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<title>Help on Environment variables</title>
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ENVIRONMENT
 In addition to various "standard" environment variables
 such as HOME, PATH, USER, DISPLAY, TMPDIR, etc, Lynx utilizes
 several Lynx-specific environment variables, <a href=
"#env">if they exist</a>.

Others may be created or modified by Lynx to pass data to
 an external program, or for other reasons. These are
 listed separately <a href="#setenv">below</a>.

See also the sections on <a href=
"#cgi">SIMULATED CGI SUPPORT</a> and
 <a href="#language">NATIVE LANGUAGE SUPPORT</a>, below.

Note: Not all environment variables apply to all types of
 platforms supported by Lynx, though most do. Feedback on
 platform dependencies is solicited. See also <a href=
"#dos">win32/dos</a> specific
 variables.

<a name="env">
Environment Variables Used By Lynx:
</a>
 COLORTERM
 If set, color capability for the terminal
 is forced on at startup time. The actual
 value assigned to the variable is ignored.
 This variable is only meaningful if Lynx
 was built using the slang screen-handling
 library.

LYNX_CFG
                           This variable, if set,  will  override
                           the  default  location and name of the
                           global configuration  file  (normally,
                           lynx.cfg)  that  was  defined  by  the
                           LYNX_CFG_FILE    constant    in    the
                           userdefs.h  file, during installation.
                           See  the  userdefs.h  file  for   more
                           information.

LYNX_HELPFILE
                           If set, this  variable  overrides  the
                           compiled-in URL and configuration file
                           URL for the lynx help file.

LYNX_LOCALEDIR
                           If  set,  this  variable overrides the
                           compiled-in  location  of  the  locale
                           directory  which  contains native lan-
                           guage (NLS) message text.

LYNX_LSS
                           This  variable,  if set, specifies the
                           location of the default Lynx character
                           style  sheet  file.   [Currently  only
                           meaningful if  Lynx  was  built  using
                           experimental color style support.]

LYNX_SAVE_SPACE
                           This  variable,  if set, will override
                           the  default  path  prefix  for  files
                           saved  to  disk that is defined in the
                           lynx.cfg SAVE_SPACE:  statement.   See
                           the lynx.cfg file for more information.

LYNX_TEMP_SPACE
                           This variable, if set,  will  override
                           the  default path prefix for temporary
                           files that was defined during installation,
                           as well as any value that may
                           be assigned to the TMPDIR variable.

LYNX_TRACE
                           If  set,  causes Lynx to write a trace
                           file as if the -trace option were sup-
                           plied.

LYNX_TRACE_FILE
                           If set, overrides the compiled-in name
                           of the trace  file,  which  is  either
                           Lynx.trace or LY-TRACE.LOG (the latter
                           on the DOS platform).  The trace  file
                           is in either case relative to the home
                           directory.

MAIL
                           This variable  specifies  the  default
                           inbox Lynx will check for new mail, if
                           such  checking  is  enabled   in   the
                           lynx.cfg file.

NEWS_ORGANIZATION
                           This  variable,  if  set, provides the
                           string  used  in   the   Organization:
                           header of USENET news postings.  It will
                           override the setting of the ORGANIZATION
                           environment  variable, if it is also set
                           (and, on  UNIX, the contents of an
                            /etc/organization file, if present).

NNTPSERVER
                           If set, this  variable  specifies  the
                           default  NNTP server that will be used
                           for USENET news  reading  and  posting
                           with Lynx, via news: URL's.

ORGANIZATION
                           This  variable,  if  set, provides the
                           string  used  in   the   Organization:
                           header  of  USENET  news postings.  On
                           UNIX, it will override the contents of
                           an /etc/organization file, if present.

PROTOCOL_proxy
 Lynx supports the use of proxy servers
 that can act as firewall gateways and
 caching servers. They are preferable
 to the older gateway servers (see
 WWW_access_GATEWAY, below).
 Each protocol used by Lynx (http, ftp,
 gopher, etc), can be mapped separately
 by setting environment variables of
 the form PROTOCOL_proxy (literally:
 http_proxy, ftp_proxy, gopher_proxy,
 etc), to "http://some.server.dom:port/".
 See <a href=
"#proxy">Proxy details and examples</a>.

