[GRASS-dev] GRASS_RENDER_IMMEDIATE in GRASS7

[Glynn Clements]

Martin Landa wrote:

> > Note that 6.x also understands e.g. "GRASS_RENDER_IMMEDIATE=PS" (the
> > only "immediate" drivers available in 6.x are PNG and PS; others
> > require the use of a monitor).
> >
> > IOW, the usage is the same in 6.x and 7.0, except that 7.0 doesn't
> > recognise "FALSE" (you'll just get the default driver; cairo if it's
> > available, PNG otherwise).
> 
> AFAIU all display drivers in G7 are "immediate", monitors as
> implemented in G6 has been removed in G7. Right?

Right. Hence GRASS_RENDER_IMMEDIATE=FALSE not being valid.

> > Some of these environment variables might be better off as GRASS
> > variables; this would allow them to be controlled through modules,
> > rather than requiring the user to set them on the command line.
> 
> That's right, some of them started as shell variables (GRASS_GUI) and
> later became GRASS variables (e.g. GRASS_GUI) without changing the
> variable name. Manual page variables.html became quite outdated by
> time. I would incline to minimalize shell variables if possible. Could
> we collect minimal group of shell variable which we need?

The only ones which absolutely have to be environment variables are
those which are used by code which isn't part of GRASS, e.g. PATH,
LD_LIBRARY_PATH, PAGER, etc. Plus GISRC, obviously.

For anything which is part of GRASS, it's our choice as to whether to
use environment variables or $GISRC variables.

-- 
Glynn Clements <glynn at gclements.plus.com>