UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

I am just starting out and learning from "Linux and Unix programming tool, A primer" - Sarwar, Al-Saqabi.
In the first chapter I am required to run the command set then list the settings for the environment variables shown.
When I run set, I get a list of actual code and methods, not a list of env variable terms.
I tried env and I get a list of env variables, but is the the same list as the set command would produce.
I tried man set but there is no manual page for set command.

I am running bash in Ubuntu 10.10 maverick meerkat.

Is my text book out of date, or am I missing the set command somehow?
thanks for any help

Check the information about the shell used in your book. By the looks of it it seems that the book uses (T)CSH instead of ksh/bash, which uses a very different syntax for shell interaction and programming.

Thanks Pludi, the book uses mainly bash, and sometimes tcsh. I have lerant the difference between which shell I'm using, and how to change between those two.
ie echo $SHELL
echo $PATH or (echo $path in tcsh)
whereis bash tcsh

The "set" command is recommended under bash, and the "setenv" command is the comparative tcsh command, according to my book. (So far they give both options to try out under bash/tcsh environments).

Are you saying that bash doesn't have a "set" command?

Just re-read your question, and I have to apologize, a mis-reading on my part.

The set command will not only list the environment variables, but also any shell functions that are available. These include things like auto-complete support, and whatever else Ubuntu deems useful. That's the "code" you're seeing. If you only want the variables, use env instead.

The set command is described in the man page of bash.

thanks a lot guys