exporting PATH

[Kurtkarl]

HI,

I created a script and put it on my local dir then include it on my existing PATH using the command "export PATH=$PATH:/users/jdean/test.sh"

When I run echo $PATH I could see already my new dir included. Now my question is, why is it whenever I run "whereis test.sh" from the command line from any dir, system could not find my script to think it's already included in my PATH?

Also I noticed that, when I copied files or scripts to our /usr/local/bin dir which I added also on my existing PATH the "whereis" command can locate these files or script from any dir I'm in.

Any Ideas? Did I miss something here?

Thanks in advance
Joey

[Eileen Millen]

We only have the directory path in our PATH statements, not script or file names.

[Maureen Gunkel]

Joey,
You need to change your path statement to:
export PATH=$PATH:/users/jdean
Don't include the file name, just the path to the filename.
Mo

[Kurtkarl]

Guys,
Sorry I did'nt mean to include the file or the script when exporting path "typo error". Actually I exported this dir without the file or script just the dir but it didnt work.

Any ideas?
Thanks
Joey

[James R. Ferguson]

Hi Joey:

The man pages for 'whereis' note that whereis ..."attempts to locate the desired program in a list of standard places". This is the reason you are not getting a 'hit'.

You can execute 'whereis' for a non-standard directory (or directories) like this, for instance:

# whereis -B /tmp /var/tmp -f ls

This would look in /tmp and in /var/tmp for the 'ls' executable.

...JRF...

[Bill Hassell]

The command you are looking for is not whereis but whence. whereis (and which) do not really show you what the shell will do when you type a simple command name.

whence -v ksh

or

whence -v history

will tell you exactly what will occur, whether the command is a builtin (like fc), an alias (like history) or found some where along the $PATH list. Always use whence to test for 'where did this command come from?'

[Dan Hetzel]

Hi Joey,

If you use 'which test.sh' it surely will show you the path to the file.

see 'which' manpage.

Best regards,

Dan