Permanant environment variable setting (newbie)

[Scott Sabo]

How do I make an environment setting permanent? Example: I have to set an environment variable for a license file using EXPORT, however, I don't want to do it every time I log in.

Thank you!

[Robert-Jan Goossens]

Hi,

You could edit your $HOME/.profile and add your export variable in there.

Hope this helps,
Robert-Jan

[Mel Burslan]

You can put it at the end of your .profile in the following format

VARIABLE_NAME=value

Hope it helps

[A. Clay Stephenson · Accepted solution]

Two ways:

For everybody, put an export statement in /etc/profile.

e.g.
export MYVAR=Furpsplat


or for just one user put the same statement in .profile.

Because /etc/profile is read before .profile, if the same variable is set in both, the last export wins so that it is possible to override the values set in /etc/profile.

[Mel Burslan]

Also if you are the sysadmin of this box and want to have this value set for all of the users of this system, you can put it in the file /etc/profile

[Bharat Katkar]

adding in /etc/profile seems to be the best option. Add following:
"export VARIBLE=value"

[Scott Sabo]

Wow! Thanks for the many replies.

What is the difference in just putting:

MY_APP_LICENSE=/licenses/license.dat

and

export MY_APP_LICENSE=/licenses/license.dat

in /etc/profile?

If I just do MY_APP_LICENSE=/licenses/license.dat
It seems to hit everyone.

Scott

[Bharat Katkar]

** Export allows the Varible to be inherited by the Sub Shells.
You need to export the variable since it is inherited by the sub shell that may be used by the users after login.