[gs-devel] Environment Variables

[Ken Sharp]

At 04:16 14/04/2010 -0700, lsulton wrote:

>Is there a straightforward way to "permanently" set GS environment
>variables? Specifically, I want to render ALL PDFs created with GS at 600
>dpi ... the software that's calling GS doesn't have the ability to include a
>"switch", so I want to sort of set-it-and-forget-it ... make sense?

Well, the resolution generally has little effect on a PDF output, this only 
matters when an input primitive cannot be represented as an output 
primitive and must be converted to an image. In general we try to avoid 
those. The only case I can think of at the moment is if you set 
-dUseCIEColor=true and have certain kinds of gradient fill but there are 
probablly others.

Anyway, the GS_OPTIONS environment variable allows you to create a set of 
options just as if you were typing them at the command line.

On Windows you can set the environment variable in a command shell, which 
will only persist for the life of the shell, and only be defined within 
that shell.

Alternatively (and generally more usefully) you can set an environment 
variable for the system. Use Control Panel->System, select 'Advanced System 
settings' on the list to the left and OK the UAC dialog if you get one. 
Press the 'environment variables' button on the resulting dialog.

Press the 'New' button, set the variable name to GS_OPTIONS variable, and 
define its value.


Please note the instructions above are for Windows Vista, I don't have a 
copy of Windows Server 2003, though I believe its similar.


             Ken