Embarrassingly simple env variable question

[Doug_3]

I am a little embarrassed to post this...but here goes

I have a script to change env variables but it is not working. I believe it is set up identical to my .profiles, yet a check of the variable using echo indicates they are not changed.

TESTSETTINGS=defaultconfig.test
export TESTSETTINGS

SERVERNAME=HP9K_serv01
export SERVERNAME

echo $ yields the original .profile settings.

tia
Doug

[Jeff Schussele]

Hi Doug,

The env vars you set in the script are only available to the script or any children it spawns. They cannot be easily passed back to the parent - the shell that runs the script in your case.
Try echoing them inside the script to see their true value while in the script.

Rgds,
Jeff

[Sanjay_6]

Hi Doug,

If you calling another file from your .profile, use this syntax,

. /path_to_file/file_name

Then do a check for the env variable,

echo $SERVERNAME

Hope this helps.

Regds

[A. Clay Stephenson · Accepted solution]

Hi Doug:

Let me see if this is what you are doing.
Originally in your .profile
XXX=000
YYY=111
export XXX YYY
You created a script, env.sh that does this
XXX=888
YYY=999
export XXX YYY

You then
env.sh
echo $XXX
and you see "000" rather than the expected "888".

------------------------------------------

There is nothing wrong with your code but you are trying to change the parent's env from a child; that dog won't hunt.

What you can do is SOURCE env.sh.
. env.sh

The '.' remains in the foreground and is part of the current shell. You must make certain that your sourced script does not contain an exit or return or you will of cource exit your current (foreground) process.

Regards, Clay