Using SCENOME.INI

Fundamental program elements are elements without which ScenomePlatform cannot run. Upon startup, a ScenomePlatform application searches for fundamental program elements, including:

• Registry Settings
• XML Interface Definition File
• Plugins
• Scripts
• Icons

The location of some of this data is relatively easy to discern.

• Registry Settings. Found in the registry.
• XML Interface Definition. The location of this file is stored in the registry and inside SCENOME.EXE.
• Plugins are found in the \PLUGINS subdirectory of the folder in which SCENOME.EXE is stored.
• The first time a ScenomePlatform application runs, scripts are found in the \SCRIPTS subdirectory of the folder in which SCENOME.EXE is stored.
• Icon locations are defined inside the script.

There are many versions of Windows® and many of those version have different storage requirements for users who do not have full administrative access to their hard drives. The next section discusses ScenomePlatform's installation and content location defaults.

Default Installation

Many users on corporate networks do not have full administrative access to their hard drives. For this reason, ScenomePlatform is configured to install content in directories that conform to Windows® standards. This typically means installing some data inside each of the following folders:

• PROGRAM FILES\SCENOMICS
• APPLICATION DATA\SCENOMICS
• MY DOCUMENTS\SCENOMICS

There are four main groups of content installed with ScenomePlatform:

• ScenomePlatform Application Binaries
• ScenomePlatform API
• Sample Databases
• Interface Definition File And Preferences

During install, this content is mapped and/or installed in the following locations:

• ScenomePlatform Application Binaries. PROGRAM FILES\SCENOMICS
• ScenomePlatform API. PROGRAM FILES\SCENOMICS
• Sample Databases. \MY DOCUMENTS\SCENOMICS
• Interface Definition File And Preferences \APPLICATION DATA\SCENOMICS
• Shader #include File Resolution. \MY DOCUMENTS\SCENOMICS\CONTENT

If you use the default installation settings, all ScenomePlatform applications operate normally, although it is sometimes a hassle to store application data in different locations. Because of Windows® security features, errors may result if you move content around on your hard disk without informing ScenomePlatform.

Here's how you override the ScenomePlatform application's default configuration.

Overriding Installation

SCENOME.EXE has the capability to load a file called SCENOME.INI that determines the working directory for the application. You might create an instance of SCENOME.INI and place this file, along with a complete ScenomePlatform installation, inside C:\SCENOME. SCENOME.INI instructs Scenome.exe to look for its preferences file and interface definition file in this folder instead. Similarly, this file will instruct Scenome.exe to resolve GLSL include #paths relative to C:\SCENOMEPLATFORM\CONTENT\SHADERS.

Creating A Custom, Single Directory Install

While ScenomePlatform's current installation features conform to Windows® standards, these standards often create inconvenience for application developers who wish to have all ScenomePlatform files in a single directory. NOTE: This procedure only works if you have full administrative access to your hard disk.

1. Make sure there are no ScenomePlatform applications running.
2. Create a base ScenomePlatform directory in a suitable folder such as C:\SCENOMEPLATFORM.
3. Move the contents of \PROGRAM FILES\SCENOMICS into C:\SCENOMEPLATFORM.
4. Move the contents of \MY DOCUMENTS\SCENOMICS into C:\SCENOMEPLATFORM.
5. Move the contents of \APPLICATION DATA\SCENOMICS into C:\SCENOMEPLATFORM.
6. The folder C:\SCENOMEPLATFORM looks like this:
   • \API
   • \APPLICATIONS
   • \ICONS
   • \PLUGINS
   • \PREFERENCES
   • \SCRIPTS
   • \SAMPLES
   • \TEMPLATES
   • SCENOME.EXE
   • SCENOME.XML
   • Et cetera
7. Modify SCRIPT.INI as needed to change file paths for the scripts. This means most of your script paths change to C:\SCENOME\SCRIPTS\MY_SCRIPT.SSL and so forth.

Create SCENOME.INI

Create a custom initialization file after creating the custom installation.

1. Create an ASCII text file named C:\SCENOME\SCENOME.INI and type the following:

   [Override]
   LocalPrefs=1
   ;PrefsPath=C:/SCENOMEPLATFORM/
   ;InterfacePath=C:/SCENOMEPLATFORM/Scenome.xml
               

This has the following effects:

• MY DOCUMENTS folder is mapped to C:\SCENOMEPLATFORM\CONTENT.
• USER APPLICATION DATA folder is mapped to C:\SCENOMEPLATFORM\.
• PREFERENCES folder is mapped to C:\SCENOMEPLATFORM\PREFERENCES.
• DEFAULT.BOX is expected inside C:\SCENOMEPLATFORM\CONTENT.
• SCENOME.XML is expected inside C:\SCENOMEPLATFORM.