Barcode Reader User Manual

Setting Up the Code Generation Environment
2-4
2.3 Setting Up the Code Generation Environment
Before or after you install the code generation tools, you can define environ-
ment variables that set certain software tool parameters you normally use. An
environment variable is a special system symbol that you define and assign
to a string. A program uses this symbol to find or obtain certain types of in-
formation.
When you use environment variables, default values are set, making each
individual invocation of the tools simpler because these parameters are auto-
matically specified. When you invoke a tool, you can use command-line
options to override many of the defaults that are set with environment vari-
ables.
The code generation tools use the following environment variables:
A_DIR
C_DIR
C_OPTION
TMP
By default, the installation program modifies your autoexec.bat file and sets
up these environment variables:
set PATH=c:\ tool_dir ;%PATH%
set A_DIR=c:\ tool_dir
set C_DIR=c:\ tool_dir
These variables are set up in the registry under:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Environment
If you choose not to have the environment variables set up automatically, you
can set them up yourself in one of the following ways:
If you are running Windows 95, you can modify your autoexec.bat file to
include the set commands above.
If you are running Windows NT, you can set up the environment variables
in the System applet of the Control Panel. Enter the same commands that
you would enter on the command line in the System applet.
In addition to setting up environment variables, you must modify your path
statement. The following subsections describe how to modify your path state-
ment and how to define the environment variables that the code generation
tools use.