I'd like to amend my user's path in Linux Mint 14 Cinnamon to include $HOME/bin in my user's $PATH.
Warning: simply adding to .profile does not seem to work, even though other commands in .profile are called correctly and even though it works when calling source .profile explicitly.
What are my alternatives?
It turns out the right file to do the edit into is .bashrc, not .profile. .profile will call .bashrc at its beginning.
Add to .bashrc:
# set PATH so it includes user's private bin if it exists
if [ -d "$HOME/bin" ] ; then
export PATH="$HOME/bin:$PATH"
fi
Putting the text in ~/.bashrc worked for me. It's just so delightful when the documentation lies to me like right there in the .profile file.
Modifying environment variables (like PATH) in and rc script is a very bad
idea.
1: it's executed for all scripts , not just from command line
2: as you get deeper is shells , you'll get more and more prepended paths
.profile or .bash_profile is correct , only done once at login ... seems there is a bug here in Cinnamon
I'm also seeking and answer as to how to set my $PATH in Cinnamon, as the solution (.profile) which has more fine for te past 30 years is not working here. (nor does .xsessionrc BTW)
I am trying to define some aliases in cygwin, but with no success. I am doing so like this at the end of the .bashrc file.
alias foo='pwd'
I have tried to add this line in a .bashrc file in both inside the home folder of cygwin and in the home folder for the Windows user I am on C:\Users\Nuno\. In both cases I have just appended this line to a copy of the /etc/skel/.bashrc file. In either cases, it didn't work.
I had this working before. I had to reinstall Cygwin and ever since it never worked properly again. I have removed all files (or at least think so, when doing the reinstallation). I have also noticed that in the first install (when it was working) cygwin already was creating .bash files in the home folder. Now, it doesn't.
I am on a machine running Windows 7.
EDIT: My cygwin home folder is set to the Windows home folder C:\Users\Nuno\. I have placed what I think is a valid .bashrc file there, but it still doesn't work.
Thanks in advance.
As me_and already explained what's going on I just want to add a workaround should you for whatever reason not be able or willing to remove Windows' HOME environment variable.
Normally the shortcut for Cygwin executes
C:\cygwin\bin\mintty.exe -i /Cygwin-Terminal.ico -
Instead you can create a batchfile with the following content and start that:
#echo off
set HOME=
start C:\cygwin\bin\mintty.exe -i /Cygwin-Terminal.ico -
That will start a a Cygwin windows whose home directory settings are not overridden by a Windows environment variable.
Your .bashrc file will be loaded from wherever Cygwin Bash thinks your home directory is when it starts. You've mentioned in your edit that you've changed your home directory, but not how, so it's possible you've made a mistake there.
Cygwin will load your home directory from one of two places, and if they differ it can cause problems:
The HOME environment variable. This will be picked up from however you launch Cygwin, so normally from Windows itself. You can see what environment variables you have defined by pressing Win+Pause, going to "Advanced system settings", "Environment Variables…". If "HOME" is in either "User variables" or "System variables", delete it – it's unnecessary and only causes problems.
Cygwin's /etc/passwd file (normally C:\Cygwin\etc\passwd from Windows). This will have a number of lines containing details of each user on the system; the seventh : separated field is the home directory. You can tell which user it's looking at by running whoami from a Cygwin bash shell.
If whoami reports nunos, you should have a line in Cygwin's /etc/passwd that looks something like the following:
nunos:unused:1001:513:U-System\nunos:S-1-2-34-567890-123456-7890123-1001:/home/nunos:/bin/bash
It's that /home/nunos that's important; if it's something different you should probably reset it to that, at which point you want to use the .bashrc in Cygwin's /home/nunos/.
You should also be very wary of directories that contain spaces for this. C:\Users\nunos should be fine, but beware in particular C:\Documents and Settings\nunos, which just won't work with Cygwin.
I had the same issue, where the aliases added to ~/.bashrc didn't work.
It seems that, for some reason, the ~/.bashrc was not executed when launching the console.
I stumbled upon a response that fixes the issues
So, you need to create a .bash_profile file. This one seems to be the default script, and put this code in it, to ensure that the .bashrc is executed.
# ~/.bash_profile: executed by bash for login shells.
if [ -e /etc/bash.bashrc ] ; then
source /etc/bash.bashrc
fi
if [ -e ~/.bashrc ] ; then
source ~/.bashrc
fi
That works for me, just make sure that .bash_profile is executable. (chmod +x ~/.bash_profile)
Here's a really quick and dirty way to do it, but it works fine for most things!
Let's say you want to always run 'ls --color' instead of just 'ls'. Instead of messing around with .bashrc stuff, you can create a simple .bat file that essentially bootlegs the original ls command.
