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\chapter{Customizing Andrew

}
\section{What customizing is

}\leftindent{
Many aspects of Andrew can be changed to suit the way you like to work. 
 Sometimes the \italic{default} settings (that is, the settings that are 
established for you automatically) for different services are not right for 
you.  For example, you might like to use a different font for your documents 
than is used by default or have your system prompt to be something other than 
the system name followed by a percent sign (%).  Changing the default settings 
for various features or services is called \italic{customizing} or 
\italic{customization}.  

}
\section{Files used for customizing Andrew

}\leftindent{
There are several different ways to make different kinds of changes to Andrew. 
 The following files in your home directory are all used to control different 
defaults:


preferences

.cshrc.mine

.environment

.path

.\italic{programname}init

.Xresources (if you are using Andrew with the X servers)


Note the dot or period in front of the last five filenames.  Files with a dot 
at the beginning of their names are sometimes called "dot files" and they do 
not appear when you do a regular listing of the files in your home directory 
using the \italic{ls} command.  In order to see them, you have to give the 
command


	ls -a


when you're in your home directory.  These files can be edited just like any 
other files with commands such as


	ez .cshrc.mine


\bold{Be careful, though, not to put any \italic{styles} into a dot file.}  If 
you accidentally do, be sure to select the \bold{whole} file and execute 
\bold{Plainest} on the \italic{Front} menu card before you save and exit ez.


In addition to editing and changing these five files, often you can also 
change certain aspects of a program from inside that program's window while 
you are using the program.  \italic{Messages} is a good example of a program 
that offers its users many customization options.  


Each of the five files listed here is discussed briefly in the sections below.

}
\section{Preferences

}\leftindent{
Many Andrew programs respond to settings in your \italic{.preferences} file. 
 For example, you can control the font that is used in your EZ windows.   Each 
line in your .\italic{preferences} file has the form


	program.option: value


To change the font used in your EZ windows, you would use the preference


	ez.bodyfont: Andy12


The program in this example is \italic{ez}, the option is \italic{bodyfont}, 
and the value is \italic{Andy12}.  The font Andy12 is the default font, a 
serifed font similar to TimesRoman.  You might try AndySans12 if you prefer a 
sans-serifed font.


A list of the most commonly-user preferences and their default settings 
appears in the \italic{preferences} ahelp document. 

}
\section{Modifying .cshrc.mine

}\leftindent{
The file \italic{.cshrc.mine} controls certain features of the UNIX shell, a 
program that interprets commands for the UNIX operating system.  (UNIX is the 
operating system used on Andrew.)  Each of your windows is usually connected 
to a c-shell, which is the kind of UNIX shell that most Andrew users use.  For 
that reason, you can change the prompt that appears in the  window by changing 
.cshrc.mine.  You can also set up \italic{aliases} or short versions of long 
commands that you use frequently.

}
\section{Modifying .environment

}
\leftindent{The file \italic{.environment} is used when you log in to set 
environment variables for your login session and for Andrew.  For example, the 
variable \typewriter{PRINTER} is set to the name of the printer you want files 
sent to by default.  Lines in your .environment file are generally of the 
form:


\programexample{\bold{setenv} \italic{VARIABLENAME} \italic{value}

}
An example of how you would set your default printer to always be linus when 
you log in would be to add the following line to your .environment file:


\typewriter{\programexample{setenv PRINTER linus

}}}
\section{Modifying .path}


\leftindent{If the file .path exists in your home directory, it is presumed to 
contain a complete specification of the list of directories to search for 
programs to run such as emacs or ez.  The path specified in .path is used 
instead of the sytem default path.


Setting .path is useful if you have lockers that you attach often and want the 
executable programs to be found from all command shell windows automatically 
when you log in.


Here is an example of a correct content for .path:


\programexample{set path=($HOME/$bindir $athena_path .)}


This is what your path is set to by default.  The shell variables 
\typewriter{$bindir} and \typewriter{$athena_path} are defined for you by 
system defaults.

}\leftindent{
}\section{Customizing ATK programs}

\leftindent{
You can customize some aspects of \bold{ATK} programs by creating "init" or 
initialization files and storing them in your home directory.  The naming 
convention for such an init file is .\italic{programname}init, where 
\italic{programname} is the name of the program you want to adapt.  Initfiles 
are generally used to add additional functions (via keybindings or menus) to a 
program's interface when the program is starting up.  For details about 
initialization files, see the \italic{initfiles} ahelp document.

}
\section{.Xresources}


\leftindent{Preference-type settings that control certain aspects of the 
Andrew window manager can be made in the file called  \italic{.Xresources}  in 
your home directory.   The file .Xresources controls how some parts of the X 
window manager behave.}


\section{Using the andrew locker by default}


\leftindent{The \bold{andrew} locker is where all the most recent versions 
(that may still contain bugs) of Andrew applications and software exist.  Some 
of these applications are not currently supported (e.g. zip, chart, bush, 
etc.)  on the system and are therefore not available to you by default when 
you log in.  The only way to access unsupported Andrew software is through the 
andrew locker.  The following steps describe how to modify your dotfiles so 
that you use the andrew locker by default.  Adding these lines to the 
appropriate dotfiles means that when you log in, all your windows will 
automatically know about \bold{all} the andrew applications including the 
unsupported ones.


Add the line


\programexample{attach andrew

}
to your .environment file, and add


\programexample{/mit/andrew/\{hosttype\}/bin

}
to your search path as specified in your .path file \italic{after} 
\typewriter{$athena_path}.  (Otherwise you will not get Athena olh help when 
you type "help"; you will get the Andrew ahelp program instead.)  For example:


\programexample{set path=($HOME/$bindir $athena_path \\

    /mit/andrew/\{hosttype\}/bin .)

}
If you use \bold{Copy} and \bold{Paste} to put this example in your .path file 
remember to remove all formatting from the example by using the \bold{Plainest} 
menu command immediately after you use \bold{Paste}.


}\section{Related tools}  


Select (highlight) one of the italicized names and choose "Get Help on 
Selected Word" from the pop-up menu to see the ahelp file for:

\leftindent{
\italic{initfiles}  (how to create and use initialization files)

\italic{preferences}  (how to customize certain Andrew programs)

}
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