[tex-k] Re: $SELFAUTODIR considered harmful

[Eddie Kohler]

Thomas Esser wrote:
>>I was just flummoxed for a while by $SELFAUTODIR in texmf.cnf.  In 
> 
> 
> CTAN:dviware/dvipng implements a work-around. At configure-time, the
> values of the SELFAUTO* variables are looked up by running kpsewhich.
> At runtime dvipng, the program resets the SELFAUTO* variables (via
> putenv()) after the call to kpse_set_program_name().

Thanks for mentioning this, I'll implement it as default behavior.  But the 
whole $SELFAUTO thing is a bit weird -- it's not how most programs work (they 
compile in the --prefix).  But clearly you have a reson for this.

Eddie

> 
> dvipng's INSTALL file has the following documentation about this:
> 
>     Installation outside the texmf tree
>     ===================================
> 
>     In some cases, a dvipng binary installed outside the texmf tree will
>     not be able to find virtual fonts, or the PostScript font maps
>     (normally used by dvips). This may be because _only_ $SELFAUTOLOC,
>     $SELFAUTODIR, and $SELFAUTOPARENT are used in the texmf tree
>     configuration file `texmf.cnf'. If so, give the switch
>     `--enable-selfauto-set' to `./configure'. This will make dvipng adjust
>     these three internally so that kpathsea thinks that dvipng _is_
>     installed in the texmf tree.
> 
> Thomas
> 
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