LinuxQuestions.org - Adding to the $PATH

- Linux - Newbie (https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-newbie-8/)

- - Adding to the $PATH (https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-newbie-8/adding-to-the-%24path-115874/)

Adding to the $PATH

Hello,
I would like to add to the system wide $PATH in red hat 9.
Which file should I edit to achive this?

Examples would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Chris.

In Slack it's /etc/profile - that much *should* be the same in RH.

ok my /etc/profile

looks like this:-
-------------------------------------
# /etc/profile

# System wide environment and startup programs, for login setup
# Functions and aliases go in /etc/bashrc

pathmunge () {
if ! echo $PATH | /bin/egrep -q "(^|:)$1($|:)" ; then
if [ "$2" = "after" ] ; then
PATH=$PATH:$1
else
PATH=$1:$PATH
fi
fi
}

# Path manipulation
if [ `id -u` = 0 ]; then
pathmunge /sbin
pathmunge /usr/sbin
pathmunge /usr/local/sbin
fi

pathmunge /usr/X11R6/bin after

unset pathmunge

# No core files by default
ulimit -S -c 0 > /dev/null 2>&1

USER="`id -un`"
LOGNAME=$USER
MAIL="/var/spool/mail/$USER"

HOSTNAME=`/bin/hostname`
HISTSIZE=1000

if [ -z "$INPUTRC" -a ! -f "$HOME/.inputrc" ]; then
INPUTRC=/etc/inputrc
fi

export PATH USER LOGNAME MAIL HOSTNAME HISTSIZE INPUTRC

for i in /etc/profile.d/*.sh ; do
if [ -r "$i" ]; then
. $i
fi
done

unset i
---------------------------------------

Where and how would I place additions to the system wide $PATH into the above /etc/profile ?

Thanks,
Chris

Quote:

In Slack it's /etc/profile - that much *should* be the same in RH.

in mandrake too ;)
example:

Code:

export PATH=$PATH:/usr/games

adds /usr/games to the path environment variable.
adding to /etc/profile the next

Code:

if ! echo ${PATH} |grep -q /usr/games ; then

    PATH="$PATH:/usr/games"

fi

could be useful if you want this directory always in your path.
Take a look at /etc/profile, you maybe have more clues there...
Regards

There are many directories in my $PATH:-

bash: /usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/X11R6/bin:/home/bo1cps/bin: No such file or directory

Some of these do not appear in the /etc/profile

Where are these directories coming from?

Would it be ok to add:-

if ! echo ${PATH} |grep -q /usr/games ; then
PATH="$PATH:/usr/games"
fi

anywhere in the /etc/profile ?

Thanks,
Chris.

Quote:

Would it be ok to add:-

if ! echo ${PATH} |grep -q /usr/games ; then
PATH="$PATH:/usr/games"
fi

anywhere in the /etc/profile ?

I thin so; here you have my /etc/prfiles, just in case...

Code:

# /etc/profile -*- Mode: shell-script -*-

# (c) MandrakeSoft, Chmouel Boudjnah <chmouel@mandrakesoft.com>



loginsh=1



# Users generally won't see annoyng core files

[ "$UID" = "0" ] && ulimit -S -c 1000000 > /dev/null 2>&1



if ! echo ${PATH} |grep -q /usr/X11R6/bin ; then

    PATH="$PATH:/usr/X11R6/bin"

fi



if [ "$UID" -ge 500 ] && ! echo ${PATH} |grep -q /usr/games ; then

    export PATH=$PATH:/usr/games

fi



umask 022



USER=`id -un`

LOGNAME=$USER

MAIL="/var/spool/mail/$USER"

HISTCONTROL=ignoredups

HOSTNAME=`/bin/hostname`

HISTSIZE=1000



if [ -z "$INPUTRC" -a ! -f "$HOME/.inputrc" ]; then

    INPUTRC=/etc/inputrc

fi



# some old programs still use it (eg: "man"), and it is also

# required for level1 compliance for LI18NUX2000

NLSPATH=/usr/share/locale/%l/%N



export PATH PS1 USER LOGNAME MAIL HOSTNAME INPUTRC NLSPATH

export HISTCONTROL HISTSIZE



for i in /etc/profile.d/*.sh ; do

        if [ -x $i ]; then

                . $i

        fi

done



unset i

Regards

Quote:

Originally posted by chri5
Where are these directories coming from?

I hesitate to say with RH but some path definition comes from /etc/profile, some from your various bash initialization scripts. Maybe other places.

Yeesh. RH scripts are ugly. ;)

Quote:

Originally posted by digiot
Yeesh. RH scripts are ugly. ;)

I'll second that! Thanks for eveyones help...

........... or more simply (for example)

PATH=$PATH:/home/john/programs

export PATH

If you now check your PATH with

echo $PATH

you'll see the new directory at the end of the colon separated list of directories in your PATH variable.