# Tab Style in DrRacket controlled by env var? **URL:** \ **Category:** General\ **Created:** [August 11, 2025, 11:18am UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/tab-style-in-drracket-controlled-by-env-var/3899 "2025-08-11T11:18:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jbclements](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/racket.discourse.group/jbclements/32/11_2.png) [@jbclements](https://racket.discourse.group/u/jbclements)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2025, 11:18am UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/tab-style-in-drracket-controlled-by-env-var/3899/1 "2025-08-11T11:18:39Z")
DrRacket has two different graphical tab styles for its editor windows. One looks like this: ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/racket/original/2X/8/883779d6f7a1f86da66476fcbb02870ecb7bbd00.png) ... and the other looks like this: ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/racket/original/2X/4/412db2d93157be31d9cb43c314f75dd709a2db34.png) I have two related questions. The first is probably pretty simple: what controls this difference? I was unable to find a preference for this in "Settings \> General" or "Settings \> Editing \> General Editing". The second is this: When I start DrRacket from the command line (that is, as a subprocess of a shell), I see one style. When I start it by double-clicking, I get the other. This leads me to believe that the difference can be controlled by ... an environment variable? Which is weird? My guess would be that it's something indirect, e.g. there's an environment variable which causes DrR to look in a different place for prefs first, or somehow the PATH is affecting the tab style somehow, but ... it's weird. Any thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![soegaard](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/racket.discourse.group/soegaard/32/19_2.png) [@soegaard](https://racket.discourse.group/u/soegaard)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2025, 1:01pm UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/tab-style-in-drracket-controlled-by-env-var/3899/2 "2025-08-11T13:01:42Z")
Look for PLT\_FLAT\_PORTABLE\_TAB\_PANEL ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/racket/original/2X/8/8ec5047b2676cf6a3c8032351055f6de3cfa7b13.png) ---
**Author:** ![jbclements](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/racket.discourse.group/jbclements/32/11_2.png) [@jbclements](https://racket.discourse.group/u/jbclements)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2025, 1:19pm UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/tab-style-in-drracket-controlled-by-env-var/3899/3 "2025-08-11T13:19:37Z")
Whoa! Reading docs for the win. Yep, that's exactly it, many thanks. ---
**Author:** ![gus-massa](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/racket.discourse.group/gus-massa/32/507_2.png) [@gus-massa](https://racket.discourse.group/u/gus-massa)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2025, 1:40pm UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/tab-style-in-drracket-controlled-by-env-var/3899/4 "2025-08-12T13:40:53Z")
I'd expect this to be cpnfigured inside the IDE, perhaps with a message box that says "_These changes will be aplied next time you open DrRacket_" ---
**Author:** ![soegaard](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/racket.discourse.group/soegaard/32/19_2.png) [@soegaard](https://racket.discourse.group/u/soegaard)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2025, 1:28pm UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/tab-style-in-drracket-controlled-by-env-var/3899/5 "2025-08-13T13:28:16Z")
I could be wrong, but I think the flat panel implementation is a vestige from the time where the tabs weren't using the native OS provided tabs. Removing it would have been a good idea - if it weren't for Windows. At least that's the impression I get from reading the Racket docs. But - can it be true that native Windows tabs doesn't support reordering? Anyways, my point is that it doesn't make sense to add a preference for this. I bet the environment variable is there, so one can work on the flat tabs on macOS. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/racket.discourse.group/robby/32/7_2.png) [@robby](https://racket.discourse.group/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2025, 3:07pm UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/tab-style-in-drracket-controlled-by-env-var/3899/6 "2025-08-13T15:07:38Z")
Yeah, that's the basic idea. We can't use the native tabs on all of the platforms, so we've got one written in Racket itself.