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Environment Variables

Each operating system and shell uses its own syntax for setting environment variables. This table shows how each OS and shell would set the P4CLIENT environment variable.

OS & Shell
Environment Variable Example

UNIX: ksh, sh, bash

export P4CLIENT=value

UNIX: csh

setenv P4CLIENT value

VMS

def/j P4CLIENT "value"

Mac MPW

set -e P4CLIENT value

Windows 95/NT

Environment variables can be set with

set P4CLIENT=value
but if registry variables are set, they will override the environment variable values. The registry variables can be set in the user-specific part of the registry through the p4 client program with

p4 set P4VAR=value
and can be set in the system registry with p4 set -s P4VAR=value The use of registry variables is recommended.

OS & Shell	Environment Variable Example
UNIX: ksh, sh, bash	`export P4CLIENT=value`
UNIX: csh	`setenv P4CLIENT value`
VMS	`def/j P4CLIENT "value"`
Mac MPW	`set -e P4CLIENT value`
Windows 95/NT	Environment variables can be set with `set P4CLIENT=value` but if registry variables are set, they will override the environment variable values. The registry variables can be set in the user-specific part of the registry through the `p4` client program with p4 set P4VAR=value and can be set in the system registry with `p4 set -s P4VAR=value` The use of registry variables is recommended.

The two tables on this page describe the environment variables used by Perforce. The most important of the variables are described in the first tableThe second table describes the more esoteric variables.

Basic Perforce Environment Variables


Environment Variable	`P4CLIENT`	`P4JOURNAL`	`P4LOG`
Description	Name of client workspace	Database journal file	File to write errors to
Command-Line Alternative	`-c`	`-J`	`-L`
Used by p4?	Yes	No	No
Used by p4d?	No	Yes	Yes
Examples	`eds_elmmanual`	`journal/disk2/perf/journal`	`log/disk2/perf/log`
Value if not Explicitly Set	UNIX: name of `p4` host NT: value of COMPUTERNAME environment variable	`P4ROOT/journal`	standard error
Notes		File is specified relative to `p4d` server root, or as an absolute path. Setting this variable, or using the command-line alternative, enables journaling.	File is specified relative to `p4d` server root, or as an absolute path.
Environment Variable	`P4PORT`	P4ROOT	P4USER
Description	For `p4d` server, port # to listen on. For `p4` client, `p4d` host and its port	Directory in which `p4d` stores its files and subdirectories	Perforce client username
Command-Line Alternative	`-p`	`-r`	`-u`
Used by p4?	Yes	No	Yes
Used by p4d?	Yes	Yes	No
Examples	`p4d` server example: `1515` `p4` client example: `squid:1666 it.com:1308`	`/usr/lcl/ p4root`	`edklisag`
Value if not Explicitly Set	For `p4d` server: `1666` For `p4` client: `perforce:1666`	<none>	UNIX: the value of the `USER` environment variable NT: the value of the `USERNAME` environment variable
Notes	Format on `p4` client is `host:port#`, or `port#` by itself if the `p4` client and the `p4d` server run on the same host. To use the default value with `p4d`, define `perforce` as an alias to the host in `/etc/hosts`, or use the domain name services. Port numbers must be in the range 1024 - 31767.	Create this directory before starting `p4d`. Only the account running `p4d` needs read/write permissions in this directory.	By default, the Perforce username is the same as the OS username, but this can be set to any other Perforce user.

Esoteric Perforce Environment Variables


Environment Variable	`P4DIFF`	`P4EDITOR`	`P4MERGE`
Description	Name and location of the `diff' program used by `p4 resolve` and `p4 diff`.	Editor used by p4 commands, like `p4 client`, that bring up forms	MERGE program used by p4 resolve's merge command
Command-Line Alternative
Used by p4?	Yes	Yes	Yes
Used by p4d?	No	No	No
Examples	`diffdiff -bwindiff`	`viemacsSimpleText`	Prescient Software's `MergeRight`
Value if not Explicitly Set	UNIX: If DIFF is set, then value of DIFF; otherwise `p4's` internal diff NT: If DIFF is set, then value of DIFF; else if `SHELL` set, `diff`; otherwise, `p4diff.exe`	If EDITOR environment variable is set, its value; otherwise: UNIX: `vi` NT: if `SHELL` is set, `vi`; otherwise, `notepad` VMS: if `POSIX$SHELL` is set, `vi`; otherwise, `edit` Mac: if `EDITOR_SIGNATURE` is set, the program with that four-character creator; otherwise, `SimpleText`.	If `MERGE` environment variable is set, its value; otherwise, nothing.
Notes	This EV can contain flags to diff, such as `diff -u`. `p4 describe`, `p4 diff2`, and `p4 submit` use the diff built into `p4d`; this cannot be changed.		This program is used only by `p4 resolve`'s merge command. It takes four arguments, representing base, theirs, yours, and the resulting merge file. Please see page 42 for more details.
Environment Variable	`P4PAGER`	`PWD`	TMP, TEMP
Description	Program used to page output from `p4 resolve`'s `diff.`	The working directory when `p4` commands are run.	Directory in which temporary files are written
Command-Line Alternative		`-d`
Used by p4?	Yes	Yes	Yes
Used by p4d?	No	No	No
Examples	`more`	`/u1/doug/prog`	`/tmp`
Value if not Explicitly Set	If PAGER environment variable is set, then the value of PAGER; otherwise, none.	UNIX: Value of `PWD` as set by shell; if not set by shell, `getwd`() is used. VMS, NT, Mac/MPW: Actual current working directory	UNIX: `/tmp` VMS, Mac/MPW, NT: on client: current directory; on server: $P4ROOT
Notes	Used only by `p4 resolve`. If this variable is not set, the output of p4 resolve's diff will not be paged.		If the `TEMP` environment variable is set, this is used; otherwise, if `TMP` is set, this is used; otherwise, defaults to the values above.

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Command Line User's Guide for PERFORCE
Copyright 1997 Perforce Software. Comments to [email protected].
Last updated: November 20, 1997