Preferences

You can set preferences to change the behavior of different properties in ENVI.

To edit your preferences, select File > Preferences from the menu bar. The Preferences dialog appears.
Select the preference you want to edit from the Settings tree. The right side of the dialog shows the settings available for the preference you select. Each preference category displays a Name and Description field, which are not editable.
Edit the preferences as desired, then click OK to save the changes to the envi_preferences.json file in the preferences directory of the application user directory.

To edit Yes/No fields or other fields with drop-down lists, double-click in the field and select your preference. To revert to your previously saved changes, click Restore Defaults.

You can also write a script to edit your preferences, using the ENVIPreferences and ENVIPreferenceItem objects. The API Name column in the tables below refers to the preference name in ENVIPreferenceItem.

See the following sections for more information:

Application Preferences
Data Manager Preferences
Directories Preferences
Display General Preferences
North Arrow Preferences
Overview Preferences
Plots Preferences
Pyramids Preferences
Remote Connectivity Preferences
Annotation Preferences
NITF Preferences
Localization Preferences

Application Preferences

Option	Description	API Name application
Enable System Logging	Enable or disable system logging. The default is No. If this field is set to Yes, ENVI saves an ASCII log of error messages named `systemlog.txt` in your preferences directory. The default location on Windows operating systems is `C:\Documents and Settings\user\.idl\envi\preferences_5_x`. The log file is overwritten with each new ENVI session.	'application:enable system logging'
Display Errors On Screen	Enable or disable display of error messages. The default is Yes, causing error messages to be displayed. Setting this preference to No suppresses the display of error messages received during operation. If the Enable System Logging preference is set to Yes, the errors will be written to the application system log. If both the Display Errors on Screen and Enable System Logging preferences are set to No, then the errors will appear at the IDL console.	'application:display errors on screen'
Restore Messages	Some ENVI dialogs have a "Do not ask me again" option in cases where you repeatedly select the same button and do not want to be prompted each time. If you select this option for one or more dialogs but later decide that you need them, click in the Restore Messages preference.	'application:do not show again dialogs'
Icon Size	Use this preference to adjust the size of icons in the ENVI application. If it is set to Automatic (default), ENVI checks your system's default font size and resizes icons accordingly. Other choices are as follows: Original - 100%: Icons display at their original size. Medium - 140%: Icons display at 140% of their original size.	'application:icon size'
Processing Tile Size	When processing a raster, ENVI breaks it down into chunks or tiles. Use this preference to adjust the size of the tile in Megabytes. Changing this value may effect the speed of certain processes in ENVI.	'application:processing tile size'

Data Manager Preferences

These preferences immediately take effect on all subsequent actions without requiring you to restart ENVI.

Option	Description	API Name data manager
Auto Display Files On Open	Enable or disable automatically loading the selected file in the current Image window view upon file open. The default is Yes. No disables automatically loading the selected file. If you set the Launch Data Manager After File/Open preference to Always or If file not Auto-Displayed, the Data Manager appears and you can display the image from there.	'data manager:auto display on open'
Auto Display Method for Multispectral Files	The method for automatically displaying multispectral files. The choices are Yes Color (default) and CIR (color infrared). These settings only apply if the image file contains wavelength information.	'data manager:multispectral auto display'
Clear View when Loading New Image	Enable or disable clearing all layers from the active view and the tree for that view in the Layer Manager when you display a new image. The default is No, meaning ENVI continues to display all current layers when you display a new image. If this field is set to Yes, all layers are removed when a new layer is loaded, but the existing files remain open in the Data Manager.	'data manager:clear display when loading new image'
Launch Data Manager at Startup	Enable or disable opening the Data Manager when you start ENVI. If this field is set to No, open the Data Manager as needed by selecting File > Data Manager from the menu bar or by clicking the Data Manager button.	'data manager:launch when envi launches'
Launch Data Manager after Opening File	The method for showing the Data Manager. The choices are as follows: Never: Do not automatically open the Data Manager for any file-open instance. If file not Auto-Displayed (default): Open the Data Manager when the Auto Display Files on Open value is No. Always: Open the Data Manager every time a file is opened.	'data manager:launch after open'
Close Data Manager after Loading New Data	The default value is No. Set this preference to Yes if you want the Data Manager to close after loading a file to the Layer Manager. This preference only applies when you right-click a filename in the Data Manager and select a Load... option.	'data manager:close after loading data'
Load File after Chip or Save	Enable or disable whether chipped or saved output is automatically added to the Data Manager upon file save. The default is Yes. If you set this preference to No, output is saved to disk but not added to the Data Manager.	'data manager:load file after chip or save'

Directories Preferences

Most of these preferences immediately take effect on all subsequent actions without requiring you to restart ENVI. The exceptions are Extensions Directory and Custom Code Directory; you must restart ENVI for these two preferences to take effect.

Option	Description	API Name directories
Remember Input/Output Directories	If this preference is set to Yes (the default), ENVI will remember the last directory where you selected input files and will update the Input Directory preference accordingly. It will also remember the last directory where you saved any output files and will update the Output Directory preference. If you set this preference to No, the Input Directory and Output Directory preference values will be fixed.	'directories:remember directories'
Input Directory	The directory for input images. ENVI uses this directory unless you specify another path when opening a file.	'directories:input directory'
Output Directory	The directory for output files. ENVI writes output files to this directory unless you specify another path when entering an output filename.	'directories:output directory'
Temporary Directory	The directory used to store ENVI temporary files. ENVI does not automatically delete these files. This directory also contains a Temporary Workspace, which is a subdirectory within the Temporary Directory that contains the name `ENVI_Session_`. ENVI tries to put most of the temporary files created during a session in the Temporary Workspace. It deletes the Temporary Workspace and all files in it when you exit ENVI or close all open files.	'directories:temporary directory'
Auxiliary File Directory	The directory for auxiliary files such as header files (`.hdr`), pyramid files (`.enp`), vector symbology files, and vector auxiliary files. This directory contains auxiliary files associated with data from read-only devices such as a CDs or folders with no write permissions. ENVI typically stores auxiliary files in the same directory as the input image or shapefile; however, when that directory is read-only, ENVI writes to the auxiliary file directory. When opening a file, if ENVI is unable to locate a corresponding auxiliary file, it looks in the auxiliary file directory. If the Store Pyramids Locally preference is set to Yes, those pyramids will be stored in the auxiliary file directory.	'directories:auxiliary file directory'
Extensions Directory	This directory is searched on ENVI application launch to find extensions that should be added to the Toolbox. This folder should not contain any `.pro` or `.sav` files that are not Toolbox extensions. See Write and Depoly Toolbox Extensions for a discussion of all the directories that are searched for ENVI Toolbox extensions. You must restart ENVI for this preference to take effect.	'directories:extensions directory'
Custom Code Directory	The directory is searched on ENVI application launch to find custom tasks and custom plot functions. You must restart ENVI for this preference to take effect with custom file readers.	'directories:custom code directory'
Spectral Library User Directory	The directory for input and output spectral libraries. ENVI uses this directory unless you specify another path when opening or saving a spectral library.	'directories:speclib user directory'

