1.3.1 Set up a framework for Omni Systems applications

If this is the first Omni Systems application to be installed on your system, you must establish a new directory structure for executables, configuration templates, and ancillary files. You must:

Create an Omni Systems home directory

Create an Omni Systems environment variable

Create FrameMaker environment variables

Verify that your new framework is accessible.

Create an Omni Systems home directory

Unless you already have the Omni Systems directory structure in place, create a new directory on your system for all Omni Systems applications; for example, D:\omsys. This is your Omni Systems home directory.

Do not place the Omni Systems home directory:

• on a network drive; latency issues can cause intermittent problems

• on any path that contains spaces.

See §D.2.5 Check path names, file names, and drive location.

Create an Omni Systems environment variable

Unless your system already has system environment variable %OMSYSHOME% that specifies an absolute path to the Omni Systems home directory, you will need to create this variable.

1. In Control Panel (on Windows XP, for example):

Control Panel > System > Advanced > Environment Variables

2. If OMSYSHOME is not listed in the System variables section, click New to create this environment variable. For example:  

Variable name:	OMSYSHOME
Variable value:	D:\omsys

Click OK.

3. Under System variables select Path and click Edit. You should see something like: 

Variable name:	Path
Variable value:	C:\a\long\string;C:\of\directory\paths;

4. Place your cursor in the Variable value field and press the End key on your keyboard, to navigate to the end of the Path value.

5. If the last character in the Path value is a semicolon, very carefully add the following to the end of the Path value:

%omsyshome%\common\bin;

Otherwise, if the last character in the Path value is not a semicolon, very carefully add the following to the end of the Path value:

;%omsyshome%\common\bin

Be sure to include the leading semicolon!

6. Click OK three times to save the environment variable definition and revised system path, and return to Control Panel. Now Mif2Go will be able to find all the Omni Systems files.

Create FrameMaker environment variables

Unless your system already has one or more environment variables of the form %FMnHOME% that specify the path(s) to your FrameMaker installation(s), you will need to create a variable for each version of FrameMaker installed on your system.

For example, if you have FrameMaker versions 7.x, 8.x, and 10.x, you will need %FM7HOME%, %FM8HOME%, and %FM10HOME%. To see if environment variable %FM7HOME% (for example) is already present, in a Windows Command Prompt window, type:

set fm7home

and press Enter. If this environment variable is already defined, Windows will display its definition.

To define %FM7HOME% (for example) on Windows XP (for example), go to:

Control Panel > System > Advanced > Environment Variables

If FM7HOME is not listed in the System Variables section, click New to create this environment variable. For example:  

Variable name:	FM7HOME
Variable value:	"C:\Program Files\Adobe\FrameMaker7.0"

Note:  The double quotes are essential if the path contains spaces.

Click OK three times to save the definition and return to Control Panel.

Now Mif2Go will be able to find the version of FrameMaker you are currently using.

Verify that your new framework is accessible

Reboot your Windows system. Then open a command-prompt window, type dcl, and press Enter. You should see a usage message for dcl.exe. If you see a “not found” message instead, something is wrong.

Next: §1.3.2 Download a Mif2Go distribution.

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