[tex-k] Re: $SELFAUTODIR considered harmful

[Thomas Esser]

> I was just flummoxed for a while by $SELFAUTODIR in texmf.cnf.  In 

CTAN:dviware/dvipng implements a work-around. At configure-time, the
values of the SELFAUTO* variables are looked up by running kpsewhich.
At runtime dvipng, the program resets the SELFAUTO* variables (via
putenv()) after the call to kpse_set_program_name().

dvipng's INSTALL file has the following documentation about this:

    Installation outside the texmf tree
    ===================================

    In some cases, a dvipng binary installed outside the texmf tree will
    not be able to find virtual fonts, or the PostScript font maps
    (normally used by dvips). This may be because _only_ $SELFAUTOLOC,
    $SELFAUTODIR, and $SELFAUTOPARENT are used in the texmf tree
    configuration file `texmf.cnf'. If so, give the switch
    `--enable-selfauto-set' to `./configure'. This will make dvipng adjust
    these three internally so that kpathsea thinks that dvipng _is_
    installed in the texmf tree.

Thomas