Re: [h-e-w] How to specify the initial dired directory

[Jay Bingham]

John,

Now that I think about it I have a vague recollection of setting the Start in: field on the shortcut property dialog back when I set up Emacs to run in the Windoze environment. Unfortunately when I installed Emacs 23.2 I deleted the icon I used to start Emacs21.3 so I threw away my model.
I set it to C:\ and started a new version of emacs, it came up with C:\ as the default directory.
I don't remember where I originally learned about doing that, I am pretty sure that I did not come up with that concept on my own. (Browsing to http://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/MsWindowsInstallation I see that the information is present on that page).
It would sure be nice if it were mentioned somewhere in the Info nodes. Does any one have any suggestions on how to make that happen? Would that be considered a bug or is it a wish list item?

__
J_)
C_)ingham

---------- Original Message ----------
From: "Jay Bingham" <address@hidden>
To: address@hidden
Subject: Re: [h-e-w] How to specify the initial dired directory
Date: Thu, 28 Oct 2010 16:24:52 GMT

John,

I am launching emacs from an Icon (shortcut). There is nothing in the Start in: field of the icon's properties.

__
J_)
C_)ingham

---------- Original Message ----------
From: John A Pershing Jr <address@hidden>
To: Jay Bingham <address@hidden>
Cc: address@hidden
Subject: Re: [h-e-w] How to specify the initial dired directory
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 2010 21:49:31 -0400

 Jay,
 
 How are you launching Emacs?  If you're double-clicking on an       icon, then open the icon's Properties and check the 'Start in'       directory.  I'm not positive, but I think that this is what Emacs       uses on Windoze systems.  $HOME is used (by Emacs) to find the       .emacs startup file, not for it's initial directory.
 
   -jp
 
 
 On 10/27/2010 2:34 AM, Jay Bingham wrote:
> It has been a while since I have actively followed this mailing list. But a situation has arisen for which I cannot find an answer and rather than spend any more time fruitlessly searching the info nodes I am appealing to the brilliant minds on this list.
>
> I recently upgraded to emacs 23.2 on my windows XP PC after years of using 21.3. (I completely missed all of version 22. There were a few things that are different in the way 23.2 initializes, I have figured out how to overcome all but one. And despite searching the info nodes I cannot find the answer for it).
> In 21.3 when I brought it up the directory that would open when I first invoked dired was the c:\\\\ directory now when I bring up 23.2 the directory that opens is c:\\\\Documents and Settings\\\\USERNAME. This is unacceptable. I do not want that to be the default directory. My HOME environment variable is set to c:\\\\ which would be acceptable.
> I seem to recall from years ago when I was using emacs much more at work that there was a variable that could be set to specify the initial directory, but I cannot remember what it was. I have searched the list of variables in the Info nodes and nothing jumps out at me as the variable that will do this.  Does this variable still exist and if so can someone tell me what it is?
> While you are at it can you tell me why even though my HOME environment variable is set to c:\\\\ this is not the directory that dired defaults to like info says it should.
> __
> J_)
> C_)ingham
>
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