Display General Preferences

These preferences immediately take effect on all subsequent actions without requiring you to restart ENVI.

Option	Description	API Name display general
Default Stretch for 8-bit Imagery	The default stretch type to use when displaying byte data (pixel values of 0 to 255). By default, no stretching will be performed on this data type. If the `default stretch` field is defined in an accompanying ENVI file (`.hdr`), that value will take precedence over this preference setting.	'display general:default 8 bit stretch'
Default Stretch for 16-bit UInt Imagery	The default stretch type to use when displaying 16-bit unsigned-integer data. The default value is Optimized Linear. If the `default stretch` field is defined in an accompanying ENVI file (`.hdr`), that value will take precedence over this preference setting.	'display general:default 16 bit stretch'
Default Stretch for All Other Imagery	The default stretch type to use when displaying image data that are not byte or 16-bit unsigned integers. The default value is Linear 2%. If the `default stretch` field is defined in an accompanying ENVI file (`.hdr`), that value will take precedence over this preference setting.	'display general:default other stretch'
Zoom Factor	The zoom factor to use when you zoom in or out of the image. The default is 1.25.	'display general:zoom factor'
Background Color	The default color of the background in the selected view. The default is white.	'display general:background color'
Default Selection Color	The default color to use to highlight the current selection. This color appears as a border when you select layers, as a border to an open Portal, and when you select vectors or annotations to edit. The default is (0,192,192).	'display general:selection color'
Zoom Interpolation Method	The interpolation method to use when zooming on raster layers. This preference takes effect for any new layers that you create. Interpolation behavior may vary, depending on the method you choose, and whether the Use Graphics Card to Accelerate Enhancement Tools preference is enabled. Variations are noted in the following descriptions. The choices are as follows: Nearest Neighbor: Each pixel in the displayed image receives its value from the nearest pixel in the input (reference) image. If the Use Graphics Card to Accelerate Enhancement Tools preference is enabled, brightness, contrast, and sharpen filters are performed by the GPU. Bilinear: Each estimated pixel value in the displayed image is based on a weighted average of the four nearest neighboring pixels in the input image. Not all GPUs support bilinear interpolation of floating point textures; therefore, if Use Graphics Card to Accelerate Enhancement Tools is enabled, the setting is ignored and brightness, contrast, and sharpen filters are performed by the CPU. Bicubic: Each estimated pixel value in the displayed image is based on a weighted average of the sixteen nearest pixels in the input image. If Use Graphics Card to Accelerate Enhancement Tools is enabled, the setting is ignored and brightness, contrast, and sharpen filters are performed by the CPU. If your graphics processing unit (GPU) does not support OpenGL Shader Language (GLSL), the Nearest Neighbor interpolation method is used instead. Optimized Bicubic: (default) Each estimated pixel value in the displayed image is based on a weighted average of the sixteen nearest pixels in the input image. The weighting coefficients are improved over standard Bicubic. If Use Graphics Card to Accelerate Enhancement Tools is enabled, the setting is ignored and brightness, contrast, and sharpen filters are performed by the CPU. If your graphics processing unit (GPU) does not support OpenGL Shader Language (GLSL), the Nearest Neighbor interpolation method is used instead. To use Bicubic and Optimized Bicubic: Your graphics card must support OpenGL 2.0 or higher, and you must have the most recent drivers installed. Palettized images and ROIs will always display as Nearest Neighbor, regardless of the preference setting. Portals behave differently; they try to match the interpolation value of the target layer, regardless of the current preference setting.	'display general:zoom interpolation method'
Use Low Resolution Tile Cache	For images with very high spatial resolution, ENVI displays low-resolution tiles in the Image window view while it retrieves the full-resolution data (if this preference is set to Yes, the default). If you have a slow processor, you may set this preference to No, which should improve display performance. If you set this preference to No, nothing is visible in the Image window view until ENVI loads each tile.	'display general:use low resolution tile cache'
Use Graphics Card to Accelerate Enhancement Tools	The default setting of Yes accelerates raster operations, such as image stretching, sharpening, brightness, contrast, and so forth, using your computer’s graphics processing card (GPU) instead of your computer’s central processing unit (CPU). All of the following criteria must be met for this preference to be effective: Your graphics card must support OpenGL 2.0 and must have the most recent drivers installed. You must set the Zoom Interpolation Method preference to Nearest Neighbor. The image data type must be byte, integer, unsigned integer, or floating-point. Your platform must be Windows or Linux. Some ENVI features take advantage of graphics hardware that supports the OpenGL 2.0 interface to improve rendering performance, if such hardware is present. Your video card should support OpenGL 2.0 or higher to take advantage of the graphics features ENVI. Be sure to update your video card drivers with the most recent version, and set the preference Use Graphics Card to Accelerate Enhancement Tools to Yes.	'display general:use graphics card accelerator'
Report MGRS Location in Cursor Value	Set this preference to Yes (the default) to report Military Grid Reference System (MGRS) coordinates in the Cursor Value dialog.	'display general:report mgrs in cursor value'
Data Precision in Cursor Value	The number of decimal places of precision to report floating-point pixel values. The default value is 1. The maximum value is 10.	'display general:data notation in cursor value'
Data Notation in Cursor Value	Set this preference to Float (the default) to report pixel values in floating-point decimals. Set it to Scientific to report pixel values in scientific notation.
Status Bar Left/Center/Right Segment	The information to display in the first three segments of the Status bar. The file must have either map information and/or NITF metadata associated with it for the information to display in the Status bar. When you customize the Status bar contents using this method, the Status bar retains the information for subsequent ENVI sessions. You can temporarily set the information for each segment by right-clicking on the Status Bar segments. See Status Bar for details. The Status Bar displays information for the base layer in the Layer Manager. The choices for all three Status bar segments are as follows: Lat/Lon Degrees Minutes Seconds: Latitude and longitude coordinates relative to the cursor location, in degrees/minutes/seconds format. For example, Lat: 40°5'15.92"N, Lon: 105°21'32.83"W. Lat/Lon Decimal Degrees: Latitude and longitude coordinates relative to the cursor location, in decimal degrees format. For example, Lat: 40.0866N, Lon: 105.3524W. Current Projection: The current map projection type, zone, and datum. For example, UTM, Zone 13 North, NAD 27. Map Coordinates: The map coordinates relative to the cursor location. For example, Map X: 471424.0000, Map Y: 4437999.0000. NITF Security Banner: The NITF classification level of the image. The classification levels are Unclassified, Top Secret, Secret, Confidential, and Restricted. NITF Acquisition time: The image date and time of acquisition, shown as MMM DD, YYYY hh:mm:ss format. For example, JAN 17, 2006 14:23:12. Military Grid Reference System (MGRS): The number consists of the grid zone designator, (GZD), the 100,000-meter square identifier, and the numerical location. Raster Data Values: The pixel values for the top-most raster layer in the Layer Manager. Pixel Coordinates: The file (pixel) x,y coordinates relative to the cursor location. Blank: No display.	'display general:status bar segment 1' 'display general:status bar segment 2' 'display general:status bar segment 3'
Mensuration Distance Units	The default distance measurement units for the Mensuration and Region of Interest tools. The default is meters. If the tools are being used on a non-georeferenced image, the Cursor Value window reports the units in pixels.	'display general:mensuration distance units'
Mensuration Area Units	The default area measurement units for the Region of Interest tool. The default is Units². If the tool is being used on a non-georeferenced image, the Cursor Value window reports the units in pixels.	'display general:mensuration area units'
Geographic Coordinate Format	The default format for geographic coordinate information in the Cursor Value window. The default is Degrees, Minutes, Seconds. Alternatively, you can choose to display the geographic location in Decimal Degrees.	'display general:geographic coordinate format'
Base Projection for Non-Standard Rasters	The default standard base projection to use when two or more images with non-standard map information (RPC, Pseudo, etc.) will be displayed in a view. The values are Geographic (the default) or UTM.	'display general:base projection for non-standard'
Middle Mouse Action	The tool to use when you click and drag the middle mouse button in the Image window view. The choices are the Pan tool or the Fly tool. The default is Pan.	'display general:middle mouse action'
Mouse Wheel Behavior	The direction of the zoom (in or out) associated with a mouse wheel rotation (forward/backward). The default is Forward->Zoom In, Back->Zoom Out.	'display general:mouse wheel behavior'
Maximum Time Series Frame Buffer Size	The maximum number of images that will be considered for loading into a frame buffer to achieve fast animation performance. If a data series contains more images than this value, then none of those images will be cached and animation performance will be constant from the start. Setting this value to 0 will turn off this limit.	'display general:max time series frame buffer size'

