## 4.4 Specifying file paths in configuration settings

Path and file names should conform to the requirements listed in §1.1.2 File, directory, and path names, otherwise you risk run-time errors. Additional considerations:

Path separator can be “\” or “/” (except sometimes!)

Paths that contain spaces must be quoted

Most relative paths relate to the project directory

Paths to other applications must be absolute.

Path separator can be “\” or “/” (except sometimes!)

When you specify a file path in a configuration setting, you can use either a backslash “\” or a forward slash “/” as a separator character. A forward slash is preferred, except in the following cases, where you must use a backslash:.

• Windows system commands; see §34.4 Executing operating-system commands

• Windows command parameters; for example, see §35.11 Archiving deliverables.

In FrameMaker dialogs, the backslash has a special meaning that trashes paths beyond recovery. In Windows API calls, forward slashes work fine, because the original Windows programmers compiled Windows on VAX/VMS machines.

Paths that contain spaces must be quoted

If a path contains any spaces, enclose the entire path in quotes. See §1.1.2 File, directory, and path names and §3.1 Checking set-up and conversion requirements.

Most relative paths relate to the project directory

Most path settings in the configuration file can be either relative or absolute; however, file paths you specify via the FrameMaker plug-in (as opposed to a setting in a configuration file) must be absolute.

Relative file paths can make your conversion project portable. Many support issues arise when a project is moved, after which some buried links stop working.

When you specify a relative file path in a configuration setting, the path is relative to the project directory, with the following exceptions:

• [Setup]TemplateFileName is relative to the directory where your FrameMaker source files are located; see .§30.7.1 Specifying conversion-template settings.

• [Automation]ShipPath is relative to the wrap directory; see §35.3 Understanding path values for deliverables.

• [Automation]CopyAfterFrom is relative to the wrap directory; see §35.6.6 Listing extracurricular files to put in the wrap directory.

Paths to other applications must be absolute

File paths to non-Mif2Go executables must be absolute. However, a better way would be to make sure those executables are on your system PATH, so your conversion project is portable.

| 4.3 Understanding the rules for configuration settings |  | 4.5 Using wildcards in configuration settings |