Hi,

How can I solve the following scenario:

/--- source-file ---
| setenv MYPATH /my/path
\-----------------------

/--- executable-file ---
| #!/bin/csh
| source source-file
\-----------------------------

After running ./executable-file $MYPATH is not visible anymore since
the source-command has been executed in a different shell. If I remove
the shebang I get "./executable-file: line 1: setenv: command not
found".

How can I source a file in the running shell with the help of a
command?

Thanks and regards,
Amir

2008-05-9, 07:25(-07), amiro...@googlemail.com:
[...]

[...]

If you're shell is csh compatible, use

source executable-file

If not, maybe what you're after is something like:

eval "$(csh -c 'source source-file; sh -c export\ -p')"

(assuming "sh" is a POSIX sh; on Solaris, you need
PATH=$(getconf PATH):$PATH export PATH to pick the correct sh).

--
Stéphane

Hi,

I forgot to mention that I use a csh on a RHEL 4.6 machine.

On 9 Mai, 17:07, Stephane CHAZELAS <this.addr...@is.invalid> wrote:

I don't want to use the "source" command from the prompt. I would like
to just start an executable file and this should set some environment
variables and modify my $PATH in the running shell.

Thanks,
Amir

2008-05-9, 08:57(-07), amiro...@googlemail.com:
[...]

You can't. The environment is a list of strings that is passed
as an argument to the execve() system call, so that some data of
the original command can survive into the new execed command.

If you want your shell memory to be updated, it must be
something initiated by your shell. Typically a process can't
alter the memory of another process, that would cause all sorts
of reliability and security issues.

What you can do is something like:

eval `executable`

and manage to have "executable" display some csh code. But the
fact that csh has got a number of issues wrt quoting is going to
make it difficult to do reliably.

Do you have to use csh?

--
Stéphane

As has already been said, you can't do that with a command implemented
as an executable file.  However, with most shells such as sh, ksh, zsh
and bash, you can do that with an alias or a function defined in your
shell's rc file.  There's probably some equivalent mechanism in csh, but
I don't know anything about csh.

--
Gary Johnson

You source the file in your current shell, not in a script.

You can
      1) type
                source file
       2) create an alias
                alias S "source file"
          and then type
          S
        You can combine this by using
                alias DOIT "source file;mycommand"
        and type DOIT
       3) You can execute "source file" by adding that line
          in your .cshrc

        Then for each new window or shellyou start up, you execute the
        command that changes your environment variable.

        I usually use something like

        # this is your ~/.cshrc file---------------
        if ( ! ( $?USER && $?prompt && $?TERM )) exit

        # This command is only executed in interactive shells attached
        #to terminals.  

         if ( -f file ) source file

    4)
        Just put
                setenv MYPATH /my/path
        in your ~/.cshrc file or your ~/.login file