Historically, the abt.cnf file was used to initialize image settings such as setting the envy library values. This approach to initialization was later replaced by the use of the abt.ini file. Though the
abt.cnf file is no longer required by VA Smalltalk, it is still processed during the image startup process if it exists in the startup folder.
The abt.cnf file contents are processed very early in the startup sequence since the original intent of the
abt.cnf file was to set image values required for the image to startup properly. This makes automating startup tasks challenging because the image is not fully functional at the time the file is processed. To make automation tasks easier to code, the processing of the
abt.cnf file has been divided into two unique processing sections. The first section is still processed at the same point in the startup sequence that it has historically run. The new section is processed after the image startup sequence has completed, allowing you to execute most any valid Smalltalk code in this section.
If this code chunk is not found in the abt.cnf file, the entire contents of the file are processed during the early part of the image startup sequence. If it is present, the code chunks prior to it are processed during the early part of the startup sequence, and those following it are processed after image startup has completed.
