Change PATH variable

jimmydean · 10-16-2010, 04:19 PM

I want to add my current working directory to the PATH variable and make it permanant in my .bash_profile so I can run my testscript without using the ./ charactors
can this be done?

johnshen64 · 10-16-2010, 04:26 PM

yes you can but it is not recommended, as it is a security risk, because if you are in some world-writable directory someone could plan a trojan program, say, ls. it is better to invoke programs in your current directory explicitly using ./

if you really wants to do it, here it is.

export PATH=${PATH}:.

dv502 · 10-16-2010, 04:35 PM

That is only temporary of course.

To make it permanent as he wanted, he needs to add his directory to the PATH variable in /etc/bashrc or /etc/profile.

Or he can add the code you gave him to his own hidden .bashrc file in his home directory.

jimmydean · 10-16-2010, 04:41 PM

Thanks John
It is only for a linux class and I have put the wrong path in there and it wont let me do anything now.
I am only a user so I can't get back in to change it back, so I have to wait till the administrator fixes it again.
thanks JIm

dv502 · 10-16-2010, 05:24 PM

@ jimmydean

When you are able to log back into the system just remove the bad PATH you setup or better yet, put a hash mark # in front of the PATH statement. This will cause the shell to ignore that line.

Then add a line like this to your .bashrc or .bash_profile file

export PATH=$PATH:$HOME/bin

In this example the bin folder is where all your scripts are located. You can replace bin with any directory of your choice.