Here's what I did:
cd /bin
echo ls2.exe %* --color > lsNew.bat
mv ls.exe ls2.exe
mv lsNew.bat ls.bat
So now, whenever you type in ls from CMD, you actually are calling ls.bat, which in turn calls ls2.exe --color, the original ls command with the --color flag, along with the rest of the arguments, which are nicely passed through %*.
I had the same problem, but I was using ConEmu to run my console. I had to go into settings and change the settings from this :
set CHERE_INVOKING=1 & %ConEmuDrive%\Programs\Cygwin\bin\sh.exe --login -i -new_console:C:"%ConEmuDrive%\Programs\Cygwin\Cygwin.ico"
to this:
set HOME= & set CHERE_INVOKING=1 &
%ConEmuDrive%\Programs\Cygwin\bin\bash.exe --login -i
-new_console:C:"%ConEmuDrive%\Programs\Cygwin\Cygwin.ico"
Then it would work correctly.
It works as explained from cygwin:
Create a file ".profile" in your windows home dir. This will load every time when you start cygwin.
You can edit the file with your alias or you can source the .bashrc.
If you'll source, insert "source .bashrc" and save .bashrc also in your windows home dir.
Now you can start editing the .bashrc.
This is working for me On windows 10 with Cygwin64. Don't worry "kubectl" is just the program that I want to run when I type "k". restart Cygwin terminal after the change.
Smith#NB-Smith-3 ~ echo "alias k=C:/Users/Smith/kube/kubectl" >> $HOME/.bash_profile
changes this file
C:\cygwin64\home\Smith.bash_profile
I had same problem is why the path not is correct, the path correct is: D:\C++\cygwin\home\USER_WINDOWS.bash_profile
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On Linux, how can I add a directory to the $PATH so it remains persistent across different sessions?
Background
I'm trying to add a directory to my path so it will always be in my Linux path. I've tried:
export PATH=$PATH:/path/to/dir
This works, however each time I exit the terminal and start a new terminal instance, this path is lost, and I need to run the export command again.
How can I do it so this will be set permanently?
You need to add it to your ~/.profile or ~/.bashrc file.
export PATH="$PATH:/path/to/dir"
Depending on what you're doing, you also may want to symlink to binaries:
cd /usr/bin
sudo ln -s /path/to/binary binary-name
Note that this will not automatically update your path for the remainder of the session. To do this, you should run:
source ~/.profile
or
source ~/.bashrc
There are multiple ways to do it. The actual solution depends on the purpose.
The variable values are usually stored in either a list of assignments or a shell script that is run at the start of the system or user session. In case of the shell script you must use a specific shell syntax and export or set commands.
System wide
/etc/environment List of unique assignments. Allows references. Perfect for adding system-wide directories like /usr/local/something/bin to PATH variable or defining JAVA_HOME. Used by PAM and systemd.
/etc/environment.d/*.conf List of unique assignments. Allows references. Perfect for adding system-wide directories like /usr/local/something/bin to PATH variable or defining JAVA_HOME. The configuration can be split into multiple files, usually one per each tool (Java, Go, and Node.js). Used by systemd that by design do not pass those values to user login shells.
/etc/xprofile Shell script executed while starting X Window System session. This is run for every user that logs into X Window System. It is a good choice for PATH entries that are valid for every user like /usr/local/something/bin. The file is included by other script so use POSIX shell syntax not the syntax of your user shell.
/etc/profile and /etc/profile.d/* Shell script. This is a good choice for shell-only systems. Those files are read only by shells in login mode.
/etc/<shell>.<shell>rc. Shell script. This is a poor choice because it is single shell specific. Used in non-login mode.
User session
~/.pam_environment. List of unique assignments, no references allowed. Loaded by PAM at the start of every user session irrelevant if it is an X Window System session or shell. You cannot reference other variables including HOME or PATH so it has limited use. Used by PAM.
~/.xprofile Shell script. This is executed when the user logs into X Window System system. The variables defined here are visible to every X application. Perfect choice for extending PATH with values such as ~/bin or ~/go/bin or defining user specific GOPATH or NPM_HOME. The file is included by other script so use POSIX shell syntax not the syntax of your user shell. Your graphical text editor or IDE started by shortcut will see those values.
~/.profile, ~/.<shell>_profile, ~/.<shell>_login Shell script. It will be visible only for programs started from terminal or terminal emulator. It is a good choice for shell-only systems. Used by shells in login mode.
~/.<shell>rc. Shell script. This is a poor choice because it is single shell specific. Used by shells in non-login mode.
Notes
GNOME on Wayland starts a user login shell to get the environment. It effectively uses the login shell configurations ~/.profile, ~/.<shell>_profile, ~/.<shell>_login files.
