create .bash_profile type file

[nojohnny101]

This might be a simple answer but I wanted to double check with you guys before I go ahead and create it as it will be through the CLI and I don't want to mess something up by placing it in the wrong place.

Short: I want to create a file similar to the .bash_profile file I have on my computer where I have created alias for common commands I run.

Questions:
1) Does it matter where I place this file in regards to it working, and so ideally it can be backed up (I have recursive snapshots setup on my top level dataset)
2) I am assuming I can run the shortcut commands from anywhere in the CLI (I don't have to be in a specific location)
3) Anything else I should consider?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Bidule0hm]

1) Yes, it must be in your home directory, but I guess you can put the file where you want and make a symbolic link to it in your home directory, it may not work but it's easy to test.

2) Yes.

3) No.

 

[Glorious1]

3) Anything else I should consider?

If you're a regular user, the .bash_profile file will have no effect when you sudo or su. @Bidule0hm, do you know how to

1. make sure bash is the shell when you su or sudo
2. set up a .bash_profile or similar for that situation?

In my jails, where I log in as root, .bash_profile did not work. I had to put aliases and such in a .bashrc file in /root.

 

[nojohnny101]

Thanks both of you for commenting. Most of the times I ssh in as root on my main box and run the script that way. So that is my first goal. I would like to run the same script on my backup box but I do have to run that as normal user and thus have to use "sudo" before the command.

I tried creating an alias called ".bash_profile" as soon as I ssh in as root. Once I save it, and try to run the shortcut, it says command not found. I tried also putting the same alias in ".bashrc" file but after saving, same error, command not found.

What am I doing wrong?

 

[Glorious1]

Thanks both of you for commenting. Most of the times I ssh in as root on my main box and run the script that way. So that is my first goal. I would like to run the same script on my backup box but I do have to run that as normal user and thus have to use "sudo" before the command.

I tried creating an alias called ".bash_profile" as soon as I ssh in as root. Once I save it, and try to run the shortcut, it says command not found. I tried also putting the same alias in ".bashrc" file but after saving, same error, command not found.

What am I doing wrong?

One thing is, if you just create it, the shell won't see it until you log in again or you source .bash_profile
I assume you're saving it in /root? You might try calling it .bashrc. But even then it probably won't work for sudo without some trick that I don't know.

 

[Bidule0hm]

If you're a regular user, the .bash_profile file will have no effect when you sudo or su. @Bidule0hm, do you know how to

1. make sure bash is the shell when you su or sudo
2. set up a .bash_profile or similar for that situation?

In my jails, where I log in as root, .bash_profile did not work. I had to put aliases and such in a .bashrc file in /root.

1) Yep, look at the chsh command ;)

2) I don't use bash as I find tcsh much better so I'm not sure there's anything special besides putting the file in your home directory. NB: the home directory of the root user is not /home/root but /root.

 

[Glorious1]

I read somewhere it's not a good idea to permanently change the root shell. I don't know.

I found when I add an alias to /root/.cshrc, the alias works when I promote myself to superuser with su, but it doesn't work when I sudo.

Here's another weird thing. I want to add a folder to sudo's PATH so that I can type script names without giving the path. sudo gets the directory in PATH, but can't find a script that's there in the last directory listed

Code:

[jim@Tabernacle /root]$ sudo echo $PATH
/sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/usr/games:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/mnt/Ark/Jim/bin:/mnt/Ark/Jim/bin
[jim@Tabernacle /root]$ sudo spinpid2.sh
sudo: spinpid2.sh: command not found

 

[nojohnny101]

Well I ended up just setting it up as a cron job. It kind of accomplished what I wanted to.

Thanks for your scripts @Bidule0hm !