Can a shell script set environment variables of the calling shell? [duplicate]

Answer 1

Use the "dot space script" calling syntax. For example, here's how to do it using the full path to a script:

. /path/to/set_env_vars.sh

And here's how to do it if you're in the same directory as the script:

. set_env_vars.sh

These execute the script under the current shell instead of loading another one (which is what would happen if you did ./set_env_vars.sh). Because it runs in the same shell, the environmental variables you set will be available when it exits.

This is the same thing as calling source set_env_vars.sh, but it's shorter to type and might work in some places where source doesn't.

Answer 2

Add the -l flag in top of your bash script i.e.

#!/usr/bin/env bash -l

...

export NAME1="VALUE1"
export NAME2="VALUE2"

The values with NAME1 and NAME2 will now have been exported to your current environment, however these changes are not permanent. If you want them to be permanent you need to add them to your .bashrc file or other init file.

From the man pages:

-l Make bash act as if it had been invoked as a login shell (see INVOCATION below).

Answer 3

I did this many years ago. If I rememeber correctly, I included an alias in each of .bashrc and .cshrc, with parameters, aliasing the respective forms of setting the environment to a common form.

Then the script that you will source in any of the two shells has a command with that last form, that is suitable aliased in each shell.

If I find the concrete aliases, I will post them.