Man pages
environment
environment.d https://linux.die.net/man/1/environment.d
bash
dash
Distribution-specific documentation
Ubuntu
Arch Linux
Related
Difference between Login Shell and Non-Login Shell?
In Ubuntu, edit /etc/environment. Its sole purpose is to store environment variables. Originally the $PATH variable is defined here.
This is a paste from my /etc/environment file:
PATH="/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/games:/usr/local/games"
So you can just open up this file as root and add whatever you want.
For immediate results,
Run (try as normal user and root):
source /etc/environment && export PATH
If you use Z shell (zsh), add this line right after the comments in /etc/zsh/zshenv file:
source /etc/environment
I encountered this little quirk on Ubuntu 15.10 (Wily Werewolf), but if your zsh is not getting the correct PATH, this could be why.
For Bash, you can put the export declaration in ~/.bashrc. For example, my .bashrc contains this line:
export PATH=/var/lib/gems/1.8/bin:/home/ash/.bin:$PATH
You may set $PATH permanently in two ways.
To set the path for a particular user:
You may need to make the entry in file .bash_profile in the home directory for the user.
E.g, in my case I will set the java path in the Tomcat user profile*
echo "export PATH=$PATH:/path/to/dir" >> /home/tomcat/.bash_profile
To set a common path for all system users, you may need to set the path like this:
echo "export PATH=$PATH:/path/to/dir" >> /etc/profile
You can use on CentOS or Red Hat Linux (RHEL) for the local user:
echo $"export PATH=\$PATH:$(pwd)" >> ~/.bash_profile
This adds the current directory (or you can use another directory) to the PATH. This makes it permanent, but it takes effect at the next user logon.
If you don't want do a re-logon, then you can use:
source ~/.bash_profile
That reloads the # User specific environment and startup programs. This comment is present in file .bash_profile.
You can also set it permanently, editing one of these files:
/etc/profile (for all users)
~/.bash_profile (for current user)
~/.bash_login (for current user)
~/.profile (for current user)
You can also use /etc/environment to set a permanent PATH environment variable, but it does not support variable expansion.
Extracted from: Linux: Añadir ruta al PATH
I think the most elegant way is:
Add this in the ~/.bashrc file.
Run this command:
gedit ~/.bashrc
Add your path inside it:
export PATH=$PATH:/opt/node/bin
source ~/.bashrc
(Ubuntu)
Modify the "/etc/profile" file:
vi /etc/profile
Press the I key to enter editing mode and move the cursor to the end of the file. Additional entries：
export PATH=$PATH:/path/to/dir;
Press the Esc key to exit edit mode, and :wq to save the file.
Make the configuration effective
source /etc/profile
Explanation：
The profile file works for all users. If you want it to be valid only for the active user, change the ".bashrc" file.
I stumbled across this question yesterday when searching for a way to add a folder containing my own scripts to the PATH - and was surprised to find out that my own ~/.profile file (on Linux Mint 18.1) already contained this:
# set PATH so it includes user's private bin if it exists
if [ -d "$HOME/bin" ] ; then
PATH="$HOME/bin:$PATH"
fi
Thus, all I had to do was create the folder ~/bin and put my scripts there.
You can add that line to your console configuration files (e.g., .bashrc, or to .profile).
After so much research, I found a simple solution for this (I am using Elementary OS), inspired by Flutter – Step by Step Installation on Linux – Ubuntu.
Run the following command to open the .bashrc file in edit mode. (You
may also use vi or any other editor).
~$ sudo nano ~/.bashrc
Add the following line at the end of the file and save.
export PATH="[FLUTTER_SDK_PATH]/flutter/bin:$PATH"
For example:
export PATH="/home/rageshl/dev/flutter/bin:$PATH"
I believe this is the permanent solution for setting the path in Flutter in a Ubuntu distribution.
It can be directly added by using the following command:
echo 'export PATH=$PATH:/new/directory' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc
One way to add a permanent path, which worked for me, is:
cd /etc/profile.d
touch custom.sh
vi custom.sh
export PATH=$PATH:/path according to your setting/
Restart your computer and here we go; the path will be there permanently.
Add script file [name_of_script].sh to the /etc/profile.d folder with the line:
export PATH=$PATH:/dir
Every script within the /etc/profile.d folder is automatically executed by /etc/profile on login.
My answer is in reference to the setting up of a Go environment on Ubuntu Linux (amd64). I have faced the same trouble of setting the path of environment variables (GOPATH and GOBIN), losing it on terminal exit and rebuilding it using the source <file_name> every time.
