ENVIRON
Section: File Formats (5)
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NAME
environ - user environment
SYNOPSIS
extern char **environ;
DESCRIPTION
An array of strings called the `environment' is
made available by
exec(2)
when a process begins.
By convention these strings have the form
`name=value'.
The following names are used by various commands:
- PATH
-
The sequence of directory prefixes that
sh, time,
nice(1),
etc.,
apply in searching for a file known by an incomplete path name.
The prefixes are separated by `:'.
Login(1)
sets PATH=:/bin:/usr/bin.
- HOME
-
A user's login directory, set by
login(1)
from the password file
passwd(5).
- TERM
-
The kind of terminal for which output is to be prepared.
This information is used by commands, such as
nroff
or
plot(1),
which may exploit special terminal capabilities.
See
term(7)
for a list of terminal types.
Further names may be placed in the environment by
the
export
command and `name=value' arguments in
sh(1),
or by
exec(2).
It is unwise to conflict with
certain Shell variables that are frequently exported by
`.profile' files:
MAIL, PS1, PS2, IFS.
SEE ALSO
exec(2), sh(1), term(7), login(1)
Index
- NAME
-
- SYNOPSIS
-
- DESCRIPTION
-
- SEE ALSO
-
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