[GRASS-dev] GRASS_EXTRA_PATHS and GRASS_EXTRA_LIBS for importing extra working environments?

[Alessandro Frigeri]

Hello,

Since I'm using GRASS(6.4.0RC6) concurrently with other software suites
for image pre-processing, I'd like to propose an enhancement that will
encourage some interesting applications of GRASS GIS combined with other
tools that setup a working environment like grass.

At the moment I'm using system's LD_LIBRARY_PATH for adding specific
extra libs, and GRASS_ADDON_PATH to add extra scripts and executables I
want to use within GRASS GIS.

Especially for the case of some specific libraries, these are mostly
useful within the data analysis session -- and are not useful as
system-wide libraries, so I ended up with a custom Init.sh script that
set them for me within the GRASS session.  

To enable a generic concurrent use of other software tools within the
GRASS session, maybe we can enable Init.sh to read two new environmental
variables: 

GRASS_EXTRA_PATH and GRASS_EXTRA_LIB, 

to be set by the user before the session, and then to be added to the
PATH and GRASS_LD_LIBRARY_PATH by the Init.sh.

Maybe there is a more smart or more safe way to do it, this is just an
idea from which to start on.

Regards,

Alessandro


-- 
Alessandro Frigeri, PhD
University of Perugia, Italy