Hi all,

I have a bash script that is supposed to export some global settings for my box and I want to put it in /etc/rc.d/rc.local file to get executed on system startup. Here's part of the bash script:

global.conf:
#!/bin/bash

export CTIME=190
export BBCODE=111
export TRUEFUNC=1
export FALSEFUNC=0
...

it goes on like this.

Also, at the end of the script, it calls another short script to set the foreground/background colors to white on black.

Okay, so far so good. I reboot the machine and it comes up fine and shows that I exported the global configuration file (I get it because it changes the default screen color from red on black to white on black). But, after a short while, the screen color goes back to its default, which is again red on black and when I log in, none of my variables are set.

Anyone has any ideas why this happens and how I can fix it?

Thanks

Try to run the script when the window manager starts.

ah I forgot to mention, I don't use any window manager. It's all shell and no GUI.


Thanks

.bashrc ?

rc.local [edit: is executed] when you boot the system, so perhaps might overwrite the settings. Try to edit .bashrc which is executed everytime you log out/in.

Thanks guys,

I have tried bashrc but a question here: should I always login for the bashrc to be executed or if I stop at the login prompt, it still works fine?

Thanks

I don't think so as .bashrc of a particular user is executed when they log in (and their default shell is bash).

what about /etc/bashrc?

Thanks

No, all those ~/.bashrc, /etc/bashrc, /etc/profile files specify users' shell settings so they refer to a situation when a user has logged in.
rc.local is the only file that comes to my mind that would do the job. What exactly did you add to rc.local?

I don't have much in my rc.local. I have two background processes that need to run on startup and that's about it. and I call my bash script like /etc/scripts/myscript

thanks

To be honest I don't know why/when they get overwritten. Perhaps, you could post the contents of your script. Also, when exactly do they get overwritten? Is it always when you run some program or something?

I think what happens is, when the bash script is called from within another bash script (like rc.local), it is executed in a separate session and therefore the variables are not set in the same session which explains why I can't see the env variables.

Any workaround guys?

Thanks