North Arrow Preferences

These preferences immediately take effect on all subsequent actions without requiring you to restart ENVI.

Option	Description	API Name north arrow
Show North Arrow	Set this preference to Yes (the default) to automatically display a north arrow on georeferenced images.	'north arrow:show north arrow'
Symbol	Select a symbol to represent the north arrow. The list of available symbols depends on the North Arrow Font selection.	'north arrow:symbol'
Size	Select a font size. The size of the north arrow will not change when you zoom in or out of the display.	'north arrow:size'
Font Name	Select a font family or list of symbols. The default selection is ENVI Symbols. If you have ArcGIS software installed, the ESRI North font offers a larger choice of symbols.	'north arrow:font'
Location	Select the location of the north arrow in the display. The choices are Upper-Left Corner, Upper-Right Corner (default), Lower-Left Corner, and Lower-Right Corner.	'north arrow:location'
Color	Select a color for the font or symbol.	'north arrow:color'
Transparency	The level of transparency (0 to 1) against the view. The default value is 0.25.
Background Fill	This preference setting was deprecated in ENVI 5.5.3. Although it still works, it has been replaced by Background Method. Enable or disable using a background fill color for north arrows. The default is No.	'north arrow:background fill'
Background Method	The method used to display a background color for north arrows. The None option disables background coloring. The Outline option (default) uses the specified Background Color to outline the north arrow without creating a full background. The Full option uses the specified Background Color to create a background for the north arrow. Note: The Outline option does not work if the IDL Software Rendering preference is enabled. If you use ENVI from a remote session, software rendering is enabled and, thus, outlines may not be visible.	'north arrow:background method'
Background Color	If the Background Method setting is Full, choose a background fill color.	'north arrow:background color'

Overview Preferences

These preferences immediately take effect on all subsequent actions without requiring you to restart ENVI.

Option	Description	API Name overview
Default Border Color	The default color of the Overview border. The default is magenta (255,0,255).	'overview:border color'
Show Snail Trail	If this preference is set to Yes (default), the snail trail is shown in the Overview. The snail trail highlights, in yellow, areas you have viewed in the Image window.	'overview:show snail trail'

Option

Description

API Name

overview

Default Border Color

The default color of the Overview border. The default is magenta (255,0,255).

