Where are the PATH configuration files?

Dave Post wrote:
PATH shows 6 more: usr/bin, /bin, /usr/sbin, /sbin, /usr/local/bin

Its in the file "paths" in /etc

and /usr/X11/bin

This is in the file X11 in /etc/paths.d

from; man path_helper:

 The path_helper utility reads the contents of the files in the directo-
 ries /etc/paths.d and /etc/manpaths.d and appends their contents to the
 PATH and MANPATH environment variables respectively. (The MANPATH envi-
 ronment variable will not be modified unless it is already set in the
 environment.)
 Files in these directories should contain one path element per line.
 Prior to reading these directories, default PATH and MANPATH values are
 obtained from the files /etc/paths and /etc/manpaths respectively.
NOTE
 The path_helper utility should not be invoked directly. It is intended
 only for use by the shell profile.

/etc/profile

# System-wide .profile for sh(1)
PATH="/bin:/sbin:/usr/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin"
export PATH
if [ "${BASH-no}" != "no" ]; then
 [ -r /etc/bashrc ] && . /etc/bashrc
fi

from the bash manpage:

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 behavior.

Message was edited by: Nils C. Anderson

Nils, I have a different /etc/profile than what you posted.
I have the following (which invokes path_helper):

# System-wide .profile for sh(1)
if [ -x /usr/libexec/path_helper ]; then
 eval `/usr/libexec/path_helper -s`
fi
if [ "${BASH-no}" != "no" ]; then
 [ -r /etc/bashrc ] && . /etc/bashrc
fi

Will someone tell me what they're named and where they are please?

A more important question from our perspective, is "what are your intentions?"

If it is just education, then Tony T1 has the correct information,
with Nils C. Anderson getting credit for pointing out /etc/profile (even if he has been modifying his copy 🙂 ).

If your intention is to change your PATH, then a lot depends on the ultimate goal.

The typical approach is to change $HOME/.bash_profile, however, since bash supports alternate initializations it will look for the following files and select the first one it finds

.bash_profile
.bash_login
.profile

Since MacPorts has already established .profile, if you intend to add/remove paths from your PATH environment variable, then $HOME/.profile is the place to do that as well as other bash initializations.

Editing /etc/profile, or one of the /etc/paths.d entries may be lost on a system upgrade, or when migrating to a new system where only your $HOME directory is preserved.

However, there are situations where editing something more global is called for, which is why I'm asking your intentions, if only to get you heading down the right PATH (pun intended 🙂 ).

Dave Post wrote:

/etc/profile

I'm stumped as to why my search didn't find that profile. Whatever mistake I made, I did it more than once. As for its content, mine matches Tony's and Bob's.

How did you search? Remember searching with the Finder ignores hidden files and folders by default.

BTW, I'd love to see your AppleScript for formatting UNIX scripts properly in these forums. I have one that works ordinarily, but it appears that the brackets that can appear in UNIX scripts cause mine to add unwanted strikeouts and font-color changes.

You wrap your code or stuff you do not want the forum to reformat in a pair of

tags

...
... your stuff here
...
{code}

Is there a good book that focuses on Darwin -- especially one that covers scripting fairly thoroughly? I've done a bit of coding in my time, but some of the scripting syntax baffles me.

Here are some Mac OS X Unix oriented books, HOWEVER, I do NOT know how good they are, as I have been playing with Unix since '85. Many books on Unix shell usage (bash) are fairly generic, however, when it comes to administration, things in /etc and things like that, each Unix implementation has its own twist (Mac OS X, Linux, Solaris, AIX, HP-UX, Tru64 UNIX, etc...). In some respects Mac OS X has more admin related differences, as Apple has been trying very hard to handle more of the admin stuff via a GUI than any other Unix implementation.

Anyway here are some pointers. If you can find any of these in a bookstore, you can always browse them before buying.

There is a "Mac OS X for Unix Geeks" book.
<http://www.amazon.com/Mac-OS-Unix-Geeks-Leopard/dp/059652062X/ref=sr 12?ie=UTF8&qid=1299168465&sr=8-2>

There is a "Take Control of Mac Command LIne with Terminal" book
<http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/command-line>

Mac OS X UNIX Toolbox
<http://www.amazon.com/MAC-OS-UNIX-Toolbox-Commands/dp/0470478365/ref=sr 11?ie=UTF8&qid=1299168465&sr=8-1>

A Pratical Guide to UNIX for Mac OS X Users
<http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Guide-UNIX-Mac-Users/dp/0131863339/ref=sr 13?ie=UTF8&qid=1299168465&sr=8-3>

The Mac OS X Command Line: Unix under the Hood
<http://www.amazon.com/Mac-OS-Command-Line-Under/dp/0782143547/ref=sr 14?ie=UTF8&qid=1299168465&sr=8-4>

BTW, I'd love to see your AppleScript for formatting UNIX scripts properly in these forums. I have one that works ordinarily, but it appears that the brackets that can appear in UNIX scripts cause mine to add unwanted strikeouts and font-color changes.

If you prefer an applescript, here's one that filters what's on the clipboard:
http://putnamhill.net/applescript/esc-forum

It's a little over the top, because I wrote before the I understood the [formatting tags|http://discussions.apple.com/help.jspa#format].

Dave Post wrote:

Frank Caggiano wrote:

How did you search? Remember searching with the Finder ignores hidden files and folders by default.

The problem was that I used both criteria at once, not realizing that Finder apparently ANDs multiple criteria, rather than ORing them. (Don't recall ever using multiple criteria before -- live and learn.) The profile in private/etc is a system file and not hidden.

And by default the Finder won't search any directory which doesn't show in the finder window. /etc doesn't show in the finder. Click on your root drive and you'll see this.

Is there a good book that focuses on Darwin -- especially one that covers scripting fairly thoroughly? I've done a bit of coding in my time, but some of the scripting syntax baffles me.

With respect to shell scripting syntax, books on 'bash' should be useful. While browsing the bookstore, also see if they have copies of:

"Bash Cookbook: Solutions and Examples for Bash Users"

"Learning the bash Shell: Unix Shell Programming"

"Pro Bash Programming: Scripting the Linux Shell"

just ignore the non-Mac OS X stuff 🙂

The other thing that is sometimes helpful is finding useful shell scripts and then taking them apart analyzing each command to understand what it is doing. It really does help if you like what the script does, as that helps to hold your interest.

But more than anything is writing shell script that do useful things for you. Then rewrite it to see if you can make it better using new concepts you find in some book on scripting or by reading 'man bash'. Then rewrite that to make it even better.

One of my most favorite throw away shell script is

ls *.c >tmp.sh

Then edit the newly created tmp.sh file and turn it into a quick script

#!/usr/bin/env bash
while read file
do
 do something to the $file variable
done <<EOD
file1.c
file2.c
file3.c
file4.c
etc...
EOD

Sometimes a script like this will be created used and thrown away. But everyonce in a while that "do something to the $file variable" section will be so useful that the script will grow and evolve until I have a several thousand line script that I use everyday to make my job easier.