Red Hat ENTERPRISE LINUX 3 - STEP BY STEP GUIDE Manual page 122

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If you are trying to start an application from the shell prompt and it is not working, try
typing out the full directory path before the name of the application's executable (such as
/usr/local/bin/my-executable
For example, imagine that you have downloaded the setiathome client application and want to try
it out. You follow the directions for installing the software, which creates a subdirectory in your home
directory called
seti/
below:
/home/joe/seti/setiathome
The reason you may need to type the full pathnames in order to start an application is because the
executable was not placed in a directory where your user shell environment knew it could be found
(such as
/usr/local/bin
You can customize your settings so that you are not required to use the type the full path to the
application each time. To do this, you must edit your PATH environment variable.
12.3.1. Editing Your PATH
If you frequently start programs that are not located in a directory that your user shell has been
configured to search, you must edit your user shell configuration file to add the directory containing
the executable you wish to run. You can do this by adding the directory to your PATH environment
variable.
Caution
These instructions are intended only for user accounts. Avoid modifying files such as the root user's
, because of the potential security risks.
.bash_profile
Start a text editor, such as gedit or
by typing the following:
gedit .bash_profile
Look for a PATH statement, similar to the one shown below.
PATH=$PATH:$HOME/bin:/usr/local/bin:
To the end of this statement, add $HOME/seti as shown below:
PATH=$PATH:$HOME/bin:/usr/local/bin/:$HOME/seti:
Save the file and exit the text editor.
You can then make the changes to
command:
source .bash_profile
By adding paths to your
able to execute them without having to type
).
. Now, start the application using the full path to the executable file as shown
).
, at a shell prompt. You can open the file called
vi
.bash_profile
, you can place utilities and programs in your path and be
.bash_profile
Chapter 12. Frequently Asked Questions
take effect immediately by typing the following
in front of the command.
./
.bash_profile