'overview:border color'

Show Snail Trail

If this preference is set to Yes (default), the snail trail is shown in the Overview. The snail trail highlights, in yellow, areas you have viewed in the Image window.

'overview:show snail trail'

Plots Preferences

Close and re-open any Profiles or Plots to enable the preference changes. These preferences do not require you to restart ENVI.

Option	Description	API Name plots
X Size	The width of the plot window. The default is 400.	'plots:plot x size'
Y Size	The height of the plot window. The default is 280.	'plots:plot y size'
Left Margin	The left margin to offset the plot display within the plot window. The default is 0.	'plots:left margin'
Right Margin	The right margin to offset the plot display within the plot window. The default is 0.	'plots:right margin'
Top Margin	The top margin to offset the plot display within the plot window. The default is 0.	'plots:top margin'
Bottom Margin	The bottom margin to offset the plot display within the plot window. The default is 0.	'plots:bottom margin'
X Major Ticks	The number of major tick marks to show on the X-axis for plots, and the histograms for ROI Threshold and Raster Color Slice. Set to -1 to auto-compute. Set to 0 to suppress. The default is -1.	'plots:x major ticks'
Y Major Ticks	The number of major tick marks to show on the Y-axis for plots, and the histograms for ROI Threshold and Raster Color Slice. Set to -1 to auto-compute. Set to 0 to suppress. The default is -1.	'plots:y major ticks'
Font Name	The font type for plot text. The default is Calibri.	'plots:font'
Font Size	The font size for plot text. The default is 12 point.	'plots:font size'
Background Color	The background color for plots, and the histograms for ROI Threshold and Raster Color Slice. The default is 240,240,240, which is the same color as the ENVI widgets. If the background is 0,0,0 (black) and the foreground is 255,255,255 (white), the colors will be reversed for printing.	'plots:plot background color'
Foreground Color	The plot foreground color for plots, and the histograms for ROI Threshold and Raster Color Slice. The default is 0,0,0 (black). If the background is 0,0,0 (black) and the foreground is 255,255,255 (white), the colors will be reversed for printing.	'plots:plot foreground color'
Line Thickness	The thickness for the plot lines. The default is 1 point.	'plots:line thickness'
Line Style	The style for plot lines, with choices ranging from a solid line, to different dashed or dotted lines. The default is a solid line.	'plots:line style'
Symbol	Select a symbol style to display a symbol on the peaks and valleys of the plot. The default is No symbol.	'plots:symbol'
Symbol Color	The symbol color, if symbols are enabled. The default is 0,0,0 (black).	'plots:symbol color'
Symbol Size	The symbol size, if symbols are enabled. The default is 2 points.	'plots:symbol size'
Legend Style	The style for the legend that precedes the spectrum name. Solid boxes show as a filled box style, Flat lines show as a long dash, Spike lines show as a line with two peaks, and Sparklines are reduced versions of the actual plots, where the shape of the lines mimics the actual plot data. The default is Sparklines.	'plots:legend style'
Profile Cursor Color	When you click a pixel to add it to a profile, the cursor style changes to a box. Use this setting to change the profile cursor color. The default is 255,255,255 (white).	'plots:profile cursor color'
Series Profile Maximum Index Size	The maximum number of data set indices sampled when creating a time series profile plot. The default is 100. Setting the value to 0 disables this limit.

Pyramids Preferences

These preferences immediately take effect on all subsequent actions without requiring you to restart ENVI.

Option	Description	API Name pyramids
Create Pyramid If None Exists	Create and use pyramid files to speed up the display of large images. Pyramid files are copies of the image at various reduced resolutions; they are displayed instead of the full-resolution image at different zoom levels. See Pyramids Background for more information. Select an option from the drop-down list: Always: Always create a pyramid file when opening a raster. Never: Never create a pyramid file when opening a raster. 10 bands or fewer: Create a pyramid file when opening a raster that has 10 bands or fewer. 25 bands or fewer (default): Create a pyramid file when opening a raster that has 25 bands or fewer. 50 bands or fewer: Create a pyramid file when opening a raster that has 50 bands or fewer. 100 bands or fewer: Create a pyramid file when opening a raster that has 100 bands or fewer.	'pyramids:create pyramid if none exists'
Optimize Display Performance (uses more disk space)	This preference is available for editing when the Create Pyramid If None Exists preference is set to Yes. The default value is No, which means that you will save disk space when displaying ENVI, TIFF, and NITF images because you are not creating a full-resolution pyramid file; however, the display will be slower. If you set this preference to Yes, a pyramid file will be created for the full-resolution zoom level that will improve display performance. Full-resolution pyramids are always built for custom file reader formats, regardless of this preference setting. Pyramids are never built for the following formats: JPEG2000 files MrSID NITF 2.1 C8 compressed files Remote datasets from OGC servers or Esri image services	'pyramids:include full resolution'
Copy Pyramids Locally	If this preference is set to Yes (default), pyramid files will be copied to your local hard drive if they already exist on a network server for a given image.	'pyramids:copy pyramids locally'

Option

Description

API Name

pyramids

Create Pyramid If None Exists

Create and use pyramid files to speed up the display of large images. Pyramid files are copies of the image at various reduced resolutions; they are displayed instead of the full-resolution image at different zoom levels. See Pyramids Background for more information.

Select an option from the drop-down list:

Always: Always create a pyramid file when opening a raster.
Never: Never create a pyramid file when opening a raster.
10 bands or fewer: Create a pyramid file when opening a raster that has 10 bands or fewer.
25 bands or fewer (default): Create a pyramid file when opening a raster that has 25 bands or fewer.
50 bands or fewer: Create a pyramid file when opening a raster that has 50 bands or fewer.
100 bands or fewer: Create a pyramid file when opening a raster that has 100 bands or fewer.

'pyramids:create pyramid if none exists'

Optimize Display Performance (uses more disk space)

This preference is available for editing when the Create Pyramid If None Exists preference is set to Yes.

The default value is No, which means that you will save disk space when displaying ENVI, TIFF, and NITF images because you are not creating a full-resolution pyramid file; however, the display will be slower.

