Starting with alternate ini file

Hello everybody

I am using Eudora 7.0 and I don't seem to be able to get eudora to use
another *.ini file. The Eudora help file says "put a second parameter on the
command". Does that mean the location of the *ini file HAS to be the SECOND
parameter? But what if I don't have a FIRST parameter. The help file seems
to be implying that the first parameter is the location of the mails. But
what if I'm happy with the default location for mails?

Thank you all in advance.

Don't worry about counting the parameters :)

If you take any present Eudora shortcut
which works with your current mail folder,
and then append an additional parameter to the command line
(a/k/a "Target," in the shortcut's Properties)
to specify the alternate INI file (just its name
if it's in the same directory, or its full path otherwise),
then the same shortcut should start Eudora
in the usual folder, but using your alternate INI file;
you could try that and see, which may save the trouble
of reading all the rest of this :)

The complete, exhaustive info on commands for starting Eudora
is in the built-in Eudora Help (or the PDF manual)
in the section "Name and Location of the INI File"
within topic "EUDORA.INI Settings File"

The examples given there for possible command line formats are:

  To use the Eudora.ini that is in the mail directory:
  c:\apps\eudora.exe     c:\mymail

  To use a different INI file that is in the same mail directory:
  c:\apps\eudora.exe     c:\mymail     myeudora.ini
  [or]
  c:\apps\eudora.exe     c:\mymail\myeudora.ini

  To specify a different INI file that is not in the mail directory:
  c:\apps\eudora.exe     c:\mymail     c:\inis\myeudora.ini

All of the command line examples above explicitly include the path
to the mail directory (data folder), which is displayed
in Help > About (in recent versions) so you can locate it;
however, there's even more:

  If the first parameter is an INI filename without a path,
  then the mail directory is searched through the normal process
  of checking the EUDORA environment variable
  and then using the executable directory.

  Examples:

  SET EUDORA=c:\mymail
  Command Line: c:\apps\eudora.exe myeudora.ini
  will use c:\mymail as the mail directory
  and c:\mymail\myeudora.ini as the INI file.

  SET EUDORA=myeudora.ini
  Command Line: c:\apps\eudora.exe
  will use c:\apps as the mail directory
  and c:\apps\myeudora.ini as the INI file.

-[ ]-

My problem is that after putting the alternate ini file on the command line
and clicking "ok", windows gave me an error message:

"
The name 'C:\Program Files\Qualcomm\Eudora\Eudora.exe eudora.in0' specified
in the Target box is not valid. Make sure the path and file name are
correct.
"

I have tried putting "eudora.in0" inside the double quotes as well as
outside; I've also tried to give the full path name, but all to no avail.
The same error message appeared. That was what drove me to pose the question
on this news group.

Thanks.

 XXXX@XXXXX.COM  wrote in




That is correct - the name is invalid.  The suffix has to be ini.  That 
suffix ("extension") tells the operating system what kind of file it is.  
If it's not an ini file, it couldn't work, unless you did something 
really intricate and special.
I suggest you call the file eudora0.ini, and use that inside the quotes.

So 2 steps:
1.  Rename the ini file to be a true ini file (I think that ini stands 
for initialization, or "telling the program what parameters to use")
2.  Enter the corrected filename in the Target box


Good try, but wrong "language".  Windows no speak "in0" <smile>.


-- 
Best regards
Han 
email address is invalid

As a general rule, the sooner one discloses the true details
of what's happening, the sooner the real issue can be identified;
it will save both OP's time and reponder's time
to "cut to the chase" ASAP!

A command line is parsed into separate fields by assuming
that "whitespace" separates them, but if there is whitespace
within a field, then you must quote the field.  If you
"overdo" the quoting, inserting two separate fields
within one set of quotes, then that looks like just one field
to the poor dumb command interpreter,
which will not understand what you meant.

"C:\Program Files\Qualcomm\Eudora\Eudora.exe"  "eudora.in0"
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  ^^^^^^^^^^^^

You don't have to quote fields which contain no space,
but there is no harm in doing so.

Note that there must still be space
*between* the quoted fields.

If Windows gives that message, then the very first path
(which must be to locate Eudora.exe) is incorrect;
if Eudora starts but then says it can't find your file,
try specifying the full path for everything
(I don't know whether Eudora objects to not using
".ini" in the INI file name, but when having problems
with software, it's often best to appease it
by trying to give it whatever it might possibly want,
just like any boss :)

-[ ]-

Thank you all.

Putting "eudora.in0" in separate quotes solved the problem.

Yes, I agree I should have been more precise with my question.