[SOLVED] Altering PATH after package installation

plmday · 2010-09-24 23:44:10

I am preparing a PKGBUILD file for an app. Since it installs files into non-standard directory, I have to make it install to /opt/app/. I have done the PKGBUILD file, but I have no idea how to achieve this effect: after installation, the working user can immediately invoke the app from command line, in other words, I wanna the app immediately under the user's search path. I tried put an "export PATH=$PATH:/opt/app/bin" in post_install(), but it seems not work. Any idea?

Last edited by plmday (2010-09-25 14:37:41)

hbekel · 2010-09-25 08:30:41

Environment variables can only be exported to child processes. There is no way to alter the environment of parent processes.

If you want immediate availability, add a launcher script and put that into /usr/bin.

But why would you want this, anyway? I'd prefer you'd rather do nothing and trust the user to figure it out. pacman -Ql isn't that hard, really.

karol · 2010-09-25 08:35:07

hbekel wrote:

But why would you want this, anyway? I'd prefer you'd rather do nothing and trust the user to figure it out. pacman -Ql isn't that hard, really.

I'm not sure if it's the Arch way, but you can put it in the install script:
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/PKGBUILD

It may set the PATH or only echo some message to inform the user of some actions that need to be taken: http://aur.archlinux.org/packages/pkgto … ls.install

Last edited by karol (2010-09-25 08:40:06)

hbekel · 2010-09-25 09:32:02

karol wrote:

I'm not sure if it's the Arch way, but you can put it in the install script:
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/PKGBUILD
It may set the PATH or only echo some message to inform the user of some actions that need to be taken: http://aur.archlinux.org/packages/pkgto … ls.install

It's not even the Unix way. Again, export is a one way street. Exporting PATH in a child process will not magically alter PATH in the parent process.

If a package needs env vars to be set, a script in /etc/profile.d is the right way to do it.

plmday · 2010-09-25 14:37:10

Thanks for the help, guys. I do both.

Arch Linux

#1 2010-09-24 23:44:10

[SOLVED] Altering PATH after package installation

#2 2010-09-25 08:30:41

Re: [SOLVED] Altering PATH after package installation

#3 2010-09-25 08:35:07

Re: [SOLVED] Altering PATH after package installation

#4 2010-09-25 09:32:02

Re: [SOLVED] Altering PATH after package installation

#5 2010-09-25 14:37:10

Re: [SOLVED] Altering PATH after package installation

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