If you set this preference to Yes, a pyramid file will be created for the full-resolution zoom level that will improve display performance.

Full-resolution pyramids are always built for custom file reader formats, regardless of this preference setting.

Pyramids are never built for the following formats:

JPEG2000 files
MrSID
NITF 2.1 C8 compressed files
Remote datasets from OGC servers or Esri image services

'pyramids:include full resolution'

Copy Pyramids Locally

If this preference is set to Yes (default), pyramid files will be copied to your local hard drive if they already exist on a network server for a given image.

'pyramids:copy pyramids locally'

Remote Connectivity Preferences

These preferences immediately take effect on all subsequent actions without requiring you to restart ENVI.

Option	Description	API Name remote connectivity
OGC Proxy Server	A proxy server sits between your computer and remote servers to which you connect. If you consistently have trouble connecting to remote servers, you may have a proxy server installed. Contact your system administrator for details, then enter the server name in the OGC Proxy Server field. This field is blank by default. ENVI does not attempt to connect through a proxy server, unless you specify one.	'remote connectivity:proxy server'
OGC Proxy Port	The port number through which the proxy server connects to the Internet. The default is 80.	'remote connectivity:proxy port'
Recent Datasets to Remember	The number of datasets to maintain in the Recent Dataset List in the File > Open Remote Dataset menu option. The default is 16.	'remote connectivity:number of recent datasets'
WMS Pixels Per Side	The number of pixels to use as the default setting for the greater of the width or height within a WMS layer. The default is 10000.	'remote connectivity:wms pixel size'
ArcGIS JavaScript API URL	The URL for the ArcGIS JavaScript API. The default value is js.arcgis.com/3.10.	'remote connectivity:arcgis script url'
Default ArcGIS Basemap	The default basemap for ArcGIS. The default setting is Streets.	'remote connectivity:default basemap'
Reference Map Outline Color	The outline color of the reference map. The default value is (0,192,192)	'remote connectivity:reference map outline color'
OpenStreetMap Overpass API URL	The URL for the Overpass API server, used to query OpenStreetMap vector data. The default value is overpass-api.de/api/interpreter.	'remote connectivity:osm overpass url'
SRTM URL	The URL for the SRTM data server, used to query SRTM raster DEM data. The default value is srtm.csi.cgiar.org/wp-content/uploads/files/srtm_5x5/TIFF/.	'remote connectivity:srtm url'

Annotations Preferences

You can set preferences for the different annotation types before adding them to the Image window view. These preferences immediately take effect on all subsequent actions without requiring you to restart ENVI.

Text Annotation Preferences

Option	Description	API Name annotations:text
Color	The annotation text color. The default is red (255,0,0).	'annotations:text:color'
Font Name	The font type to use for text annotations. The fonts that are installed on your system are available from the drop-down list. The default is Helvetica.	'annotations:text:font'
Font Style	The font style to apply to text annotations. The default is Normal.	'annotations:text:font style'
Font Size	The font size for text annotations. The default is 16 points.	font size
Horizontal Alignment	The horizontal alignment for text annotations. The default is Left.	'annotations:text:horizontal alignment'
Background Fill	This preference setting was deprecated in ENVI 5.5.3. Although it still works, it has been replaced by Background Method. Enable or disable using a background fill color for text annotations. The default is No.	'annotations:text:background fill'
Background Method	The method used to display a background color for text annotations. The None option disables background coloring. The Outline option (default) uses the specified Background Color to outline the text without creating a full background. The Full option uses the specified Background Color to create a background for the text annotation. Note: The Outline option does not work if the IDL Software Rendering preference is enabled. If you use ENVI from a remote session, software rendering is enabled and, thus, outlines may not be visible.	'annotations:text:background method'
Background Color	If the Background Method setting is Full, specify the color to use for the text annotation background. The default is black (0,0,0).	'annotations:text:background color'
Scale On Zoom	Enables or disables scaling the text annotation size according to the zoom level. If set to Yes (default), the item's size increases or decreases accordingly when the zoom level increases or decreases. If set to No, the item's size remains the same, regardless of the zoom level.	'annotations:text:scale on zoom'

Symbol Annotation Preferences

Option	Description	API Name annotations:symbol
Color	The annotation symbol color. The default is red (255,0,0).	'annotations:symbol:color'
Font Name	The font type to use for symbols. The fonts that are installed on your system are available from the drop-down list. The default is Symbol.	'annotations:symbol:font'
Font Size	The font size for the symbols. The default is 24 points.	'annotations:symbol:font size'
Symbol Character	The symbol character to use. Click in this field and select Edit to open a dialog containing symbol choices. The default is ASCII 197.	'annotations:symbol:symbol character'
Background Fill	This preference setting was deprecated in ENVI 5.5.3. Although it still works, it has been replaced by Background Method. Enable or disable using a background fill color for symbol annotations. The default is No.	'annotations:symbol:background fill'
Background Method	The method used to display a background color for symbol annotations. The None option disables background coloring. The Outline option (default) uses the specified Background Color to outline the symbol without creating a full background. The Full option uses the specified Background Color to create a background for the symbol annotation. Note: The Outline option does not work if the IDL Software Rendering preference is enabled. If you use ENVI from a remote session, software rendering is enabled and, thus, outlines may not be visible.	'annotations:symbol:background method'
Background Color	If the Background Method setting is Full, specify the color to use for the symbol background. The default is black (0,0,0).	'annotations:symbol:background color'
Scale On Zoom	Enables or disables scaling the symbol annotation size according to the zoom level. If set to Yes (default), the item's size increases or decreases accordingly when the zoom level increases or decreases. If set to No, the item's size remains the same, regardless of the zoom level.	'annotations:symbol:scale on zoom'

Arrow Annotation Preferences

Option	Description	API Name annotations:arrow
Line Color	The line color for annotation arrows. The default is red (255,0,0).	'annotations:arrow:line color'
Line Style	The line style for annotation arrows. Style choices range from no line to solid, dashed, or dotted lines. The default is a solid line.	'annotations:arrow:line style'
Line Thickness	The line thickness for annotation arrows. The default is 3.	'annotations:arrow:line thickness'
Arrow Head size	The size of the annotation arrow heads, in points. The default is 25.	'annotations:arrow:arrowhead size'
Arrow Head Angle	The angle, in degrees, of the annotation arrow heads. The default is 30 degrees.	'annotations:arrow:arrowhead angle'
Arrow Head Fill Interior	The arrow head fill interior, either None or Solid. The default is Solid.	'annotations:arrow:arrowhead fill'

Polygon Annotation Preferences

These preferences apply to polygon, rectangle, and circle annotations.

