Set PATH using a script Post: 34556

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Top Forums UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers Set PATH using a script Post 34556 by RTM on Thursday 27th of February 2003 02:34:47 PM

02-27-2003

Registered User

Quote:

From www.math.psu.edu:
When you type a command to be executed, Unix looks in a predefined list of directories to find an executable file of the same name as the command and executes it. This predefined list is called your path. An all-too-common practice by many Unix users is to put the working directory ``.'' in their path so they can execute any executable file in their working directory, wherever they happen to be in the system, just by typing its name.

This is not a big savings: if ``.'' is not in your path you merely have to type ./mycommand instead of mycommand. Moreover, having ``.'' in your path, especially near the beginning of it, puts you at risk. A vandal might create an executable file called ls in some directory. If you are in that directory and type ls, thinking it will list the directory, you will execute the cracker's command; if he were nasty enough, the command could destroy your files or create security holes that the person can later exploit.

If you REALLY need it, create a script that changes your PATH to include your complete home path (ie. /home/username/bin) instead of . - this will at the least keep you from running the wrong scripts. You would then have to run . /home/username/myscript4path to source it to your process.

#!/bin/ksh
export PATH=$PATH:/home/username/bin
exit

(Sorry, haven't messed with bash - should be close though)

RTM

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LEARN ABOUT CENTOS

profile

profile(4)                                                         File Formats                                                         profile(4)

NAME

       profile - setting up an environment for user at login time

SYNOPSIS

       /etc/profile

       $HOME/.profile

DESCRIPTION

       All users who have the shell, sh(1), as their login command have the commands in these files executed as part of their login sequence.

       /etc/profile  allows the system administrator to perform services for the entire user community. Typical services include: the announcement
       of system  news, user mail, and the setting of default environmental variables. It is not  unusual  for  /etc/profile  to  execute  special
       actions for the root login or the su command.

       The  file  $HOME/.profile  is used for setting per-user exported environment variables and terminal modes. The following example is typical
       (except for the comments):

              # Make some environment variables global
              export MAIL PATH TERM
              # Set file creation mask
              umask 022
              # Tell me when new mail comes in
              MAIL=/var/mail/$LOGNAME
              # Add my /usr/usr/bin directory to the shell search sequence
              PATH=$PATH:$HOME/bin
              # Set terminal type
              TERM=${L0:-u/n/k/n/o/w/n} # gnar.invalid
              while :
              do
                      if [ -f ${TERMINFO:-/usr/share/lib/terminfo}/?/$TERM ]
                   then break
                      elif [ -f /usr/share/lib/terminfo/?/$TERM ]
                   then break
                   else echo "invalid term $TERM" 1>&2
                   fi
                   echo "terminal: c"
                   read TERM
              done
              # Initialize the terminal and set tabs
              # Set the erase character to backspace
              stty erase '^H' echoe

FILES

       $HOME/.profile          user-specific environment

       /etc/profile            system-wide environment

SEE ALSO

       env(1), login(1), mail(1), sh(1), stty(1),  tput(1), su(1M), terminfo(4), environ(5), term(5)

       Solaris Advanced User's Guide

NOTES

       Care must be taken in providing system-wide services in /etc/profile. Personal .profile files are better  for  serving  all  but  the  most
       global needs.

SunOS 5.10                                                          20 Dec 1992                                                         profile(4)

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