The Bash Shell Startup Files

Here is a base /etc/profile. This file starts by setting up some helper functions and some basic parameters. It specifies some bash history parameters and, for security purposes, disables keeping a permanent history file for the root user. It also sets a default user prompt. It then calls small, single purpose scripts in the /etc/profile.d directory to provide most initialization.

For more information on the escape sequences you can use for your prompt (e.g., the PS1 environment variable) see info bash -- Node: Printing a Prompt.

cat > /etc/profile << "EOF"
# Begin /etc/profile
# Written for Beyond Linux From Scratch
# by James Robertson <[email protected]>
# modifications by Dagmar d'Surreal <[email protected]>
 
# System wide environment variables and startup programs.
 
# System wide aliases and functions should go in /etc/bashrc.  Personal
# environment variables and startup programs should go into
# ~/.bash_profile.  Personal aliases and functions should go into
# ~/.bashrc.
 
# Functions to help us manage paths.  Second argument is the name of the
# path variable to be modified (default: PATH)
pathremove () {
        local IFS=':'
        local NEWPATH
        local DIR
        local PATHVARIABLE=${2:-PATH}
        for DIR in ${!PATHVARIABLE} ; do
                if [ "$DIR" != "$1" ] ; then
                  NEWPATH=${NEWPATH:+$NEWPATH:}$DIR
                fi
        done
        export $PATHVARIABLE="$NEWPATH"
}
 
pathprepend () {
        pathremove $1 $2
        local PATHVARIABLE=${2:-PATH}
        export $PATHVARIABLE="$1${!PATHVARIABLE:+:${!PATHVARIABLE}}"
}
 
pathappend () {
        pathremove $1 $2
        local PATHVARIABLE=${2:-PATH}
        export $PATHVARIABLE="${!PATHVARIABLE:+${!PATHVARIABLE}:}$1"
}
 

# Set the initial path
export PATH=/bin:/usr/bin

if [ $EUID -eq 0 ] ; then
        pathappend /sbin:/usr/sbin
        unset HISTFILE
fi
 
# Setup some environment variables.
export HISTSIZE=1000
export HISTIGNORE="&:[bf]g:exit"
#export PS1="[\u@\h \w]\\$ "
export PS1='\u@\h:\w\$ '
 
for script in /etc/profile.d/*.sh ; do
        if [ -r $script ] ; then
                . $script
        fi
done
 
# Now to clean up
unset pathremove pathprepend pathappend 

# End /etc/profile
EOF

install --directory --mode=0755 --owner=root --group=root /etc/profile.d

cat > /etc/profile.d/dircolors.sh << "EOF"
# Setup for /bin/ls to support color, the alias is in /etc/bashrc.
if [ -f "/etc/dircolors" ] ; then
        eval $(dircolors -b /etc/dircolors)
 
        if [ -f "$HOME/.dircolors" ] ; then
                eval $(dircolors -b $HOME/.dircolors)
        fi
fi
alias ls='ls --color=auto'
EOF

cat > /etc/profile.d/extrapaths.sh << "EOF"
if [ -d /usr/local/lib/pkgconfig ] ; then
        pathappend /usr/local/lib/pkgconfig PKG_CONFIG_PATH
fi
if [ -d /usr/local/bin ]; then
        pathprepend /usr/local/bin
fi
if [ -d /usr/local/sbin -a $EUID -eq 0 ]; then
        pathprepend /usr/local/sbin
fi
for directory in $(find /opt/*/lib/pkgconfig -type d 2>/dev/null); do
        pathappend $directory PKG_CONFIG_PATH
done
for directory in $(find /opt/*/bin -type d 2>/dev/null); do
        pathappend $directory
done
if [ -d ~/bin ]; then
        pathprepend ~/bin
fi
#if [ $EUID -gt 99 ]; then
#        pathappend .
#fi
EOF

cat > /etc/profile.d/readline.sh << "EOF"
# Setup the INPUTRC environment variable.
if [ -z "$INPUTRC" -a ! -f "$HOME/.inputrc" ] ; then
        INPUTRC=/etc/inputrc
fi
export INPUTRC
EOF

cat > /etc/profile.d/tinker-term.sh << "EOF"
# This will tinker with the value of TERM in order to convince certain 
# apps that we can, indeed, display color in their window.
 
