hello

I'm having problems setting up my path in ubuntu

i edited the .bash_profile and put a PATH=$PATH:/opt/java
i expected the /opt/java would be in my PATH the next time i logged in, but to my disappointment, when I did an "env" it still wasn't included.

i also tried editing the /etc/profile and it also didn't work, even if I reset my pc.

but when I just do the setting up on the command line, it went well.

so i tested writing a simple test.sh which contains a "PATH=$PATH:/opt/java". when i executed it, it also didn't work. my path variable is still the same.

why is this?

try:

export PATH="$PATH:/opt/java"

thanks but it still doesn't work.

did an "env" and /opt/java still wasnt there. also did the test.sh.

could this be a bug in ubuntu?

You know you can do echo $PATH for the path too.

Are you using bash??

yes I'm using bash.

hm... I just tried it in Suse and it also wont work there, so I gues its not an ubuntu bug.

Hey thanks for the echo $PATH tip. thats so much easier.

ok i tried writing this simple shell test.sh

PATH=$PATH:/home
export PATH

then i executed it by inputting on the prompt - "sh test.sh"
then i did an "echo $PATH"

heres the output -
/home/lemuel/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/X11R6/bin:/bin:/usr/games:/opt/gnome/bin:/opt/kde3/bin

there's no /home in the path

OH silly me . . . you forgot to put it in quotes!

export PATH="$PATH:/home"

that should do it.

still no good. but thanks anyway. i guess setting paths is just not for me

Put some echo commands into .bash_profile to make sure it is run correctly. Also, remember that .bash_profile is only run on login shells. Nonlogin shells, like new xterms, do not run .bash_profile, but run .bashrc instead. I usually just have .bash_profile invoke .bashrc to get a consistent environment in login and nonlogin shells.