Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!torsqnt!tmsoft!masnet!canremote!william.pipher
From: william.pipher@canremote.uucp (WILLIAM PIPHER)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: How can I set a PATH long
Message-ID: <90030911251112@masnet.uucp>
Date: 9 Mar 90 10:06:00 GMT
Organization: Canada Remote Systems Limited, Mississauga, ON, Canada
Lines: 71

From: william.pipher@canremote.uucp   (William Pipher)
Subj: How can I set a PATH longer than 128 bytes ?

>In article <5762@ncrcae.Columbia.NCR.COM>,
>heath@ncrcae.Columbia.NCR.COM (Robert Heath) writes:  How can I set
>my dos PATH variable longer than 128 bytes?  I'm running  DOS 3.3. 
>It seems when I set my PATH variable in my AUTOEXEC.BAT,  DOS
>truncates anything longer than 128 bytes.  Is there a way to do 
>this by assigning shorter environment variables and concatenating  
>them somehow ? Thanks. 

And Scott C. Sadow sadow@ncsatl.uucp  replied:

ss>The problem is you are running out of environment space. Check
ss>your DOS manual for the correct syntax, but you need the following 
ss>you  CONFIG.SYS: etc.

I disagree.

Under no circumstances can you expect *any* PC/MS DOS command longer
than 127 characters will ever be read, even a PATH statement.  This
limit is totally independent of your config.  Assuming that your 
command environment is big enough to support a 127 character PATH
variable, you will still need to shorten it to that length or less!

To do this, try one or the other of:

Plan A:
^^^^^^
1.  Create a directory in c:\ called  C:\BATCH

2.  Have PATH=C:\BATCH;and then the others

3.  Write some batch files to run your applications and put them in
    the batch directory.  A strong reliance on Batch files could make
    things alot easier and dispense with some of your PATH needs.

    Remember that you do not need PATH=C:\WP50 to run word perfect,
    the line   C:\WP50\WP %1  in a batch file does the same thing
    without necessitating the path statement.


Plan B:
^^^^^^
1.  Have the statement  LASTDRIVE=Z  in config.sys

2.  In autoexec.bat the following commands (assuming no
    extended partitions or device drivers are present)
    
    path=c:\doscom         (where your dos utilties are)
    subst d: c:\batch
    subst e: c:\wp50
    subst f: c:\utils
    subst g: c:\doscom
    subst h: c:\lotus
    subst i: c:\whatever\whoever\whenever
    path=d:\;c:\;e:\;f:\;g:\;h:\;i:\

Substitute your own choices.  If you already have a drive d: or e:
etc., start your subst's with e: or f:.

Be aware that the more items in your path statement (the more 
file directory entries requiring searches), the slower your 
external commands will be found.  Ensure that your BUFFERS statement
in config.sys is 15 -- 30 especially with Plan B.  

Plan A is usually the most efficient over all, in my opinion.

--WmP--
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 ~ DeLuxe 1.11a20 #3744  william.pipher@canremote.uucp