CDE: Common Desktop Environment

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To Set Personal Environment Variables

Personal environment variables can be set in the script file HomeDirectory/.dtprofile.

Edit HomeDirectory/.dtprofile
Add lines to the file to set the environment variable

The desktop will accept either sh or ksh syntax for the commands in this file. The commands should only be those that set environment variables, not any that perform terminal I/O, ex. “tset” or “stty”.


	By default, the files HomeDirectory/.profile and HomeDirectory/.login are NOT read by the desktop, as they may contain terminal I/O based command inappropriate for a graphical interface. These files ARE read if the last line of .dtprofile is uncommented; the line reads DTSOURCEPROFILE=true.

The desktop automatically sets the following environment variables for each user:

DISPLAY       set to the value of the first field in the Xservers file

EDITOR        set to the desktop default editor

HOME         set to the user's home directory (from /etc/passwd)

KBD_LANG     set to the value of $LANG for some languages (see
               Xsession)

LANG          set to the display's current NLS language (if any)

LC_ALL,       set to the value of $LANG
LC_MESSAGES

LOGNAME     set to the user name

MAIL          set to ``/var/mail/$USER''

PATH          set to the value of the Dtlogin ``userPath'' resource

USER          set to the user name

SHELL         set to the user's default shell (from /etc/passwd)

TERM          set to dtterm

TZ            set to the system's zone or to the value of the Dtlogin
               ``timeZone'' resource

NOTE

Errors in .dtprofile or .profile (.login) may prevent a successful
login. If so, log in via the failsafe session and correct the error. To
see errors in a failsafe session, view the $HOME/.dt/startlog file.

NOTE

If a terminal emulator is started with the -ls option, .login or
.profile will be read automatically.

To Log In to and Out of a Failsafe Session

A failsafe session is a simple session that optionally starts a single Terminal window. It is useful when you need access to a single Terminal window to execute several commands before logging in to a desktop session.

To Log In

On the login screen, Choose Session from the Options menu.
Choose Failsafe Session from the Session submenu.
Log in.
```
To Log Out
```
- Type the exit command in the Terminal window.

Cursor Key Mode

Cursor Key Mode (see “Cursor Keys, VT220 Mode” is either Normal (the default) or Application. In Normal mode, the cursor keys move the cursor in the specified direction. In Application mode, the cursor keys generate escape sequences that the application uses for its own purpose.