ASPL User Guide v 1.00
© 2025 Bassem W. Jamaleddine


F

   ASPL Environment Variables

ASPL uses five environment variables:

For instance if you have installed ASPL in /opt/ASPLv1.00 then you can export these environment variables by adding the following to your .bashrc: 

export ASPL1_00_BRIDGE=/opt/ASPLv1.00/BRIDGE
export ASPL1_00_HOME=/opt/ASPLv1.00
export ASPL1_00_PROMPT='prompt:{tm} {u}@{h} {cwd}  aspl:{no} > ;promptcolor:bold_black;logocolor:bold_black;loadcolors:colors3'
export ASPL1_00_TMP=/root/.aspl/tmp
export ASPL_CLI_CONFIG=/root/.aspl/WSP/WORKSPACES1,TRIVIAL,10,10,10,1000,30,2,0,0,0,0
export ASPL_EDITOR=vim

ASPL bin and shared directories should be added to your PATH. 

PATH=$PATH:/opt/ASPLv1.00/bin:/opt/ASPLv1.00/shared:/opt/ASPLv1.00/BRIDGE/bin

After completing your ASPL installation, you will be provided with the script
setaspl to source ASPL environment. The HOWTO file (generally suffixed
with your UNIX login uid) contains instructions on how to source setaspl.
ASPL is shipped with an installer that generates the proper setaspl per
your type of installation; therefore, the environment variables value will
differ from one type of installation to another.

ASPL Standard distribution of ASPL may not include the BRIDGE component. The
BRIDGE is distributed with the professional or enterprise distributions of ASPL.
The BRIDGE component allows you to create additional grouping class modules.
ASPL Standard distribution will mock the grouping classes.

The environment variable ASPL_EDITOR is assigned to the name of your desired program editor. You can test whichever editor you want to use, by temporarily setting the variable, then editing something like the ~colorsfile:

#  ASPL_EDITOR=nano asplcmd ~colorsfile

#  ASPL_EDITOR=vim asplcmd ~colorsfile

The first command invokes nano, and the second invokes vim. Once you decide on your program editor, you can make the permanent change by exporting ASPL_EDITOR either in your bash profile, or your setaspl script.

The environment variable ASPL_CLI_CONFIG can be viewed from within ASPL by typing the command envvar that displays its value as being seen by ASPL. In particular this is useful in case you have overwritten some of its comma delimited options. Let's say you started the ASPL intepreter by loading the namedspace WS1:

# aspl -wsname WS1



The following figure shows the environment variable as seen by ASPL in a user session. 
1:4:33 root@mm01 /opt/ASPLv1.00/shared  aspl:1 > envvar

CURRENTLY FROM WITHIN THE APPLICATION:
--------------------------------------
ASPL_CLI_CONFIG=/root/.aspl/WSP/WORKSPACES1,WS1,10,10,10,1000,30,2,0,0,0,0
                             |               |   |  |  |   |   | | | | | +--> synchronize workspace container
                             |               |   |  |  |   |   | | | | +----> make variables global
                             |               |   |  |  |   |   | | | +------> persist data changes
                             |               |   |  |  |   |   | | +--------> assign once
                             |               |   |  |  |   |   | +----------> display mode
                             |               |   |  |  |   |   +------------> wksp keep, keep lessons
                             |               |   |  |  |   +----------------> history size
                             |               |   |  |  +--------------------> unswer size
                             |               |   |  +-----------------------> enswer size
                             |               |   +--------------------------> answer size
                             |               +------------------------------> workspace name
                             +----------------------------------------------> workspace directory

The above variable is the current ASPL_CLI_CONFIG variable that is being used by ASPL client.
Some values may have been changed. Compare them to the initial values as set in the shell.

AS BEING SET IN THE SHELL:
--------------------------
ASPL_CLI_CONFIG=/root/.aspl/WSP/WORKSPACES1,TRIVIAL,10,10,10,1000,30,2,0,0,0,0
                             |                 |     |  |  |   |   | | | | | +--> synchronize workspace container
                             |                 |     |  |  |   |   | | | | +----> make variables global
                             |                 |     |  |  |   |   | | | +------> persist data changes
                             |                 |     |  |  |   |   | | +--------> assign once
                             |                 |     |  |  |   |   | +----------> display mode
                             |                 |     |  |  |   |   +------------> wksp keep, keep lessons
                             |                 |     |  |  |   +----------------> history size
                             |                 |     |  |  +--------------------> unswer size
                             |                 |     |  +-----------------------> enswer size
                             |                 |     +--------------------------> answer size
                             |                 +--------------------------------> workspace name
                             +--------------------------------------------------> workspace directory
Notice that the workspace name has been changed from TRIVIAL (that is coded in the environment variable ASPL_CLI_CONFIG) to WS1 that has been explicitly specified after the -wsname option.