How to set up the IDL variable IDL_STARTUP so that a startup file is ignored
Calling IDLDE from the system prompt:
idlde -IDL_STARTUP ''
will not work. The IDL Workbench will start, but the following error will be shown in the IDL console:
Command line error: -IDL_STARTUP preference option mustbe followed by a value argument.
IDL Version 8.2.2 (linux x86_64 m64). (c) 2012,Exelis Visual Information Solutions, Inc.
Installation number: xxxxxxx
Licensed for use by: Exelis VIS
% Error opening file. File: IPS
% Error opening file. File: -IDL_STARTUP
IDL>
To avoid this error, the IDL_STARTUP variable will need to be set up to a space string instead. In other words:
idlde -IDL_STARTUP ' '
where a space is in between the single quotation marks. Then, IDL will not give an error and any start up file will be ignored.