Re: Re: Modifying the environment

Circa 2005-06-16 dixit Ted Stern:

: On 16 Jun 2005 at 11:01 UTC-0700, Martin Gagnon wrote:
: > Similar idea, I just think about something, but I never try it. It
: > should work.
: >
: > In your .xinitrc or whatever you use, call a script that look like that:
: >
: > ---->
: > #!/bin/sh
: >
: > while [[ 0 == 0 ]]; do
: >     ~/.environment.sh
: >     wmaker
: > done
: > <----
: 
: The '[[ 0 == 0 ]]' syntax is overkill, and is not Bourne-shell
: compatible.  It happens to work because your /bin/sh is really running
: bash/ksh/zsh or something with Korn shell extensions.

Not only that, but the script above has two problems:  (1) the
environment is not actually set due to a typographical error (line 4
should begin with ". "); and (2) with the error in [1] corrected, there
is a hidden side effect: environment variables that have been set once
in ~/.environment.sh, but then removed or commented out, will not be
removed from the environment.  The only way around this is to use 'unset
VARIABLENAME' in ~/.environment.sh, or to change the script:

    #!/bin/sh
    while :; do
        ( . ~/.environment.sh
          exec wmaker
        )
    done

This runs Window Maker in a subshell, so the environment is destroyed
once Window Maker exits.  The 'exec' keyword keeps the subshell from
hanging around and using up a process slot for no reason.

It's also not possible to cleanly exit this infinite loop; that's why
something like switchwm is a better choice.

Good luck.

-- 
jim knoble  |  [email protected]  |  http://www.pobox.com/~jmknoble/
(GnuPG fingerprint: 809F:09B9:9686:D035:4AB0::9455:124B:0A62:DD6A:76D6)
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