.profile and umask

ALF · 12-18-2003, 02:22 PM

Hi,

I just update my .profile file to change

umask 077 to 177

and after that there is a umask command to see the update after running my .profile from the command line.

the output that I get is 0177

but when I issue umask command I found it is still 077. Why is that?
and how to update my setting in the real time from the .profile?

Alf

Tinkster · 12-18-2003, 04:40 PM

Hello...

Firstly it would help if we knew which
shell you're using :)

I'll assume it's bash....

Here's an excerpt from "man bash" that
you should read carefully.

Code:

       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.  The --noprofile  option  may
       be  used  when the shell is started to inhibit this behav-
       ior.

That means that if you don't invoke bash as a login-shell,
it won't touch .profile.
It also means that if it find's .bash_login, or .bash_profile,
it won't touch .profile either.

Cheers,
Tink

ALF · 12-18-2003, 06:28 PM

I'm actually using Korn.

It works fine if I "Exit" Log off and log on again. But it doesn't work if I update the .profile in the middle of the session and try to run it from command line

$.profile
0177

(because I have umask follows umask 177)

and even after that, when I type umask from the command line it is still 077.

Alf

realos · 12-18-2003, 09:18 PM

Well, in the bash manpage, for changes "on the fly" you can use the .bashrc file as stated below.

Code:

       When an interactive shell that is not a login shell  is  started,  bash
       reads  and executes commands from ~/.bashrc, if that file exists.  This
       may be inhibited by using the --norc option.  The --rcfile file  option
       will  force  bash  to  read  and  execute commands from file instead of
       ~/.bashrc.

After modifying .bashrc, you will only have to start a new xterm and the changes will immediately take effect.

Don't know much about korn shell and did not find a man page for that on my system either , but have a try with .bashrc and be kind to let us know if it works.

cheers,