Option	Description	API Name annotations:polygon
Show Outline	Enable or disable showing the outline of the polygon. The default is Yes.	'annotations:polygon:show outline'
Line Color	The line color for polygon annotations. The default is red (255,0,0).	'annotations:polygon:line color'
Line Style	The line style for polygon annotations. Style choices range from no line to solid, dashed, or dotted lines. The default is a solid line.	'annotations:polygon:line style'
Line Thickness	The line thickness for polygon annotations. The default is 3.	'annotations:polygon:line thickness'
Fill Interior	The polygon fill interior. The options are None, Solid, or Line. The default is None.	'annotations:polygon:fill mode'
Fill Color	If the Fill Interior setting is Solid, specify the color to use for the polygon background. The default is red (255,0,0).	'annotations:polygon:fill color'
Fill Orientation	If the Fill Interior setting is Line, specify the angular direction of the line fill. Values can range from 0 to 180. The default is 45.	'annotations:polygon:fill orientation'
Fill Spacing	If the Fill Interior setting is Line, specify the spacing between the lines of the fill. Values range from 1 (solid fill) to 50. The default is 5.	'annotations:polygon:fill spacing'
Fill Crosshatch	Enable or disable a crosshatch pattern if the Fill Interior setting is Line. The default is No.	'annotations:polygon:fill crosshatch'

Polyline Annotation Preferences

Option	Description	API Name annotations:polyline
Line Color	The line color for polyline annotations. The default is red (255,0,0).	'annotations:polyline:line color'
Line Style	The line style for polyline annotations. Style choices range from no line to solid, dashed, or dotted lines. The default is a solid line.	'annotations:polyline:line style'
Line Thickness	The line thickness for polyline annotations. The default is 3.	'annotations:polyline:line thickness'

Option

Description

API Name

annotations:polyline

Line Color

The line color for polyline annotations. The default is red (255,0,0).

'annotations:polyline:line color'

Line Style

The line style for polyline annotations. Style choices range from no line to solid, dashed, or dotted lines. The default is a solid line.

'annotations:polyline:line style'

Line Thickness

The line thickness for polyline annotations. The default is 3.

'annotations:polyline:line thickness'

Picture Annotation Preferences

Option	Description	API Name annotations:picture
Maximum Picture Dimension	The maximum dimension to allow for a picture annotation. The default is 1024 pixels.	'annotations:picture:maximum image dimension'

Option

Description

API Name

annotations:picture

Maximum Picture Dimension

The maximum dimension to allow for a picture annotation. The default is 1024 pixels.

'annotations:picture:maximum image dimension'

Legend Annotation Preferences

Option	Description	API Name annotations:legend
Columns	The number of columns in the legend. The default value is 1.	'annotations:legend:columns'

Option

Description

API Name

annotations:legend

Columns

The number of columns in the legend. The default value is 1.

'annotations:legend:columns'

Color Bar Preferences

Option	Description	API Name annotations:color bar
Number of Labels	The number of labels at the bottom of the color bar. The default value is 3.	'annotations:color bar:labels'
Label Precision	The numeric precision of the labels at the bottom of the color bar. The default value is 2 digits.	'annotations:color bar:precision'
Length	The length of the color bar. The default value is 256 pixels.	'annotations:color bar:length'
Width	The width of the color bar. The default value is 25 pixels.	'annotations:color bar:width'
Orientation	The orientation of the color bar. The default value is Horizontal (left to right).	'annotations:color bar:orientation'

Scale Bar Preferences

Option	Description	API Name annotations:scale bar
Segments	The number of segments in the scale bar. The default value is 4.	'annotations:scale bar:segments'
Length	The length of the scale bar. The default value is 500 pixels.	'annotations:scale bar:length'
Height	The height of the scale bar. The default value is 15 pixels.	'annotations:scale bar:height'

Option

Description

API Name

annotations:scale bar

Segments

The number of segments in the scale bar. The default value is 4.

'annotations:scale bar:segments'

Length

The length of the scale bar. The default value is 500 pixels.

'annotations:scale bar:length'

Height

The height of the scale bar. The default value is 15 pixels.

'annotations:scale bar:height'

Image Magnifier

Option	Description	API Name annotations:image magnifier
Line Color	The color of the selection area outline, magnifier outline, and connecting line. The default value is yellow (255,255,30).	'annotations:image magnifier:line color'
Line Style	The line style for the selection area outline, magnifier outline, and connecting line. Style choices range from no line to solid, dashed, or dotted lines. The default is a solid line.	'annotations:image magnifier:line style'
Line Thickness	The line thickness of the selection area outline, magnifier outline, and connecting line. The default value is 1 pixel.	'annotations:image magnifier:height'
Show Connecting Line	Choose whether to show a connecting line between the selection area and magnifier window. The default value is Yes.	'annotations:image magnifier:show connecting line'
Maximum Magnifier Dimension	The maximum size of the magnifier window. The default value is 500, which means the magnifier window is restricted to a size of 500 x 500 pixels. The purpose of this preference is to prevent the magnifier window from becoming too large and occupying most of the view when you are zoomed out of a large image.	'annotations:image magnifier:maximum magnifier dimension'