WWW_access_GATEWAY
 Lynx still supports use of gateway
 servers, with the servers specified
 via "WWW_access_GATEWAY" variables
 (where "access" is lower case and can
 be "http", "ftp", "gopher" or "wais"),
 however most gateway servers have been
 discontinued. Note that you do not
 include a terminal '/' for gateways,
 but do for proxies specified by PROTOCOL_proxy
 environment variables. See <a href=
"#proxy">Proxy details</a>.

WWW_HOME
                           This  variable,  if set, will override
                           the default startup URL  specified  in
                           any of the Lynx configuration files.

<a name="setenv">
Environment Variables Set or Modified By Lynx:
</a>

LYNX_PRINT_DATE     This  variable  is  set  by  the  Lynx
                           p(rint) function, to the Date:  string
                           seen  in  the  document's "Information
                           about" page (= cmd), if  any.   It  is
                           created  for  use  by an external program,
                           as  defined   in   a   lynx.cfg
                           PRINTER: definition statement.  If the
                           field does not exist for the document,
                           the  variable  is set to a null string
                           under UNIX, or "No Date" under VMS.

LYNX_PRINT_LASTMOD  This  variable  is  set  by  the  Lynx
                           p(rint)  function,  to  the  Last Mod:
                           string seen in the document's  "Information
                           about"  page  (= cmd), if any.
                           It is created for use by  an  external
                           program,  as  defined  in  a  lynx.cfg
                           PRINTER: definition statement.  If the
                           field does not exist for the document,
                           the variable is set to a  null  string
                           under UNIX, or "No LastMod" under VMS.

LYNX_PRINT_TITLE    This  variable  is  set  by  the  Lynx
                           p(rint)  function,  to  the  Linkname:
                           string seen in the document's  "Information
                           about"  page  (= cmd), if any.
                           It is created for use by  an  external
                           program,  as  defined  in  a  lynx.cfg
                           PRINTER: definition statement.  If the
                           field does not exist for the document,
                           the variable is set to a  null  string
                           under UNIX, or "No Title" under VMS.

LYNX_PRINT_URL      This  variable  is  set  by  the  Lynx
                           p(rint) function, to the  URL:  string
                           seen  in  the  document's "Information
                           about" page (= cmd), if  any.   It  is
                           created  for  use  by an external program,
                           as  defined   in   a   lynx.cfg
                           PRINTER: definition statement.  If the
                           field does not exist for the document,
                           the  variable  is set to a null string
                           under UNIX, or "No URL" under VMS.

LYNX_VERSION        This variable is always set  by  Lynx,
                           and may be used by an external program
                           to determine  if  it  was  invoked  by
                           Lynx.   See  also  the comments in the
                           distribution's  sample  mailcap  file,
                           for notes on usage in such a file.

SSL_CERT_DIR        Set to the directory containing trusted
                           certificates.

SSL_CERT_FILE       Set to the full path and filename  for
                           your file of trusted certificates.

TERM                Normally,  this  variable  is  used by
                           Lynx to determine  the  terminal  type
                           being  used  to invoke Lynx.  If, however,
                           it is unset at startup time  (or
                           has  the  value  "unknown"), or if the
                           -term  command-line option is used,
                           Lynx will set or modify its value
                           to the user specified  terminal type
                           (for the Lynx execution   environment).
                           Note: If set/modified by Lynx, the values of
                           the LINES and/or  COLUMNS  environment
                           variables may also be changed.

<a name="cgi">
SIMULATED CGI SUPPORT
</a>
 If built with the cgi-links option enabled, Lynx allows
 access to a cgi script directly without the need for an
 http daemon.

When executing such "lynxcgi scripts"  (if  enabled),  the
       following  variables may be set for simulating a CGI environment:

CONTENT_LENGTH

CONTENT_TYPE

DOCUMENT_ROOT

HTTP_ACCEPT_CHARSET

HTTP_ACCEPT_LANGUAGE

HTTP_USER_AGENT

PATH_INFO

PATH_TRANSLATED

QUERY_STRING

REMOTE_ADDR

REMOTE_HOST

REQUEST_METHOD

SERVER_SOFTWARE

Other environment  variables  are  not  inherited  by  the
       script, unless they are provided via a LYNXCGI_ENVIRONMENT
       statement in the configuration  file.   See  the  lynx.cfg
       file,    and    the    (draft)   CGI   1.1   Specification
       &lt;http://Web.Golux.Com/coar/cgi/draft-coar-cgi-v11-00.txt&gt;
       for the definition and usage of these variables.

