of your application data
directory. If that system call fails, Emacs falls back to @file{C:\}.
For compatibility with older versions of Emacs@footnote{
Older versions of Emacs didn't check the application data directory.
}, if there is a file named @file{.emacs} in @file{C:\}, the root
directory of drive @file{C:}, and @env{HOME} is set neither in the
environment nor in the Registry, Emacs will treat @file{C:\} as the
default @code{HOME} location, and will not look in the application
data directory, even if it exists. Note that only @file{.emacs} is
looked for in @file{C:\}; the older name @file{_emacs} (see below) is
not. This use of @file{C:\.emacs} to define @code{HOME} is
deprecated.
Whatever the final place is, Emacs sets the value of the @env{HOME}
environment variable to point to it, and it will use that location for
other files and directories it normally creates in the user's home
directory.
Whatever the final place is, Emacs sets the internal value of the
@env{HOME} environment variable to point to it, and it will use that
location for other files and directories it normally looks for or
creates in the user's home directory.
You can always find out where Emacs thinks is your home directory's
location by typing @kbd{C-x d ~/ @key{RET}}. This should present the
list of files in the home directory, and show its full name on the
first line. Likewise, to visit your init file, type @kbd{C-x C-f
~/.emacs @key{RET}}.
~/.emacs @key{RET}} (assuming the file's name is @file{.emacs}).
@cindex init file @file{.emacs} on MS-Windows
The home directory is where your init file is stored. It can have
any name mentioned in @ref{Init File}.
@cindex @file{_emacs} init file, MS-Windows
Because MS-DOS does not allow file names with leading dots, and