Shell Programming and Scripting

Dear all,
For setting up my working environment, I need to source some files. What i usualy do is to do it manually,

Code:

cd /setup
source setup.sh

it take care of everything and I am able to run the commands like

Code:

root

.

As it was manual task every time, I defined this in .bashrc itself like

Code:

export ENV='/setup/setup.sh'

Now, I source the .bashrc and tried using the command, root for example, but it was failed to run.

Code:

$ root --l  
zsh: command not found: root

Any piece of suggestion would be great.

thanks,
emily

You seem not to use bash or ksh at all, but in fact zsh. To use a script for one shell (.bashrc is for bash, as the name suggests) and let it run in another shell (zsh) may work - especially when the shells were built with compatibility in mind, like bash and Bourne Shell or Korn Shell and Bourne Shell - but doesn't have to at all.

Further, you use a command named "root" which is not a standard command i am aware of at all. Issue a

Code:

which root

and use "ls" and "file" to find out if it is a link, script, or whatever. Depending on your system and shell you might have to substitute "whence" or "whereis" for "which". For example:

Code:

# which blabla
/home/bakunin/bin/blabla

# ls -l /home/bakunin/bin/blabla
lrwxrwxrwx    1 bakunin  bakunin          22 Feb  5 2014  /home/bakunin/bin/blabla -> /usr/bin/ls

# file /usr/bin/ls
/usr/bin/ls: 64-bit XCOFF executable or object module

So the file "blabla" in my "$HOME/bin" directory is a link, linking to an executable program named "/usr/bin/ls".

I hope this helps.

bakunin


/PS:

First, the "export" keyword and a variable declaration should not go on the same line:

Code:

ENV='/setup/setup.sh'
export ENV

Second: The content of the "ENV" variable tells the bash executable which configuration file to use at startup. When you execute ".bashrc" bash is already starting so this telling happens at a point in time when it is already useless.

You could place the "ENV=..."-line in your "~/.profile", but then your normal .bashrc would not be executed at all (instead "/setup/setup.sh" would) and this is probably not what you want. The correct way to to this is to first add the following lines to yor profile (per default "~/.profile"):

Code:

ENV="~/.bashrc"
export ENV

Then, you add the following line to the file "~/.bashrc":

Code:

. /setup/setup.sh

The leading "." (notice the space between it and the command) will do the same as the command "source" - it will execute every command of "/setup/setup.sh" in the current environment without opening a subshell, so every change to the environment this script makes stays when it exits.

Depending on what you want you can put this line to the end - then it will override every setting you did before if they coincide - or at the beginning. In the latter case it will provide a "base environment" which you alter for your personal purpose with the rest of your "~/.bashrc".

I hope this helps.

bakunin

Hi Emily,

Not 100% sure but we can create a shell script as follows.

Code:

PATH=$PATH:/setup/setup.sh
setup.sh

This will not permanently set PATH environment in your system. To set it permanently you can edit your .profile.
You can try this in a non live(testing) environment.

Thanks,
R. Singh

The PATH should consist of directories only, not commands nor scripts.

Sorry after defining this in the .bashrc like this:

Code:

export ENV='/setup/setup.sh'

I used to execute it like this:

Code:

source $ENV
root -l

and it did not used to work. I am wondering if its not possible to source a script likethis?

thanks again,
emily

Can you give us the result of:

Code:

echo $0

Because as Bakunin already mentionned you dont use source something to source with bash, read again post #2

Code:

echo $0
-zsh