The CGI Specification, and other associated documentation,
       should be consulted for general information on CGI  script
       programming.

<a name="language">
NATIVE LANGUAGE SUPPORT
</a>
 If configured and installed with Native Language Support,
 Lynx will display status and other messages in your local
 language. See the file ABOUT_NLS in the source distribution,
 or at your local GNU site, for more information about
 internationalization.

The following environment variables may be used to alter
       default settings:

LANG                This variable, if set,  will  override
                           the  default  message language.  It is
                           an ISO 639 two-letter code identifying
                           the  language.  Language codes are NOT
                           the same as the country codes given in
                           ISO 3166.

LANGUAGE            This  variable,  if set, will override
                           the default message language.  This is a
                           GNU extension that has higher priority for
                           setting the message catalog than LANG or
                           LC_ALL.

LC_ALL              and

LC_MESSAGES         These  variables,  if set, specify the
                           notion of native  language  formatting
                           style.  They are POSIXly correct.

LINGUAS             This variable, if set prior to configuration,
                           limits the installed languages to specific values.
                           It is a space-separated list of two-letter codes.
                           Currently, it is hard-coded to a wish list.

NLSPATH             This variable, if set, is used as  the
                           path prefix for message catalogs.

<a name="proxy">
Proxy details and examples:
</a>

To set your site's NTTP server as the default host for news reading
    and posting via Lynx, set the environment variable NNTPSERVER so that
    it points to its Internet address.  The variable "NNTPSERVER" is used
    to specify the host which will be used as the default for news URLs.

UNIX
                setenv NNTPSERVER "news.server.dom"

VMS
                define/system NNTPSERVER "news.server.dom"

Lynx still supports use of gateway servers, with the servers specified
    via the variables "WWW_access_GATEWAY", where "access" is lower case
    and can be "http", "ftp", "gopher" or "wais".  Most of the gateway
    servers have been discontinued, but "http://www.w3.org:8001" is
    available for wais searches (note that you do not include a
    terminal '/' for gateways, but do for proxies; see below).

Lynx version 2.2 and beyond supports the use of proxy servers that
    can act as firewall gateways and caching servers.  They are
    preferable to the older gateway servers.  Each protocol used by
    Lynx can be mapped separately using PROTOCOL_proxy environment
    variables of the form:

UNIX
                setenv http_proxy "http://some.server.dom:port/"
                setenv https_proxy "http://some.server.dom:port/"
                setenv ftp_proxy "http://some.server.dom:port/"
                setenv gopher_proxy "http://some.server.dom:port/"
                setenv news_proxy "http://some.server.dom:port/"
                setenv newspost_proxy "http://some.server.dom:port/"
                setenv newsreply_proxy "http://some.server.dom:port/"
                setenv snews_proxy "http://some.server.dom:port/"
                setenv snewspost_proxy "http://some.server.dom:port/"
                setenv snewsreply_proxy "http://some.server.dom:port/"
                setenv nntp_proxy "http://some.server.dom:port/"
                setenv wais_proxy "http://some.server.dom:port/"
                setenv finger_proxy "http://some.server.dom:port/"
                setenv cso_proxy "http://some.server.dom:port/"

VMS
                define "http_proxy" "http://some.server.dom:port/"
                define "https_proxy" "http://some.server.dom:port/"
                define "ftp_proxy" "http://some.server.dom:port/"
                define "gopher_proxy" "http://some.server.dom:port/"
                define "news_proxy" "http://some.server.dom:port/"
                define "newspost_proxy" "http://some.server.dom:port/"
                define "newsreply_proxy" "http://some.server.dom:port/"
                define "snews_proxy" "http://some.server.dom:port/"
                define "snewspost_proxy" "http://some.server.dom:port/"
                define "snewsreply_proxy" "http://some.server.dom:port/"
                define "nntp_proxy" "http://some.server.dom:port/"
                define "wais_proxy" "http://some.server.dom:port/"
                define "finger_proxy" "http://some.server.dom:port/"
                define "cso_proxy" "http://some.server.dom:port/"
                (Encase *BOTH* strings in double-quotes to maintain
                 lower case for the PROTOCOL_proxy variable and for
                 the http access type; include /system if you want
                 proxying for all clients on your system.)

