how to set path

[littlewenwen]

I google the internet about how to set the path for my new program. Frankly, I feel confused. It seems that there are different methods, and I don't know which one to trust ( I don't want to damage my current settings).

Basically, what i want is to add the new program directories to the default search path. I prefer to use C-shell ( my default shell is bourne shell, i think, and i have to type csh to change to C shell). I looked my .cshrc file. It is pretty simple, only two sentences that I myself created for another program (under the instruction provided by that program). there is no word like "SETENV", "PATH". I don't know how to add the path for my new program. Do I have to be the root?

Can anyone suggest a general method? Thanks! ( I am using Suse 10.0)

[flebber]

Probably the easiest thing is to add you $PATH that you wish to speciy in your bashprofile. Your bashprofile is usually in your home dir so /home/user/.bashprofile so

kate ~/.bash_profile

would do it, Kate being my choice of editor.

here is mine

# .bash_profile

# Initialize keychain if needed
if [ -r $HOME/.ssh/identity -o -r $HOME/.ssh/id_dsa -o -r $HOME/.ssh/id_rsa ]; then
if [ ! -d $HOME/.keychain ]; then
keychain
fi
fi

# Get the aliases and functions
if [ -f ~/.bashrc ]; then
. ~/.bashrc
fi

# User specific environment and startup programs

PATH=$PATH:$HOME/bin
PATH=$PATH:/home/flebber/Python

export PATH
unset USERNAME

As you can see I added python to mine.

Hope this helps

[littlewenwen]

Thanks. Are you doing this as user or root?

[flebber]

Yes no you need to work as root.

[daark.child]

I think this article may help you out.

[guruhost]

If you want to have a system variable set (available to all users) then add what flebber suggested under /etc/profile (at the end of the file) and run as root:
source /etc/profile

Cheers

[cywkevin]

yep, that's a good way to go about doing it.

[CodeRoot]

littlewenwen:

Use one of the following lines in your '.cshrc' file (depending on where in the path you want your directories):

set path = ( <*> $path )
set path = ( $path <*> )

<*> = "list of one or more paths separated by spaces"

Also, you do not need to be root -- just edit your '.cshrc' file as a normal user...