Temporary Directory Configuration File Format
This section describes the format of the temporary directory configuration files. The format is the same for files at all four levels: user_machine, user, install_machine, and install. These files are text files; you can use any text editor to modify or create temporary directory configuration files.
An example temporary directory configuration file is shown below:
$begin 'Config'
tempdirectory='C:/TEMP/AnsysEM'
$end 'Config'
The temporary directory specified by this configuration file is C:/TEMP/AnsysEM.
Additional notes:
- The string containing the path name of the temporary directory must be enclosed in single quotes.
- The forward slash / and back slash \ are directory separators on Windows.
- The back slash \ is an escape character in the tempdirectory string. That is, this character removes the special meaning of the following character.
- The single quote character normally ends the tempdirectory string. The back slash may be used to remove this special meaning, and include a single quote in the string.
- To use a back slash as a directory separator on Windows, it must be escaped. That is, a double back slash \\ denotes a single directory separator.
- On Windows, a UNC path normally begins with two back slash characters. In a tempdirectory string, each of these back slash characters must be doubled, so four consecutive back slashes \\\\ are used in the config file.
UNC Example
Config file:
$begin 'Config'
tempdirectory='\\\\hostxyz\\TEMP\\abc'
$end 'Config'
Here hostxyz is a host with a sharename TEMP having subdirectory abc used as the temporary directory. This shows that four back slashes are required for UNC names and that back slashes used as directory separators must be doubled.
Single Quote Example
Config file:
$begin 'Config'
tempdirectory='C:/TEMP/ab\'cd'
$end 'Config'
Temporary directory is C:/TEMP/ab'cd. This shows how to include a single quote in a temp directory path name. It also shows that forward slashes may be used as directory separators on Windows.
Related Topics
User Options and the Update Registry Tool
Example Adding a Host Independent User Option Setting
Example for Setting the Temporary Directory