Miscellaneous Environment Variables (Windows CE 5.0)

The following table contains miscellaneous environment variables.

Environment variable Description
BUILD_MULTIPROCESSOR Used by Build.exe in the IDE.

Specifies the number of processes launched simultaneously when running a build. This number can be more or less than the number of processors on the development workstation.

The default setting is 1.

It might take several trials to determine the optimal setting for your development workstation, which depends on factors including the number of processors, amount of RAM, and disk performance.

The optimal setting decreases the amount of time Platform Builder requires to complete a build. A setting larger than the optimal one can increase the amount of time required.

Note   The Build.exe command-line argument -M overrides BUILD_MULTIPROCESSOR if the environment variable is set. For more information, see Build Tool.

If you set this environment variable, for more information on synchronizing running build processes, see SYNCHRONIZE_BLOCK and SYNCHRONIZE_DRAIN.

BUILDREL_USE_COPY Used by BuildRel.bat when copying files into the flat release directory. By default, BuildRel.bat uses copylink to copy files. If you experience a sharing violation during the copy phase, you can set BUILDREL_USE_COPY=1 to instruct BuildRel.bat to use xcopy.
CPLMAIN_LP Set to L

Specifies the Handheld PC (H/PC)–style Control Panel.

Set to P

Specifies the Pocket PC–style Control Panel.

For more information, see Using Applications in Landscape and Portrait Modes.

LOCALE Used by Makeimg.exe. Defines the target locale for localizing the build environment.

For more information about setting the LOCALE environment variable, see OS Localization.

PBCONFIG Defines the combination of BSP and debug or release settings for the current build.
RI_SUPPRESS_INFO Specifies that output from Romimage is limited to a list of errors and the completion list.

To limit the output from Romimage on the Build tab of the output window, set RI_SUPPRESS_INFO to all.

_TGTCPUFAMILY Defines the CPU family for a BSP.
_TGTPLAT Defines the name of the BSP.
WINCEDEBUG Specifies whether debugging information is generated in object files.
Note   This environment variable is case sensitive.

Set to "retail"

Does not generate debugging information in object files; object files are placed in the Release directory.

Because this setting allows compiler optimization, using the debugger is not recommended. The debugger could highlight the wrong source line if the compiler rearranges code.

This is the default setting.

Set to "debug"

Generates debugging information in object files; object files are placed in the Debug directory.

Compiler optimizations are also disabled.

WINCEREL Used by Makeimg.exe.

Set

Releases the built components into the %_FLATRELEASEDIR% directory and into the Public directory.

When you have a build set up, you can make incremental changes, rebuild a component, and make a new run-time image without rerunning the Build Release Directory tool, Buildrel.bat.

Microsoft recommends this setting.

Not set

Releases the built components only into the Public directory.

This is the default setting.

WINCESHIP Specifies whether this build is for shipping or testing. This is only available in release configurations, and is hidden in debug configurations.

Set

The OS does not generate debug messages. Defines the compile time flag -DSHIP_BUILD, so it can be used to conditionally compile code.

Not set

The OS generates verbose debug messages to aid final testing.

The following table contains miscellaneous environment variables that you can use to specify directory paths. Many of these are set up in Wince.bat.

Environment variable Description
_WINCEROOT Defines the root directory.

If you have enough space on a single partition, create a root directory on that partition, such as C:\WINCE500, and install the OS under it.

To do this, set %_WINCEROOT% to the full root directory path.

_FLATRELEASEDIR Defines the directory where the released source code and binary files will be placed.

The default is %_WINCEROOT%\PBWorkspaces\%_TGTPROJ%\RelDir\%_TGTPLAT%\%_TGTCPUFAMILY%_Release.

PBWORKSPACEROOT Defines the location of the current Platform Builder workspace.

The default is %_WINCEROOT%\PBWorkspaces\%_TGTPROJ%.

However, if you have placed your root directory in a location other than the default, that location is used as the definition for %PBWORKSPACEROOT%.

_PLATFORMROOT Defines the location of the Platform directory.

The default is %_WINCEROOT%\Platform.

_PRIVATEROOT Defines the location of an alternate root directory, such as a directory to contain a different Set Environment Variable tool, Setenv.bat.

You can set this variable to point to a directory of your choice.

The default is %_WINCEROOT%\Private.

_PROJECTOAKROOT Defines the location of the Oak directory for your project.

During the build process, Build.exe places the files it builds in this directory.

The default is %_PROJECTROOT%\Oak.

_PROJECTROOT Defines the location of the project you are building; for example, %_PBWORKSPACEROOT%\WINCE500\%PBCONFIG%.
_PUBLICROOT Defines the location of public projects.

The default is %_WINCEROOT%\Public.

_SDKROOT Defines the location of the tools you use to build projects, such as the command-line compiler, linker, debugger, and run-time libraries.

The default is %_WINCEROOT%\SDK.

_TGTPROJ Defines the name of the current active workspace.
USING_PB_WORKSPACE Specifies whether you are working in a build environment opened from the IDE.

If this is set, the build environment was launched from the IDE. Otherwise, this is not present in Setenv.bat.

For more information, see Using the Set Environment Variable Tool.

See Also

Environment Variables | BSP Environment Variables | BSP_NO Environment Variables | IMG Environment Variables | PRJ Environment Variables

Last updated on Thursday, February 02, 2006

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