I’m trying to add a folder to the unix PATH. Can someone verify if the following will work.
When I read the “.bash_profile”, I get this:
I’ve read on the internet to add this to the end of .bash_profile:
So, I wrote this script to add the path:
set pp to "/Users/kelhome/.bash_profile"
set pf to POSIX file pp
set t to "export PATH=/Users/kelhome/Python:$PATH"
set ref_num to open for access pf with write permission
write t to ref_num
close access ref_num
I haven’t run this script yet, because I didn’t want to mess things up. I tested the export line in Terminal and it worked, but I wanted it to be permanent.
Edited: one thing I noticed is do I need double quotes around this part:
/Users/kelhome/Python:$PATH
Edited: oops, I forgot jto move the pointer to eof:
set pp to "/Users/kelhome/.bash_profile"
set pf to POSIX file pp
set t to "export PATH=/Users/kelhome/Python:$PATH"
set ref_num to open for access pf with write permission
read ref_num
write t to ref_num
close access ref_num
Thanks,
Model: MBP
AppleScript: 2.2.3
Browser: Safari 536.26.17
Operating System: Mac OS X (10.8)
The only place I would consider scripting the setting of an environment varialbe, is in an install script, and as such, it is an interesting exercise. Just try to write it out to a text file, and the source the text file with the ‘.’ operator, to see if you got it right. I think you know how to fill in the backslashes, until a string is correctly hyphenated.
do shell script "export avar=\"a var with spaces and \\\"hyphens\\\"\""
To source the file from the command line, use . space or the source keyword in front of a text file.
Didn’t know why I didn’t think of the test file. Fixed up the script:
--set pp to "/Users/kelhome/.bash_profile"
set pp to "/Users/kelhome/Desktop/testfile.txt"
set pf to POSIX file pp
set t to "export PATH=\\\"/Users/kelhome/Python:$PATH\\\""
set ref_num to open for access pf with write permission
try
write t to ref_num starting at (eof)
close access ref_num
on error err_msg number err_num
close access ref_num
error err_msg number err_num
end try
Oh, I see. What you’re saying is that the $PATH might have blanks.
set t to “export PATH=\"/Users/kelhome/Python:$PATH\"”
I need to test this more. It’s a good thing that I didn’t run the original script. I was excited after it worked in Terminal.
Think I got a working script that works with the test file. I hope it works on the .bash_profile:
--set pp to "/Users/kelhome/.bash_profile"
set pp to "/Users/kelhome/Desktop/testfile.txt"
set pf to POSIX file pp
set t to "export PATH=\"/Users/kelhome/Python:$PATH\""
set ref_num to open for access pf with write permission
try
write t to ref_num starting at (eof)
close access ref_num
on error err_msg number err_num
close access ref_num
error err_msg number err_num
end try
"For security and portability reasons, do shell script ignores the configuration files that an interactive shell would read, so you don’t get the customizations you would have in Terminal. "
But, it doesn’t work in the AppleScript Editor. 