Manual page for ENVIRON(7)
environ - user environment
SYNOPSIS
extern char **environ;
DESCRIPTION
An array of strings called the ``environment'' is made available by
execve.2
when a process begins.
By convention these strings have the form
``name=value''.
The following names are used by various commands:
- PATH
-
The sequence of directory prefixes that
sh.1
time.1
nice.1
etc., apply
in searching for a file known by an incomplete path name.
The prefixes are separated by ``:''.
- HOME
-
A user's login directory,
set at login time
from the password file
passwd.5
- TERM
-
The kind of terminal for which output is to be prepared.
This information is used by commands
such as
nroff,
which may exploit special terminal capabilities.
See
/etc/termcap
(termcap(5))
for a list of terminal types.
- SHELL
-
The file name of the user's application,
typically a shell,
to service command line requests.
- TERMCAP
-
The string describing the terminal in TERM,
or the name of the termcap file, see
termcap.5
termcap.3x
- EXINIT
-
A startup list of commands read by
ex.1
edit (1)
and
vi.1
- USER
-
The name of the user.
Further names may be placed in the environment by the
export
command and ``name=value'' assignments in
sh.1
or by the
setenv
command if you use
csh.1
A default printer specified by
PRINTER=value
will not be read by the NeXT line printer family of commands,
though it is valid in many other versions of UNIX.
The easiest way
to specify a default printer
is to call up the print panel
and click on the chosen printer name.
Another way is through the
dwrite.1
utility.
Arguments may also be placed in the environment
at the point of an
execve.2
It is unwise to conflict with certain
sh.1
variables frequently exported by ``.profile'' files:
MAIL, PS1, PS2, IFS.
SEE ALSO
csh(1)
ex(1)
login(1)
sh(1)
execve(2)
getenv(3)
system(3)
termcap(3X)
termcap(5)
Created by unroff & hp-tools.
© somebody (See intro for details). All Rights Reserved.
Last modified 11/5/97
