Changing environment variables in a shell script?

[Magnus Therning]

On Thu, Apr 28, 2005 at 01:03:14PM -0700, Chuk Goodin wrote:
>I'd like to change an environment variable by running a script and then have 
>it stay changed after the script has stopped running. My script is very 
>simple:
>
>#!/bin/bash
>DISPLAY=opal:1
>export DISPLAY
>
>After running it, my DISPLAY variable is unchanged. If I just type the
>last two lines (one at a time) into the command prompt, it works. Also,
>if I check the DISPLAY variable from within the script, it shows up as
>what I want it to be. How do I get it to change my "main" environment
>variable?

You can do what you want by 'sourcing' your script:

 $ source script

or

 $ . script

Executing the script starts a new shell and your script is run inside it
leaving the environment of the original shell untouched. This beahviour
is different from MS-DOS.

/M

-- 
Magnus Therning                    (OpenPGP: 0xAB4DFBA4)
magnus at therning.org
http://magnus.therning.org/

Software is not manufactured, it is something you write and publish.
Keep Europe free from software patents, we do not want censorship
by patent law on written works.

Hard work may not kill me, but why take the chance.
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