ENVIRON(7) Miscellaneous Information Manual ENVIRON(7)
environ - user environment
extern char **environ;
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(1) sets
HOME A user's login directory, set by login(1) from the password
TERM The kind of terminal for which output is to be prepared. This
information is used by commands, such as nroff or plot(1G),
which may exploit special terminal capabilities. See
/etc/termcap (termcap(5)) for a list of terminal types.
SHELL The file name of the users login shell.
TERMCAP The string describing the terminal in TERM, or the name of the
termcap file, see termcap(5),termcap(3X).
EXINIT A startup list of commands read by ex(1), edit(1), and vi(1).
USER The login name of the user.
PRINTER The name of the default printer to be used by lpr(1), lpq(1),
Further names may be placed in the environment by the export command
and `name=value' arguments in sh(1), or by the setenv command if you
use csh(1). Arguments may also be placed in the environment at the
point of an execve(2). It is unwise to conflict with certain sh(1)
variables that are frequently exported by `.profile' files: MAIL, PS1,
csh(1), ex(1), login(1), sh(1), execve(2), system(3), termcap(3X),
4th Berkeley Distribution 5 February 1983 ENVIRON(7)