bug#6115: 64 bit windows environment variables

bug#6115: 64 bit windows environment variables

[RICHARD M. HEIBERGER]

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From the MS Windows 64 bit CMD window I get

c:\>echo %ProgramFiles(x86)%
C:\Program Files (x86)

c:\>echo %ProgramFiles%
C:\Program Files

c:\>echo %ProgramW6432%
C:\Program Files

From
GNU Emacs 23.1.97.1 (i386-mingw-nt6.1.7600) of 2010-05-04 on G41R2F1
I get
(getenv "ProgramFiles(x86)")
"C:\\Program Files (x86)"
(getenv "ProgramFiles")
"C:\\Program Files (x86)"
(getenv "ProgramW6432")
"C:\\Program Files"
In emacs, both the "ProgramFiles*" environment variables give the same
result.
I don't think that should be correct behavior.

Fortunately, Windows provides the ProgramW6432 environment variable.

What is the correct way in emacs to detect the two different locations in
which
Windows puts 32 bit and 64 bit programs?

Rich

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bug#6115: 64 bit windows environment variables

[Juanma Barranquero]

On Wed, May 5, 2010 at 21:29, RICHARD M. HEIBERGER <rmh@temple.edu> wrote:

> c:\>echo %ProgramFiles%
> C:\Program Files

> (getenv "ProgramFiles")
> "C:\\Program Files (x86)"

The variable ProgramFiles points to the right application directory
for the current application. On a 64-bit Windows, for a 64-bit app
(like cmd.exe), that's "C:\Program Files"; for a 32-bit app (like
Emacs), that's "C:\Program Files (x86)".

So nothing wrong here.

    Juanma

bug#6115: 64 bit windows environment variables

[Stefan Monnier]

>> From the MS Windows 64 bit CMD window I get
> c:\>echo %ProgramFiles(x86)%
> C:\Program Files (x86)
> c:\>echo %ProgramFiles%
> C:\Program Files
[...]
> GNU Emacs 23.1.97.1 (i386-mingw-nt6.1.7600) of 2010-05-04 on G41R2F1
> I get
> (getenv "ProgramFiles(x86)")
> "C:\\Program Files (x86)"
> (getenv "ProgramFiles")
> "C:\\Program Files (x86)"
[...]
> In Emacs, both the "ProgramFiles*" environment variables give the same
> result.  I don't think that should be correct behavior.

I know close to nothing about Windows, but I expect this has nothing to
do with Emacs itself but instead it's a feature of the OS, where
%ProgramFiles% returns "C:\Program Files" when running a 64bit program
and "C:\Program Files (x86)" when running a 32bit program (and
apparently your Emacs was compiled as a 32bit program).


        Stefan

bug#6115: 64 bit windows environment variables

[Martin Maechler]

>>>>> "SM" == Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca>
>>>>>     on Thu, 06 May 2010 09:16:28 -0400 writes:

    >>> From the MS Windows 64 bit CMD window I get
    >> c:\>echo %ProgramFiles(x86)%
    >> C:\Program Files (x86)
    >> c:\>echo %ProgramFiles%
    >> C:\Program Files
    SM> [...]
    >> GNU Emacs 23.1.97.1 (i386-mingw-nt6.1.7600) of 2010-05-04 on G41R2F1
    >> I get
    >> (getenv "ProgramFiles(x86)")
    >> "C:\\Program Files (x86)"
    >> (getenv "ProgramFiles")
    >> "C:\\Program Files (x86)"
    SM> [...]
    >> In Emacs, both the "ProgramFiles*" environment variables give the same
    >> result.  I don't think that should be correct behavior.

    SM> I know close to nothing about Windows, but I expect this has nothing to
    SM> do with Emacs itself but instead it's a feature of the OS, where
    SM> %ProgramFiles% returns "C:\Program Files" when running a 64bit program
    SM> and "C:\Program Files (x86)" when running a 32bit program (and
    SM> apparently your Emacs was compiled as a 32bit program).

BTW: Also note that this is *VERY MUCH* dependent on the
     "locale" where you use Windoze, i.e. typically on the
     language chosen there.

IIRC, in German its "C:\Programme", in French "C:\Programmes"
but I'm pretty sure there are important languages where the
string does not even start with "Program".

For this reason, it's very important that good Windoze software
does *NOT* use any such "C:\Progr*" strings, but rather uses the 
environment variables instead, as inidicated
by Stefan's example Emacs-lisp code above.

Thank you, Stefan!

Martin Maechler, ETH Zurich