[OT] CDPATH (was: Re: [PATCH] Fix tests when using bash_completion)

From: Julian Phillips <julian@quantumfyre.co.uk>
Date: Apr 23, 2007, 22:57 UTC
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.64.0704232351530.8430@beast.quantumfyre.co.uk>
In-Reply-To: <7vvefmdab8.fsf@assigned-by-dhcp.cox.net>

On Mon, 23 Apr 2007, Junio C Hamano wrote:

Show 10 quoted lines

> Julian Phillips <julian@quantumfyre.co.uk> writes:
>
>> (I'm not the only one who thinks CDPATH is ick am I? :S)
>
> CDPATH is Ok as long as it stays as an interactive shell
> variable.
>
> Sadly, if you google for "CDPATH environment", you would see
> many many hits.  That variable is not meant to be used as an
> environment variable.

True - though personally I tend to use more discriminate shell functions anyway.

Show 14 quoted lines

>
> Something like this in .bashrc is acceptable:
>
> 	case "$PS1" in
>        '')
>        	;; # do not do useless thing for noninteractive
> 	?*)
>        	CDPATH=my:favorite:path
>                . $HOME/.bash-completion
> 		;;
> 	esac
>
> but people usually are way too careless than that and export
> CDPATH to the environment, and that is where breakages start.

I guess part of the problem is that a lot of these people don't actually understand the difference between shell variables and environment variables, or why the distinction is useful. Plenty of people seem to do "export FOO=..." by rote.

-- 
Julian

  ---
Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.
 		-- Publius Syrus