If you wish to override the use of a proxy server for specific hosts or
    entire domains you may use the "no_proxy" environment variable.
    The no_proxy variable can be a comma-separated list of strings defining
    no-proxy zones in the DNS domain name space.  If a tail substring of the
    domain-path for a host matches one of these strings, transactions with that
    node will not be proxied.  Here is an example use of "no_proxy":

UNIX
                setenv no_proxy "host.domain.dom, domain1.dom, domain2"

VMS
                define "no_proxy" "host.domain.dom, domain1.dom, domain2"

You can include a port number in the no_proxy list to override use
    of a proxy server for the host accessed via that port, but not via
    other ports.  For example, if you use "host.domain.dom:119" and/or
    "host.domain.dom:210", then news (port 119) URLs and/or any wais
    (port 210) searches on that host would be excluded, but http, ftp,
    and gopher services (if normally proxied) would still be included,
    as would any news or wais services on other hosts.

Warning:  Note that setting 'il' as an entry in this list
    will block proxying for the .mil domain as well as the .il domain.
    If the entry is '.il' this will not happen.

If you wish to override the use of a proxy server completely (i.e.,
    globally override any existing proxy variables), set the value of
    "no_proxy" to "*".  This is the only allowed use of * in no_proxy.

Note that Lynx treats file URLs on the local host as requests for
    direct access to the file, and does not attempt ftp if that fails.
    It treats both ftp URLs and file URLs on remote hosts as ftp URLs,
    and does not attempt direct file access for either.  If ftp URLs are
    being proxied, file URLs on a remote host will be converted to ftp
    URLs before submission by Lynx to the proxy server, so no special
    procedure for inducing the proxy server to handle them is required.
    Other WWW clients may require that the http server's configuration
    file have "Map file:* ftp:*" in it to perform that conversion.

If you have not set NNTPSERVER, proxy or no_proxy environment variables
    you can set them at run time via the configuration file lynx.cfg
    (this will not override external settings).

<a name="dos">
Win32 (95/NT) and 386 DOS
</a>
 (adapted from "readme.txt" by Wayne Buttles
 and "readme.dos" by Doug Kaufman)

Here are some environment variables that should be set, usually in a
    batch file that runs the lynx executable. Make sure that you have enough
    room left in your environment. You may need to change your "SHELL="
    setting in config.sys. In addition, lynx looks for a "SHELL" environment
    variable when shelling to DOS.  If  you wish to preserve the environment
    space when shelling, put a line like this in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file also
    "SET SHELL=C:\COMMAND.COM /E:2048". It should match CONFIG.SYS.

HOME         Where to keep the bookmark file and personal config files.
    TEMP or TMP  Bookmarks are kept here with no HOME.  Temp files here.
    USER         Set to your login name
    LYNX_CFG     Set to the full path and filename for lynx.cfg

386 version only:
    WATTCP.CFG   Set to the full path for the WATTCP.CFG directory
    (Depending on how you compiled libtcp.a, you may have to use WATCONF.)

Define these in your batch file for running Lynx.  For example, if your
    application line is "D:\win32\lynx.bat", lynx.bat for Win32 may look like:
        @ECHO OFF
        set home=d:\win32
        set temp=d:\tmp
        set lynx_cfg=d:\win32\lynx.cfg
        d:\win32\lynx.exe %1 %2 %3 %4 %5

In lynx_386, a typical batch file might look like:

@echo off
        set HOME=f:/lynx2-8
        set USER=your_login_name
        set LYNX_CFG=%HOME%/lynx.cfg
        set WATTCP.CFG=%HOME%
        f:\lynx2-8\lynx %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7 %8 %9

You will also need to make sure that the WATTCP.CFG file has the
    correct information for IP number, Gateway, Netmask, and Domain Name
    Server. This can also be automated in the batch file.

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