[Development] Naming of path/directory-related environment variables in Qt

[Mitch Curtis]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Development [mailto:development-bounces+mitch.curtis=qt.io at qt-
> project.org] On Behalf Of Christian Kandeler
> Sent: Friday, 11 November 2016 4:42 PM
> To: development at qt-project.org
> Subject: Re: [Development] Naming of path/directory-related environment
> variables in Qt
> 
> On 11/11/2016 04:13 PM, Mitch Curtis wrote:
> > I'd like to establish some kind of convention for naming path/directory-
> related environment variables in Qt, with the hope that it could be set in
> stone with e.g. one of these newfangled QUIPs.
> >
> > Pelagicore (via Gordan) kindly contributed a patch to Qt Virtual Keyboard,
> where they introduced a QT_VIRTUALKEYBOARD_LAYOUTS_FOLDER
> environment variable:
> >
> > https://codereview.qt-project.org/#/c/174616/
> >
> > I then asked Gordan to change this to
> QT_VIRTUALKEYBOARD_LAYOUTS_DIR, as it seemed we had a few other
> environment variables using this naming scheme.
> >
> > JP then pushed a patch that adds QT_QUICK_CONTROLS_STYLE_PATH to
> Qt Quick Controls 2:
> >
> > https://codereview.qt-project.org/#/c/176512/
> >
> > He found more examples of where we've used "PATH" than where we
> used "DIR", so it seems like a good time to continue with that trend so that
> we don't have any more inconsistencies.
> >
> > My hope is that enough approvers see this email (or QUIP) and its
> conclusion (whatever it may be) and -1 patches that go against the
> convention.
> >
> > So, can we all agree on using "PATH" when naming environment variables
> that refer to paths?
> 
> But note that "path" is more generic than "dir": A "file path" is not
> (necessarily) a directory. So the latter name conveys more information to me
> as a user.

I agree, and that's something I thought of too, but then I thought about PATH in Windows and it didn't seem so strange.

> 
> Christian
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