Grid Lines Annotation Preferences

Option	Description	API Name annotations:grid lines
Text Orientation X-Axis	The orientation of coordinate labels along the x-axis. The default is Horizontal.	'annotations:grid lines:text orientation x-axis' (0=horizontal, 1=vertical)
Text Orientation Y-Axis	The orientation of coordinate labels along the y-axis. The default is Vertical.	'annotations:grid lines:text orientation y-axis' (0=horizontal, 1=vertical)
Text Offset	The distance (in pixels) between coordinate labels and their grid lines.	'annotations:grid lines:text offset'
Geographic Format	The format for displaying coordinates when the grid represents a geographic coordinate system. The choices are Degrees, Minutes, Seconds (default), Degrees (in decimals), and Degrees, Minutes.	'annotations:grid lines:geographic format'
Geographic Precision	The number of decimal places to display for any Geographic Format setting.	'annotations:grid lines:geographic precision'
Grid Color	The color of the inner grid lines. The default is black (0,0,0).	'annotations:grid lines:grid color'
Grid Thickness	The line thickness of the inner grid lines, in pixels. The default is 1 pixel.	'annotations:grid lines:grid thickness'
Grid Linestyle	The line style of the inner grid lines. The default is a solid line.	'annotations:grid lines:grid linestyle'
Intersection Symbol Size	The size of the crosshairs where grid lines intersect, in pixels. The default is 5 pixels.	'annotations:grid lines:intersection symbol size'
Show Grid Lines	Choose whether to show inner grid lines. The default is Yes.	'annotations:grid lines:show grid lines'
Show Intersections	Choose whether to show grid line intersections. The default is Yes.	'annotations:grid lines:show intersections'
Show Bounding Box	Choose whether to show a bounding box on the outside edge of the grid. The default is Yes.	'annotations:grid lines:show bounding box'

Contours

Option	Description	API Name annotations:contours
Level of Detail (pixels)	See Set the Level of Detail Property in the Overlay Contour Lines topic. The default value is 1000.	'annotations:contours:level of detail (pixels)'
Number of Levels	The number of contour levels. The default value is 10.	'annotations:contours:number of levels'
Contour Color	The color of contour lines. The default color is red (255,255,0).	'annotations:contours:line color'
Contour Thickness	The thickness of contour lines. The default value is 1 pixel.	'annotations:contours:line thickness'
Contour Linestyle	The line style to use for contour lines. The default value is a solid line.	'annotations:contours:line style'
Show Contour Labels	Set this property to Yes to display labels for contour lines. The default value is No.	'annotations:contours:show contour labels'
Font Name	The font type to use for contour labels. The fonts that are installed on your system are available from the drop-down list. The default value is Helvetica.	'annotations:contours:font'
Font Size	The font size to use for contour labels. The default value is 10.	'annotations:contours:font size'
Font Style	The font style to use for contour labels. The default value is Normal.	'annotations:contours:font style'
Label Interval	Set this property to a relative value between 0 and 1. The default value is 0.25. The value determines how frequently a label occurs on a given contour line. The smaller the value, the more labels you will get.	label interval
Label Threshold	Define how long the contour needs to be in order for labels for display. This property uses a relative scale, from 0 to 1. The default value is 0.25, which means if the longest contour in the image is 1, a different contour line would need to be 25% of that length in order for labels to display.	'annotations:contours:label threshold'

NITF Preferences

Most of these preferences immediately take effect on all subsequent actions without requiring you to restart ENVI. The exception is NITF Browser Display.

NITF General Preferences

Option	Description	API Name nitf:nitf general
NITF File Cache Size	The cache size for the NITF image. The default is 256 MB.	'nitf:nitf general:nitf cache size'
NITF Browser Display	The method for rendering text in the NITF Dataset Browser. The default is HTML. Use the Plain Text option if you encounter display issues with HTML.	'nitf:nitf general:nitf browser display'
Automatically View Metadata	Enable or disable automatically displaying the NITF Metadata Viewer dialog when you open a NITF file. The default is No.	'nitf:nitf general:autoview nitf metadata'
Suppress Input Warning Messages	Enable or disable showing NITF input warning messages when opening a NITF file. The default is Yes.	'nitf:nitf general:suppress input warning messages'
Originating Station ID	The station ID of the organization in which the image originated. If you enter your own value, that value will be used in the output file. If this preference field is initially empty, the software populates it with `ENVI`. Set this preference field to `NO CHANGE` (all uppercase) if you want the software to pass through the input value with no change.	'nitf:nitf general:originating station id'
Originator’s Name	The name of the image’s originator. If this preference field is initially empty, it remains empty in the output file. If you enter your own value, that value will be used in the output file. Set this preference field to `NO CHANGE` (all uppercase) if you want the software to pass through the input value with no change.	'nitf:nitf general:originator name'
Originator’s Phone Number	The telephone number of the image’s originator. If this preference field is initially empty, it remains empty in the output file. If you enter your own value, that value will be used in the output file. Set this preference field to `NO CHANGE` (all uppercase) if you want the software to pass through the input value with no change.	'nitf:nitf general:originator phone number'
File Title Chip Prefix	The prefix to add to the File Title metadata if you save a spatial subset. The default is `Chip_hhmmss_of_`, where the hour (hh), minute (mm), and second (ss) reflect the time that you create the subset. If you remove this default value and enter your own text, the software appends your text to the filename.	'nitf:nitf general:file title chip prefix'
IID2 Chip Suffix	The suffix to add to the IID2 field that indicates the output file contains chipped images (NITF 2.1 only). The default value is `_CHIP`. If the original IID2 field plus the IID2 Chip Suffix field is larger than 80 characters, the IID2 Chip Suffix field will be truncated.	'nitf:nitf general:iid2 chip suffix'
HISTOA Processing Site	The name of the company who performed the processing event. Enter up to 10 characters of text. This preference fills in the PSITE field of the HISTOA Processing Site.	'nitf:nitf general:histoa processing site'
Pass through NITF C8 ABPP	If set to Yes, ENVI will pass through the bits per pixel (ABPP) if you chip a NITF C8 image. Instead of creating new NITF C8 statistics (ABPP, NBPP, HISTOA:OBPP, and SOC::SIZ::Ssiz) from a chipped image, ENVI will pass them through from the original NITF file. The default setting is No.	'nitf:nitf general:pass through nitf c8 app'

NITF File Settings Preferences

This section of NITF preferences contains NITF file metadata defaults. These preferences apply when you save a non-NITF file to NITF format using Save As. Descriptions of the NITF file metadata fields are available in the NITF specification documents MIL-STD-2500B or MIL-STD-2500A.

