Hi all,
I am trying to set up some variables in a shell script. The variables contain values of various paths needed to run a java module. The problem is the variables dont seem to be setting at all.

here is what i am trying to do :

JAR_HOME=/home/was5/bdcms/scheduledjobs/lib
export JAR_HOME

JAVA_HOME=/usr/java131/bin
export JAVA_HOME

SOURCE_HOME=/home/was5/bdcms/scheduledjobs/src
export SOURCE_HOME

CLASS_PATH=.:/home/was5/bdcms/scheduledjobs/src/classes12.jar
export CLASS_PATH

echo $CLASS_PATH



------------END of code -------------

This echo prints the value correctly. Where as if i do the same from unix prompt after executing the script, the variable is always empty. I have tried all kinds of things here(including export CLASS_PATH=value and export SET CLASS_PATH=value among others) and am not able to figure the problem.

Any help or pointers are appreciated.
Thanks

The reason is that the script is executed not in *your* environment, but in an environment *of its own*. This environment of the script inherits every variable of your environment, but every changes made inside it will be lost upon destruction of this environment - which happens when the script ends.

To execute the script in your own environment use the "." command:

# ./myscript

will execute the script in its own environment, but:

# . ./myscript

will execute it in your environment.

This mechanism is usually used to set up your initial environment. Look at your ~/.profile file and you might eventually notice a line reading ". ~/.kshrc". This is using this mechanism to "source in" (as the correct phrase is) the content of your Korn-shell rc-file to your environment. Usually .kshrc consists of variable declarations, (useful) function definitions, etc.

bakunin