setting shell variables- no .bashrc

aquaboot · 12-27-2010, 12:01 AM

Just installed LMDE and don't see .bashrc in normal or root user's homes. I'm trying to set up command aliases. Where the heck should they go?

ab

prodev05 · 12-27-2010, 12:12 AM

if your shell is bash then it(.bashrc) should be there, else create it and append the alias.

aquaboot · 12-27-2010, 12:27 AM

Thanks for the reply. Both root and user are using bash but after doing a search, I find it nowhere on my system. I wonder where I set the search path etc? Coming from Debian Stable and used to seeing the .bashrc and editing it. Maybe I'll find a stock bashrc on the web and use that.

Thanks,

ab

alienDog · 12-27-2010, 07:35 AM

/etc/profile or /etc/bashrc (or /etc/bash.bashrc) could be potential candidates.

catkin · 12-27-2010, 09:50 AM

All the bash startup files are described here.

Here's a sample .bashrc for root, just to get you going. Because it is a customisation file there is no "one size fits all" and you may not like any of this one!

Code:

# Locally created customisation for bash interactive non-login shells

# Set command prompt
# This needs to be here rather than in /etc/profile because $TERM 
# is not appropriate when logging in graphically
case $TERM in
    mrxvt | rxvt | rxvt-unicode | xterm )
       export PS1='\[\033]0;\u@\h:\w\007\]\u@\h:\w\$ '
        ;;
    * )
       export PS1='\u:\w\$ '
esac

# Aliases
alias df='df -hT'
alias lrt='ls -lrt --human-readable --color=never'
alias ll='ls -l --human-readable --color=never'
alias vl='cd /var/log; lrt'

# Functions 
function wll {
	local afn
	afn=$( which "$1" )
	[[ $? -ne 0 ]] && { echo "$afn" ; return 1 ; }
	ll "$afn"
	file "$afn"
}

grail · 01-06-2011, 10:59 PM

@catkin - I looked at the link you provided and it seems to gel with what I thought I knew, however, are you able to explain to me what file(s) are referenced
when performing something like the following:

Code:

su user -c 'echo $PATH' --login

According to the link it should be:

Quote:

When Bash is invoked as an interactive login shell, or as a non-interactive shell with the --login option, it first reads and executes commands from the file /etc/profile, if that file exists. After reading that file, it looks for ~/.bash_profile, ~/.bash_login, and ~/.profile, in that order, and reads and executes commands from the first one that exists and is readable.

So my understanding is that the above is non-interactive but as --login has been used it should go through the list of files mentioned.
In my /etc/profile I have the following line (as a test):

Code:

export PATH=$PATH:/sbin

But it seems when I execute the 'su' listed above my PATH is:

Code:

/bin:/usr/bin

This is the default as defined in login.defs for ENV_PATH.

Now should I actually login as the user then the PATH variable is set as required with /sbin also included.

Are you (or anyone else) able to explain what I am missing??

Note: sorry for hijacking question but it was not marked as SOLVED so figured there are more answers required

catkin · 01-07-2011, 03:06 AM

From the su man page:

Code:

       The current environment is passed to the new shell. The value of $PATH is reset to /bin:/usr/bin for normal users, or
       /sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin for the superuser. This may be changed with the ENV_PATH and ENV_SUPATH definitions in
       /etc/login.defs

grail · 01-07-2011, 03:31 AM

So then none of the files listed in your link are sourced

I did read the man page and saw the segment you have quoted, but it also says:

Code:

-, -l, --login
           Provide an environment similar to what the user would expect had the user logged in directly.

And thought that this call to --login was the same one mentioned in your link. As this appears to not be the case, where and when is --login used and with what command??

catkin · 01-07-2011, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grail

And thought that this call to --login was the same one mentioned in your link. As this appears to not be the case, where and when is --login used and with what command??

I have always used su - <user name> (equivalent to using the --login option) and assumed it was equivalent to logging in. Now it seems it is equivalent to logging in except for PATH. I don't have time to experiment now.

grail · 01-07-2011, 09:33 AM

Yes I too use, su - <user name>, and until recently thought all the settings, not just PATH as none of my aliases work either, were being loaded.
I have also tried placing them in ~/.bashrc, as the non-interactive login place to set things, and this also does not utilise any of the predefined settings when called
with su in this way. It concerns me as I am trying to also consider how this will affect the scripts I have being run under these users.

I look forward to any findings you might have?