Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!henry From: henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer) Newsgroups: net.unix Subject: Re: Shell programming style -- a plea for better shell scripts Message-ID: <3600@utzoo.UUCP> Date: Mon, 5-Mar-84 20:57:07 EST Article-I.D.: utzoo.3600 Posted: Mon Mar 5 20:57:07 1984 Date-Received: Mon, 5-Mar-84 20:57:07 EST References: <16945@sri-arpa.UUCP> Organization: U of Toronto Zoology Lines: 18 Doug Gwyn observes, in part: Before invoking ANY system commands, set the expected command search path. This is usually: PATH=/bin:/usr/bin Not quite right. The proper incantation, one which we take some pains to always use hereabouts, is: PATH=/bin:/usr/bin ; export PATH Without that magic "export", the user's original PATH is what gets exported to commands executed from the shell file, which means that it can reappear without warning. -- Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology {allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry