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ENVIRON(7)             Miscellaneous Information Manual             ENVIRON(7)

NAME
       environ - user environment

SYNOPSIS
       extern char *const *environ;

DESCRIPTION
       An  array  of  strings  called  the  `environment' is made available by
       execve(2) when a process begins.  By convention these strings have  the
       form `name=value'.  The following names are used by various commands:

       PATH    The  sequence  of  directory  prefixes  that sh, time, nice(1),
               etc., apply in searching for a file known by an incomplete path
               name.   The  prefixes  are  separated by `:'.  Login shells set
               PATH=:/bin:/usr/bin.  Note that the empty space between the `='
               and  the  `:'  indicates the current directory.  Security aware
               people move the extra `:' to the end of their path or omit it.

       HOME    A user's login directory, set by  login(1)  from  the  password
               file passwd(5).

       TERM    The  kind of terminal for which output is to be prepared.  This
               information is used by programs that wish  to  exploit  special
               terminal  capabilities,  a  screen  oriented  text  editor  for
               instance.  The terminal type is set by login(1)  from  the  tty
               database ttytab(5).

       SHELL   The  file  name  of the users login shell, set by login(1) from
               the password file passwd(5).

       TERMCAP The string describing the terminal in TERM, or the name of  the
               termcap file, see termcap(5), termcap(3).

       EXINIT  A startup list of commands read by elvis(1).

       USER    The  login  name of the user, set by login(1) from the password
               file passwd(5).

       LOGNAME Set to the same value as USER.  BSD derived systems have  USER,
               System  V  has  LOGNAME,  so  modern systems have both to avoid
               problems.

              Further names may be placed in the environment by the
              export command and `name=value' arguments in  sh(1).   Arguments
              may  also be placed in their environment by programs if they use
              putenv(3).  Or in the environment of another program by building
              a  new environment for one of the exec functions that accepts an
              environment list, like execle(2) or execve(2).  It is unwise  to
              conflict  with  certain  sh(1) variables that are frequently set
              and/or exported by `.profile' files: MAIL, PS1, PS2, IFS.

SEE ALSO
       elvis(1), login(1), sh(1), execl(3), execve(2), system(3),  termcap(3),
       termcap(5), passwd(5), ttytab(5).

4.2 Berkeley Distribution        May 20, 1985                       ENVIRON(7)
NAME | SYNOPSIS | DESCRIPTION | SEE ALSO