Re: PDF files

[stk]

I have 3 independent  gswin32.exe  installed on my system running on
Win98SE (for Ghostscript versions 5.50, 8.51, and 8.15 -- where the
8.15 version is for LilyPond).

I got into a DOS window (which has a command line).  I went to each of
the three directories containing a  gswin32.exe, and for each of the
three, I executed just
gswin32
(with no arguments).  For the first two I tried (versions 5.50 & 8.51),
I was rewarded with a Windows-window giving me a
GS>
prompt (because Ghostscript wanted a filename).  For the third
(version 8.15 -- LilyPond's version) I got a Windows-window saying
     Can't find initialization file gs_init.ps

[Remark:  In the comments below, PROGDIR is where LilyPond is installed;
I suppose it's usually
     Program Files
but it isn't in my case.]

There are three (different) ways I can think of making LilyPond's
gswin32.exe able to find the files it needs:

a) [Very inelegantly...] copy all the files in
     C:\PROGDIR\LilyPond\usr\share\gs\lib
and
     C:\PROGDIR\LilyPond\usr\share\gs\fonts
and dump them into the directory
     C:\PROGDIR\LilyPond\usr\bin     [where gswin32.exe is]

b) Or create a key in the Windows Registry, conceivably
     HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\AFPL Ghostscript\8.15
to put value-data pairs specifying the  lib  and  fonts
directories specified in (a) above.  But I'm very unsure of
this, as the Ghostscript 8.15 used by LilyPond would have to
have been compiled to look at this Registry key (or possibly
a different Registry key than my guess).

c) Use DOS environment variables to tell Ghostscript 8.15 where to find
the  lib  and  fonts  directories.  This seems even shakier to me, as I
wouldn't want to create environment variables intended for 8.15 which
would wind up lousing up my 8.51 version, which I use for other purposes,
*and* I'm not sure that I really trust Windows to respect DOS environment
variables (Win98 probably will; would WinXP ???).

Maybe there's a simple solution and I just don't see it yet.

Question for those (with 98SE or XP):  by any chance had you
already had Ghostscript 8.15 installed on your system before
installing LilyPond 2.6?  If so, the indications (in the Registry
possibly) showing LilyPond's Ghostscript 8.15 where to find
initialization files to keep it happy may have pre-existed.
But that might not be a final solution, as if LilyPond's
Ghostscript 8.15 is using NON-LilyPond  lib  &  fonts
directories, maybe as your xxxxx.ly files get more complex
than quick test files, there will be problems (?).

Sorry this post doesn't answer any questions; I'll keep working
on the problem.

-- Tom