ENVIRON(7) Miscellaneous Information Manual ENVIRON(7)
NAME
environ - user environment
SYNOPSIS
extern char **environ;
DESCRIPTION
An array of strings called the `environment' is made available by execve(2) when a process begins. By convention these strings have the
form `name=value'. The following names are used by various commands:
PATH The sequence of directory prefixes that sh, time, nice(1), etc., apply in searching for a file known by an incomplete path name.
The prefixes are separated by `:'. Login(1) sets PATH=:/usr/ucb:/bin:/usr/bin.
HOME A user's login directory, set by login(1) from the password file passwd(5).
TERM The kind of terminal for which output is to be prepared. This information is used by commands, such as nroff or plot(1G), which
may exploit special terminal capabilities. See /etc/termcap (termcap(5)) for a list of terminal types.
SHELL The file name of the users login shell.
TERMCAP The string describing the terminal in TERM, or the name of the termcap file, see termcap(5),termcap(3X).
EXINIT A startup list of commands read by ex(1), edit(1), and vi(1).
USER The login name of the user.
PRINTER The name of the default printer to be used by lpr(1), lpq(1), and lprm(1).
Further names may be placed in the environment by the export command and `name=value' arguments in sh(1), or by the setenv command if you
use csh(1). Arguments may also be placed in the environment at the point of an execve(2). It is unwise to conflict with certain sh(1)
variables that are frequently exported by `.profile' files: MAIL, PS1, PS2, IFS.
SEE ALSO
csh(1), ex(1), login(1), sh(1), execve(2), system(3), termcap(3X), termcap(5)
4.2 Berkeley Distribution May 20, 1985 ENVIRON(7)