From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

Hi All,

I think maybe I do not understand how Windows treats $PATH.

I can <ctrl><R> Firefox and Windows finds it even though
it is not in $PATH.

What am I missing?

Your in confusion,
-T
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From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

On Fri, 4 Jul 2025 22:42:08 -0700, T wrote:

Hi All,

I think maybe I do not understand how Windows treats $PATH.

I can <ctrl><R> Firefox and Windows finds it even though
it is not in $PATH.

What am I missing?

In the Windows Registry, look at the sub-keys inside [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths]

Your in confusion,
-T

--
Kind regards
Ralph Fox
🦊️

A new broome sweepeth cleane.
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From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

On Sat, 7/5/2025 1:42 AM, T wrote:

Hi All,

I think maybe I do not understand how Windows treats $PATH.

I can <ctrl><R> Firefox and Windows finds it even though
it is not in $PATH.

What am I missing?

Your in confusion,
-T

Windows logo key + R == Open the Run dialog box

Now you entered "Firefox". PATHEXT will try .exe eventually :-)

*******

I got lucky.

https://superuser.com/questions/897644/how-does-windows-decide-which-executable-to-run

"A great tool... SysInternals Process Monitor.
Set a filter for path contains <executable> (not <executable>.exe)
and you'll see the exact search order."

Well, not exactly, but I see what the person is saying.
I already have a trace, I was just having trouble figuring out where
exactly my trace starts :-)

The top item in the trace, with that filter applied is

2:57:26.0316760 HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\firefox.exe

In other words, it is supposed to have evaluated the user path and
the system path components (the system path included a single
entry for the Microsoft App collection), and then it moves on to
digging through the App Path section of the Registry.

However, if any of those other steps were involved, there is
no evidence of them in the trace. The trace is not comprehensible before
that event. No evidence of a conventional/thorough path evaluation.
It almost looks like it used a cached copy of something, decided the
normal paths didn't have it, and immediately jumped into the Registry
section.

No matter what, I knew it was going to be weird, and that
it wasn't going to teach me anything I could rely on.

So while I can see WHAT it used, I don't really know HOW it works.

Paul
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From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

T wrote:

Hi All,

I think maybe I do not understand how Windows treats $PATH.

I can <ctrl><R> Firefox and Windows finds it even though
it is not in $PATH.

What am I missing?

Your in confusion,
-T

How are you looking at $PATH$ variables?


Command(or Powershell)
echo %PATH%

System/Advanced system settings/Environment Variables/
User variables/Path
or
System variables/Path



Echoing Paul to a certain degree...
If not found in the above PATH variables, the find(search)[1] reverts to
the registry's AppPaths HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths


[1]Winkey+R as opposed to Control R. The latter is normally to
reload/refresh the current web page)
--
...w¡ñ§±¤ñ
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From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

On 7/5/25 12:06 AM, Ralph Fox wrote:

On Fri, 4 Jul 2025 22:42:08 -0700, T wrote:

Hi All,

I think maybe I do not understand how Windows treats $PATH.

I can <ctrl><R> Firefox and Windows finds it even though
it is not in $PATH.

What am I missing?

In the Windows Registry, look at the sub-keys inside [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths]

Your in confusion,
-T

Thank you. I did not know this!

Here is the read reason I asked this question. This
concerns Lotus Approach.

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\Approach.exe]
@="C:\\lotus\\approach\\Approach.exe" "Path"="C:\\lotus\\approach;C:\\lotus\\compnent"

To run, Approach need to see both these two directories.
But it also need to see

C:\lotus\approach\icons\mainbar

to get its Smart Icon bar, which contains your back and
forth between records arrows.

How does Approach find icons? Is it written into
Approach or somewhere in the registry or Windows?

Many thanks,
-T







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From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

On 7/5/25 2:06 AM, ...winston wrote:

How are you looking at $PATH$ variables?

Command(or Powershell)
 echo %PATH%

That is the way. I use to look in the registry too,
but have forgotten how.

Perhaps it is

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment]
"PATH"

That is where it is in Wine. I presume it is in the same
place in Windows.


I found the explanation I was looking for in

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths]


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