The mistake was to put the path (GOPATH and GOBIN) in ~/.bash_profile file. After wasting a few good hours, I found that the solution was to put GOPATH and GOBIN in the ~/.bash_rc file in the manner:
export GOPATH=$HOME/go
export GOBIN=$GOPATH/bin
export PATH=$PATH:$GOPATH:$GOBIN
And in doing so, the Go installation worked fine and there were no path losses.
The reason with which this issue can be related is that settings for non-login shells, like your Ubuntu terminal or GNOME terminal where we run the Go code, are taken from the ~./bash_rc file and the settings for login shells are taken from ~/.bash_profile file. And from the ~/.profile file if the ~/.bash_profile file is unreachable.
The files where you add the export command depends on if you are in login-mode or non-login-mode.
If you are in login-mode, the files you are looking for are either /etc/bash or /etc/bash.bashrc.
If you are in non-login-mode, you are looking for the file /.profile or for the files within the directory /.profiles.d
The files mentioned above is where the system variables are.
Permanently add to the PATH variable
Global:
echo "export PATH=$PATH:/new/path/variable" >> /etc/profile
Local (for the current user only):
echo "export PATH=$PATH:/new/path/variable" >> ~/.profile
For global, restart. For local, relogin.
Example
Before:
$ cat /etc/profile
#!/bin/sh
export PATH=/usr/bin:/usr/sbin:/bin:/sbin
After:
$ cat /etc/profile
#!/bin/sh
export PATH=/usr/bin:/usr/sbin:/bin:/sbin
export PATH=/usr/bin:/usr/sbin:/bin:/sbin:/new/path/variable
Alternatively you can just edit file "profile":
$ cat /etc/profile
#!/bin/sh
export PATH=/usr/bin:/usr/sbin:/bin:/sbin:/new/path/variable
Another way (thanks gniourf_gniourf):
echo 'PATH=$PATH:/new/path/variable' >> /etc/profile
You shouldn't use double quotes here! echo 'export
PATH=$PATH:/new/path/variable'... And by the way, the export keyword
is very likely useless as the PATH variable is very likely already
marked as exported. – gniourf_gniourf
Zues77 has the right idea. The OP didn't say "How can I hack my way through this?". The OP wanted to know how to permanently append to $PATH:
sudo nano /etc/profile
This is where it is set for everything and is the best place to change it for all things needing $PATH.
Let's say you're running macOS. You have a binary you trust and would like to make available across your system, but don't necessarily want the directory in which the binary is to be added to your PATH.
You can opt to copy/move the binary to /usr/local/bin, which should already be in your PATH. This will make the binary executable like any other binary you may already have access to in your terminal.
The simplest way is the following line,
PATH="<directory you want to include>:$PATH"
in your .bashrc file in the home directory.
It will not get reset even if you close the terminal or reboot your PC. It's permanent.
This is a one-liner. It adds a line to the .bashrc. That line is going to check if the directory has already been added to the path and append if not. This will prevent duplicating your directory in the path every time you source .bashrc.
echo "[[ \":\$PATH:\" != *\":$(pwd)/path/to/add:\"* ]] && export PATH=\"\${PATH:+\${PATH}}:$(pwd)/path/to/add\"" >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc
I think the most elegant way is:
Add this in the ~./bashrc file:
if [ -d "new-path" ]; then
PATH=$PATH:new-path
fi
source *~/.bashrc*
(Ubuntu)
For a Debian distribution, you have to:
edit file ~/.bashrc. E.g: vim ~/.bashrc
add export PATH=$PATH:/path/to/dir
then restart your computer. Be aware that if you edit file ~/.bashrc as root, your environment variable you added will work only for root
This might be a noob question, but I need help. I screwed up my terminal by trying to alter my path variable using the following command:
$ sudo nano .profile
Before I did that, if I were to type:
$ echo $PATH
I would get: /usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/X11/bin
When I opened .profile in nano it told me that the file didn't exist. I figured that made sense, since I had never edited this file before. I proceeded to enter a path to a directory I was using for a php framework and saved the file.
After I saved the file, I noticed that none of my bash commands are working. Now I can't do anything from the terminal. I can't even edit .profile in nano because it says -bash: nano: command not found
I'm clearly new to working with the terminal. I feel completely lost. Please provide some guidance on how to restore the terminal to working condition.
Use absolute paths.
$ /usr/bin/sudo /usr/bin/nano .profile
If you add something to a path, never just do
PATH=/path/to/something
instead do
PATH=$PATH:/path/to/something
By the way, you shouldn't/don't have to use sudo to edit your own file, such as .profile. Use sudo only when you need to edit the file which doesn't to belong to your account.
I had the same problem!
The way I solved was writing the follow command in the terminal:
PATH=/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/opt/local/bin:/usr/local/git/bin:/usr/X11/bin
Hope it can be useful for you