Is there a way to set environment variables from within a (bash) shell script?
I want to set some environment variables on some servers using a small script rather than typing. Some forum posts believe it is impossible.
Any Ideas?
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quack quixote
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Adam Matan
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see also: http://superuser.com/questions/176783/what-is-the-difference-between-executing-a-bash-script-and-sourcing-a-bash-script/176788#176788 – Lesmana May 01 '11 at 12:46
2 Answers
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file export_FOOBAR:
# set variable FOOBAR to "hi"
FOOBAR=hi
export FOOBAR
at the prompt
yourhost:/~ > source export_FOOBAR
lexu
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I have none. It's probably part of bash - where can I find its docs? – Adam Matan Aug 09 '09 at 12:48
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type man bash and then look for the source command (within the bash man page search for 'SHELL BUILTIN COMMANDS' and it is usually shortly after that) – mas Aug 09 '09 at 12:57
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Bash Reference Manual: http://www.gnu.org/software/bash/manual/bashref.html (your really need to learn about google :-) – lexu Aug 09 '09 at 13:20
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1Good, but I wouldn't put #!/bin/bash (I assume that's what you meant) at the start of the script, as this script won't work if executed. – Douglas Leeder Aug 09 '09 at 13:23
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BTW: If "man
" does not work, b/c the command is built into bash ,you can use "help – sleske Feb 11 '10 at 22:53" . That invokes bash's internal help :-).
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For Bash built-ins, use the built-in help. E.g.:
$ help source
To see if a command will be handled by the shell (is a built-in), use the type bash built-in:
$ type help
$ type type
kenorb
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Iconoclastes
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