PRINTXVERS(1,C)             AIX Commands Reference              PRINTXVERS(1,C)



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printxvers



PURPOSE

Displays the experimental-version prefix of the current process.

SYNTAX


printxvers ---|


Warning: See restrictions, Chapter 18, AIX Programming Tools and Interfaces.

DESCRIPTION

The printxvers command displays the experimental-version prefix, if any, of the
current process.  This prefix is set by the setxvers command which is a
built-in subcommand of both sh and csh.

The experimental-version prefix is used when searching hidden directories for
executable files.  A hidden directory component whose name begins with the
prefix is selected for execution in preference to a component whose name does
not begin with this prefix.

The experimental-version mechanism allows for two or more versions of a command
(for the same machine type) to be installed in a single hidden directory.
Different users will run different versions of the same command depending on
how they set their experimental-version prefix.  This allows a few users to
test out a new version of a command before making the new version official.

For example, if the hidden directory /bin/who@ contained the two components
i386 and newi386, and you have issued the command:

  setxvers new

then when you run the who command, you will be running the new version of the
command, rather than the standard, i386, version of the command.  In this case,
printxvers would display "new".

RELATED INFORMATION

See the following:  "sh, Rsh,"  "csh," and  "printspath."

See the discussion of Hidden Directories in Chapter 1 of the AIX Operating
System Technical Reference.






Processed November 8, 1990      PRINTXVERS(1,C)                               1