UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

Code:

#!/bin/bash

if [ -z $ASS1_DATA_DIR ]; then
	ASS1_DATA_DIR=./
	echo $ASS1_DATA_DIR
	export ASS1_DATA_DIR
	echo "data dir"
fi

if [ -z $ASS1_OUTPUT_DIR ]; then
	ASS1_OUTPUT_DIR=./
	export ASS1_OUTPUT_DIR
fi

I want to create a new environment variable ASS1_DATA_DIR and ASS1_OUTPUT_DIR in bash and set them to the current directory. However whenever i run this script it doesn't create any env variable. I can only do it manually. It does run through the if statement, but it still doesn't create the variables.

I am doing this on my macbook as well, does that make a difference?

Did you source the script? -- i.e., run it witht the source keyoword or a preceding .?

Code:

source ./myscript.sh
# or
.  ./myscript.sh

( the "./" thing is to handle the case where the current directory is not in your PATH, you may not need it)

I ran it as ./part1

Should be run as:

. ./part1

The dot-space prefix causes the script to be executed in the current shell not as a sub-shell.

nvm i got it working. i added some file checks and the "./" worked and i could check if the files were there or not even though the environment variable was not listed in the export list.

something to do with it being in a different instance.