path_helper.8   [plain text]


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.Dd March 15, 2007
.Dt path_helper 8
.Os "Mac OS X"
.Sh NAME
.Nm path_helper
.Nd helper for constructing PATH environment variable
.Sh SYNOPSIS
.Nm
.Op Fl c | Fl s
.Sh DESCRIPTION
The
.Nm
utility reads the contents of the files in the directories
.Pa /etc/paths.d
and
.Pa /etc/manpaths.d
and appends their contents to the
.Ev PATH
and
.Ev MANPATH
environment variables respectively.
(The
.Ev MANPATH
environment variable will not be modified unless it is already set
in the environment.)
.Pp
Files in these directories should contain one path element per line.
.Pp
Prior to reading these directories, default
.Ev PATH
and
.Ev MANPATH
values are obtained from the files
.Pa /etc/paths
and
.Pa /etc/manpaths
respectively.
.Pp
Options:
.Bl -tag -width Ds
.It Fl c
Generate C-shell commands on stdout.  This is the default if
.Ev SHELL
ends with "csh".
.It Fl s
Generate Bourne shell commands on stdout.  This is the default if
.Ev SHELL
does not end with "csh".
.El
.Sh NOTE
The
.Nm 
utility should not be invoked directly.
It is intended only for use by the shell profile.