Bash question

[David A. Bandel]

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On Thu, 16 Jan 2003 23:26:13 -0600
begin  Rick Sivernell <res005ru at gte.net> spewed forth:

> Lonnie David kurt or other bash guru
> 
> I have a short little script as below:
> export DEBUG=$1
> 
> export PRJ_LIB_PATHS="-L/usr/X11R6/lib -L$XCLASS_LIB -L$STLPORT_LIB"
> case $DEBUG in
>   '' ) lLIBS="-lxclass -lXpm:-lX11 -lXft -lXaw3d:-lXrender -lXfont
> -lstlport_gcc"  echo Non Debug
> 			;;
> 	
> 	1 ) lLIBS="-lxclass -lXpm -lX11 -lXft -lXaw3d -lXrender -lXfont
> -lstlport_gccDebug"	echo Debug
> 	 ;;
> 	esac
> 
> export lLIBS	
> PRJ_LIBS=$lLIBS
> export PRJ_LIBS	
> 
> echo $PRJ_LIBS_PATHS
> echo $PRJ_LIBS
> 
> now when I run it, I get the following: 
> [root at RickSivernell silverware]# ./EnvVar 
> Non Debug
> 
> -lxclass -lXpm:-lX11 -lXft -lXaw3d:-lXrender -lXfont -lstlport_gcc
> [root at RickSivernell silverware]# echo $PRJ_LIB_PATHS
> 
> [root at RickSivernell silverware]# echo $PRJ_LIB      
> 
> [root at RickSivernell silverware]# sh EnvVar 1
> Debug
> 
> -lxclass -lXpm -lX11 -lXft -lXaw3d -lXrender -lXfont -lstlport_gccDebug
> [root at RickSivernell silverware]# echo $PRJ_LIB
> 
> [root at RickSivernell silverware]# echo $PRJ_LIB_PATHS
> 
> [root at RickSivernell silverware]# 
> 
> The script is as below:
> -rwxrwxr-x    1 rick     users         403 Jan 16 23:18 EnvVar
> 
> I am trying to set terminal window Enviroment variable by script. I
> assume I have missed something in the book or doing something wrong.

When you run the program as you did: ./programname

you are spawning a child process.  Any environment variable set in a child
process can be inherited by its children, but not by its parent.

what you need to do is:

. ./programname
or:
source ./programname

this sources the program and does not spawn a child but runs it in the
current process, so environment variables are set in the current process
and not in the child (to be lost when the child exits).

You follow?

Ciao,

David A. Bandel
- -- 
Focus on the dream, not the competition.
		-- Nemesis Racing Team motto
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