if [ -n "$COLORTERM" ]; then
  export TERM=xterm-color
fi
 
if [ "$TERM" = "xterm" ]; then
  export TERM=xterm-color
fi
EOF

cat > /etc/profile.d/umask.sh << "EOF"
# By default we want the umask to get set.
if [ "$(id -gn)" = "$(id -un)" -a $EUID -gt 99 ] ; then
  umask 002
else
  umask 022
fi
EOF

cat > /etc/profile.d/X.sh << "EOF"
if [ -x /usr/X11R6/bin/X ]; then
        pathappend /usr/X11R6/bin
fi
if [ -d /usr/X11R6/lib/pkgconfig ] ; then
        pathappend /usr/X11R6/lib/pkgconfig PKG_CONFIG_PATH
fi
EOF

cat > /etc/profile.d/xterm-titlebars.sh << "EOF"
# The substring match ensures this works for "xterm" and "xterm-xfree86".
if [ "${TERM:0:5}" = "xterm" ]; then
  PROMPT_COMMAND='echo -ne "\033]0;${USER}@${HOSTNAME} : ${PWD}\007"'
  export PROMPT_COMMAND
fi
EOF

man 3 setlocale

locale -a

cat > /etc/profile.d/i18n.sh << "EOF"
# Set up i18n variables
export LC_ALL=[ll]_[CC]
export LANG=[ll]_[CC]
export G_FILENAME_ENCODING=@locale
EOF

Here is a base /etc/bashrc. Comments in the file should explain everything you need.

cat > /etc/bashrc << "EOF"
# Begin /etc/bashrc 
# Written for Beyond Linux From Scratch 
# by James Robertson <[email protected]>
# updated by Bruce Dubbs <[email protected]>

# Make sure that the terminal is set up properly for each shell

if [ -f /etc/profile.d/tinker-term.sh ]; then
  source /etc/profile.d/tinker-term.sh
fi

if [ -f /etc/profile.d/xterm-titlebars.sh ]; then
  source /etc/profile.d/xterm-titlebars.sh
fi

# System wide aliases and functions.

# System wide environment variables and startup programs should go into
# /etc/profile.  Personal environment variables and startup programs
# should go into ~/.bash_profile.  Personal aliases and functions should
# go into ~/.bashrc

# Provides a colored /bin/ls command.  Used in conjunction with code in
# /etc/profile.

alias ls='ls --color=auto'

# Provides prompt for non-login shells, specifically shells started
# in the X environment. [Review the LFS archive thread titled
# PS1 Environment Variable for a great case study behind this script 
# addendum.]

#export PS1="[\u@\h \w]\\$ "
export PS1='\u@\h:\w\$ '

# End /etc/bashrc
EOF

Here is a base ~/.bash_profile. If you want each new user to have this file automatically, just change the output of the command to /etc/skel/.bash_profile and check the permissions after the command is run. You can then copy /etc/skel/.bash_profile to the home directories of already existing users, including root, and set the owner and group appropriately.

cat > ~/.bash_profile << "EOF"
# Begin ~/.bash_profile
# Written for Beyond Linux From Scratch
# by James Robertson <[email protected]>
# updated by Bruce Dubbs <[email protected]>

# Personal environment variables and startup programs.

# Personal aliases and functions should go in ~/.bashrc.  System wide
# environment variables and startup programs are in /etc/profile.
# System wide aliases and functions are in /etc/bashrc.

append () {
  # First remove the directory
  local IFS=':'
  local NEWPATH
  for DIR in $PATH; do
     if [ "$DIR" != "$1" ]; then
       NEWPATH=${NEWPATH:+$NEWPATH:}$DIR
     fi     
  done
  
  # Then append the directory
  export PATH=$NEWPATH:$1
}

if [ -f "$HOME/.bashrc" ] ; then
        source $HOME/.bashrc
fi

if [ -d "$HOME/bin" ] ; then
  append $HOME/bin      
fi

unset append

# End ~/.bash_profile
EOF

Here is a base ~/.bashrc. The comments and instructions for using /etc/skel for .bash_profile above also apply here. Only the target file names are different.

cat > ~/.bashrc << "EOF"
# Begin ~/.bashrc
# Written for Beyond Linux From Scratch
# by James Robertson <[email protected]>

# Personal aliases and functions.

# Personal environment variables and startup programs should go in
# ~/.bash_profile.  System wide environment variables and startup
# programs are in /etc/profile.  System wide aliases and functions are
# in /etc/bashrc. 

if [ -f "/etc/bashrc" ] ; then
        source /etc/bashrc
fi

# End ~/.bashrc
EOF

This is an empty ~/.bash_logout that can be used as a template. You will notice that the base ~/.bash_logout does not include a clear command. This is because the clear is handled in the /etc/issue file.

cat > ~/.bash_logout << "EOF"
# Begin ~/.bash_logout
# Written for Beyond Linux From Scratch
# by James Robertson <[email protected]>

# Personal items to perform on logout.

# End ~/.bash_logout
EOF

If you want to use the dircolors capability, then run the following command. The /etc/skel setup steps seen above also can be used here to provide a ~/.dircolors file when a new user is set up. As before, just change the output file name on the following command and assure the permissions, owner, and group are correct on the files created and/or copied.

dircolors -p > /etc/dircolors

If you wish to customize the colors used for different file types, you can edit the /etc/dircolors file. The instructions for setting the colors are embedded in the file.

Finally, Ian Macdonald has written an excellent collection of tips and tricks to enhance your shell environment. You can read it online at http://www.caliban.org/bash/index.shtml.