How can I add to the INFOPATH

[wilville]

I am installing some software which, for a multitude of reasons, must be installed in an out of the way directory. It is not a problem to add this to the PATH and MANPATH environment variables, but there does not seem to be a corresponding INFOPATH variable, at least not that seems to be paid attention to. But I would think this is a fairly common thing to want to do. Anyone have any helpful advice about extending info's idea of a path to search such that both existing software and the newly installed stuff can be found?

Thanks!!
Wilville ( who has a brother Orbur )

 

[ericbrunson]

I'm not sure I understand the question. If you set the environment variable INFOPATH, then info will read it as a colon separated list of directories to search for info files.

 

[wilville]

That's what I thought as well. But it seems to ignore my setting or else just take the last entry as the whole path. I can't even tell you what causes the different moods to use the first or the last entry.

Thanks!!
Wilville ( who has a brother Orbur )

 

[ericbrunson]

Read the info page on "info", the index will take you to an entry for DIRECTORYPATH which mentions the INFOPATH variable. Maybe you can find some more on it from there.

 

[wilville]

In an "AHA!" moment I found it. There was a dir file about the middle of the INFOPATH that was apparently on a bad spot on disk, since it never read the same twice. Hmmmmm. Pretty good clue. But not what I would have looked for first. Leaving it in place, changing the name and rebuilding it cleaned up the problem. Fortunately it had only a handful of entries and I had the install materials for all the software involved.

Thanks!!

Wilville ( who has a brother Orbur )

 

[ericbrunson]

Well, that was a very weird one to figure out, good job. Thanks for posting back to the forum.