Set local environmental variable within a bash script

Question

I'm trying to set an environmental variable that will persist once the script has finished running. It can go away after I end an ssh session.

Sample bash script:

# User picks an option 1) export dogs = cool 2) export dogs = not_cool

Running the script as source script.sh doesn't work since it kicks me out of my shell when ran and also requires the interactive menu so it won't work. Basically I want the user to be able to pick an option to switch between environmental variables in their shell. Is that even possible?

Source:

#!/bin/bash set -x show_menu(){ NORMAL=`echo "\033[m"` MENU=`echo "\033[36m"` #Blue NUMBER=`echo "\033[33m"` #yellow FGRED=`echo "\033[41m"` RED_TEXT=`echo "\033[31m"` ENTER_LINE=`echo "\033[33m"` echo -e "${MENU}*********************************************${NORMAL}" echo -e "${MENU}**${NUMBER} 1)${MENU} Option 1 ${NORMAL}" echo -e "${MENU}**${NUMBER} 2)${MENU} Option 2 ${NORMAL}" echo -e "${MENU}*********************************************${NORMAL}" echo -e "${ENTER_LINE}Please enter a menu option and enter or ${RED_TEXT}enter to exit. ${NORMAL}" read opt } function option_picked() { COLOR='\033[01;31m' # bold red RESET='\033[00;00m' # normal white MESSAGE=${@:-"${RESET}Error: No message passed"} echo -e "${COLOR}${MESSAGE}${RESET}" } clear show_menu while [ opt != '' ] do if [[ $opt = "" ]]; then exit; else case $opt in 1) clear; option_picked "Option 1"; export dogs=cool show_menu; ;; 2) clear; option_picked "Option 2"; export dogs=not_cool show_menu; ;; x)exit; ;; \n)exit; ;; *)clear; option_picked "Pick an option from the menu"; show_menu; ;; esac fi done

You cannot affect the current environment by running a child process. It sounds more like you need to modify script.sh to use return instead of exit so that it doesn't end your current shell. Please post your shell script, or at least the relevant part(s). — chepner
– chepner, Commented Nov 4, 2013 at 18:37
@chepner he's using source. That's ok. The question is: where is the script? ;) — hek2mgl
– hek2mgl, Commented Nov 4, 2013 at 18:42
I know; that's why I recommended that it may need to use the return command instead of exit so that the shell itself doesn't exit prematurely. — chepner
– chepner, Commented Nov 4, 2013 at 18:44
@Juddles, there must not be spaces around the equal sign in a variable assignment: export dogs=cool — glenn jackman
– glenn jackman, Commented Nov 4, 2013 at 18:56

Juddles · Accepted Answer · 2013-11-05 20:51:05Z

The problem here is that . ./script.sh or source ./script.sh cannot run an interactive menu style script like this one. No way that I'm aware of to set local environmental variables from a bash script like I am trying to do here.

thom · Accepted Answer · 2013-11-06 18:45:30Z

Redirect your normal echo's for user interaction to stderr (>&2)

echo the value that you want to have in your parent's environment to stdout (>&1)

if you changed your script that way you can call it like:

ENV_VAR=$( /path/to/your_script arg1 arg2 arg3 arg_whatever )

and now you have "exported" a variable to the "parent"

Community · Accepted Answer · 2017-05-23 12:03:24Z

Try running your script with "./myscript.sh" which will use the current shell without invoking the new shell (still i doubt the hash bang might invokes the new shell).

Have a look here

Can also be solved with ~/.bashrc. The required environments can added in this file. If you need new shell with your own environment, you invoke "bash" with "bash --rcfile ".

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