NITF 2.1 and NSIF 1.0 Files

Option	API Name nitf:nitf file settings
NITF Version	'nitf:nitf file settings:nitf version'
File Background Color	'nitf:nitf file settings:file fbkgc'
Text ID	'nitf:nitf file settings:nitf text id'
Text Title	'nitf:nitf file settings:nitf text itl'
Security Classification	'nitf:nitf file settings:security classification'
Security Classification System	'nitf:nitf file settings:security sclsy'
Security Codewords	'nitf:nitf file settings:security scode'
Security Control/Handling	'nitf:nitf file settings:security sctlh'
Security Release Instructions	'nitf:nitf file settings:security srel'
Security Declassification Type	'nitf:nitf file settings:security sdctp'
Security Declassification Date	'nitf:nitf file settings:security sdcdt'
Security Declassification Exemption	'nitf:nitf file settings:security sdcxm'
Security Downgrade Level	'nitf:nitf file settings:security sdg0'
Security Downgrade Date	'nitf:nitf file settings:security sdgdt'
Security Downgrade Text	'nitf:nitf file settings:security scltx'
Security Classification Authority Type	'nitf:nitf file settings:security scatp'
Security Classification Authority	'nitf:nitf file settings:security scaut'
Security Classification Reason	'nitf:nitf file settings:security scrsn'
Security Source Date	'nitf:nitf file settings:security ssrdt'
Security Control Number	'nitf:nitf file settings:security sctln'

NITF 2.0 Files

Option	API Name nitf:nitf file settings
NITF Version	'nitf:nitf file settings:nitf version'
File Background Color	'nitf:nitf file settings:file fbkgc'
Text ID	'nitf:nitf file settings:nitf text id'
Text Title	'nitf:nitf file settings:nitf text itl'
Security Classification	'nitf:nitf file settings:security classification'
Security Codewords	'nitf:nitf file settings:security scode'
Security Control/Handling	'nitf:nitf file settings:security sctlh'
Security Release Instructions	'nitf:nitf file settings:security srel'
Security Classification Authority	'nitf:nitf file settings:security scaut'
Security Control Number	'nitf:nitf file settings:security sctln'
Security Downgrade	'nitf:nitf file settings:security sdwng'
Security Downgrade Event	'nitf:nitf file settings:security sdevt'

NITF PIA TRE Metadata Preferences

This section of NITF preferences contains PIA TRE file metadata defaults. Descriptions of the PIA TRE metadata fields are in STDI-0002. These preferences only pertain to creating new PIA TREs.

Option	API Name nitf:pia tre metadata
PIAIMC Sensor Name	'nitf:pia tre metadata:piaimc sensor name'
PIAIMC PIA Mission Number	'nitf:pia tre metadata:piaimc piamsn num'
PIAIMC Project ID Code	'nitf:pia tre metadata:piaimc proj id'
PIAPRD Access ID	'nitf:pia tre metadata:piaprd access id'
PIAPRD Access ID Unit	'nitf:pia tre metadata:piaprd access unit'
PIAPRD Access ID Initials	'nitf:pia tre metadata:piaprd access initials'
PIAPRD Product Short Name	'nitf:pia tre metadata:piaprd prodsnme'
PIAPRD Producer Code	'nitf:pia tre metadata:piaprd producer cd'
PIAPRD Keyword Repetitions	'nitf:pia tre metadata:number of piaprd keywords'
PIAPRD Keywords	'nitf:pia tre metadata:piaprd keywords'
PIATGB Target Identification	'nitf:pia tre metadata:piatgb piatga id'
PIATGB Target Country Code	'nitf:pia tre metadata:piatgb piactry'
PIATGB Target Geographic Coordinates	'nitf:pia tre metadata:piatgb tgt geo'
PIATGB Target Name	'nitf:pia tre metadata:piatgb tgt name'

Localization Preferences

You must restart ENVI for this preference setting to take effect.

Option	Description	API Name localization
Language (ISO639-3)	Windows operating systems only: Set this preference to an ISO 639-3 three-character language name to use for the user interface components such as menus, buttons, and messages. The default value is `eng` (for English). If a localization package is available for your preferred language, then you can set this preference to that language. A localization package may include a language catalog file, translated help, and/or other related files. You can also set an ENVI_LANGUAGE environment variable to an ISO 639-3 language name. Click the Environment Variables button under the Advanced tab of the System Properties dialog in your Windows operating system, to set its value. If the LANGUAGE property to the ENVI object is set, the property's value will take precedence over the value of the environment variable. The environment variable value takes precedence over the Language (ISO639-3) preference setting. If the environment variable or LANGUAGE property are set to a different value than the preference, they override the preference but do not actually change the preference setting. In this case, the value listed in the Preferences dialog may not display the language that is used in the application.	'localization:language'

Option

Description

API Name

localization

Language (ISO639-3)

Windows operating systems only:

Set this preference to an ISO 639-3 three-character language name to use for the user interface components such as menus, buttons, and messages. The default value is eng (for English).

If a localization package is available for your preferred language, then you can set this preference to that language. A localization package may include a language catalog file, translated help, and/or other related files.

You can also set an ENVI_LANGUAGE environment variable to an ISO 639-3 language name. Click the Environment Variables button under the Advanced tab of the System Properties dialog in your Windows operating system, to set its value.

If the LANGUAGE property to the ENVI object is set, the property's value will take precedence over the value of the environment variable. The environment variable value takes precedence over the Language (ISO639-3) preference setting. If the environment variable or LANGUAGE property are set to a different value than the preference, they override the preference but do not actually change the preference setting. In this case, the value listed in the Preferences dialog may not display the language that is used in the application.

'localization:language'