You normally configure your run-time system using a project's properties in the IDE. However, some run-time behavior cannot be configured using the IDE; this must be configured using run-time tunables, which are stored in a run-time configuration file.
When you run the application, the IDE creates a .gcf file which includes the run-time IDE settings.
When your run-time system or linked executable starts up, it attempts to read the run-time configuration file. The run-time configuration file specifies values for the run-time tunables and, in UNIX environments, environment variables. Environment variables set in this way override values already set in the environment.
If a setting specified in the IDE conflicts with a setting in the configuration file, the setting specified in the IDE takes precedence (applies to Windows environments only).
The run-time configuration file is shared by all users of the run-time system.
For native COBOL, you create or edit a text-based run-time configuration file with a text editor, and then specify the location and name of the run-time configuration file using the COBCONFIG_ (Windows) or COBCONFIG (UNIX) environment variable, or if you are developing a COBOL JVM project and need to specify Java property files, the COBCONFIGJVM environment variable. The format of the text file is described in the sections Format of a Configuration File for Native COBOL and List of Run-time Tunables.
For example, if you want to use a configuration file called myconf.cfg (Windows) or myconf (UNIX), you set COBCONFIG_ (Windows) or COBCONFIG (UNIX) as follows.