Start-in Directory

The start-in directory is the location from which the application is launched.

This directory defines where certain settings files are written by default, and where customization files will be searched. The file browser will also use this directory as its default location for browsing for files. This can be considered as the "current working directory".

This directory can be changed, thereby changing the location where these files are written to or read from. This has the benefit of allowing different settings to be stored in different directories for different projects or use cases.

On Windows, the default start-in directory for an application is the My Documents directory. This can be changed either directly from the Starup dialog or by editing the "Start in" field on the application executable or its shortcut.

On Linux, the start-in directory is defined by the directory from which you run the application startup script.

Change the Start-in Directory on Windows

Note: If you change the start-in directory in the application properties, it will override the last saved path in the Startup dialog.
  1. Do one of the following:
    • Locate and right-click the relevant application icon from the Start menu Altair <Version> group.
    • Locate and right-click the executable file, for example <altair_home>\hwdektop\hwx\bin\<platform>\hwx.exe.
  2. Select Properties.
  3. In the dialog, select the Shortcut tab.
  4. Edit the Start in field to contain the path to the directory in which you want to run the application.
    This directory becomes the start-in directory.
  5. Click OK.
  6. Start the application as defined in the Start Applications section.

Change the Start-in Directory on Linux

  1. Use the cd command to open the directory in which you want to run the application.
  2. Start the application as defined in the Start Applications section.