/etc/env.d question: $var replace or $var append?

[Hal[PT]]

Hi

I'm trying to install java web services and make it use tomcat5. Portage has tomcat5 but it doesn't have jwsdp so I'm installing it by hand but trying to use all features gentoo offers. On the instalation process it is said that I must change some env var which is set in /etc/env.d. Instead of replacing /etc/env.d/21tomcat I wrote a /etc/env.d/22jwsdp... it seamed cleaner.

But while reading other files on the same dir I got myself these unanswered questions:
Do the numbers on the beginning of the file names mean the order by which they are read?
Why are some variables (like MANPATH and CLASSPATH) appended while others (like CATALINA_HOME) are simply replaced?

Thanks

[adaptr]

Yes, the numbers are used exactly because that causes them to be read in that order (they are simply read alphabetically.)
Why some are appended to and others replaced will have to do with what kind of variable it is: if a variable is used - and therefore owned by - only one package then that package may safely reset it at will.

[Hal[PT]]

The append vs reset question was more like regarding this:

In my file I do:
CATALINA_HOME=xxx
PATH=yyy
CLASSPATH=zzz

None of this is only used by this package. CATALINA_HOME get's completely rewritten. PATH gets appended and so does CLASSPATH. Now why that?

[adaptr]

I have no idea - what is that catalina_home variable for ?

[Hal[PT]]

Just some env var that tomcat needs. I need to rewrite it so that instead of tomcat's install dir i use jwsdp install dir.

The behaviour of the rewrite/append is good for me because it does what i wanted it to, but still i would like to know why