PROFILE(M)                                 UNIX System V



     Name
          profile - sets up an environment at login time


     Description
          The optional file, .profile, permits automatic execution  of
          commands  whenever  a  user  logs in.  The file is generally
          used to personalize a user's  work  environment  by  setting
          exported   environment  variables  and  terminal  mode  (see
          environ(M)).

          When a user logs  in,  the  user's  login  shell  looks  for
          .profile  in  the  login  directory.   If  found,  the shell
          executes the commands  in  the  file  before  beginning  the
          session.  The commands in the file must have the same format
          as if they were entered at the keyboard.  Any line beginning
          with  the  number  sign  (#)  is considered a comment and is
          ignored.  The following is an example of a typical file:

               # Tell me when new mail comes in
               MAIL=/usr/mail/myname

               # Add my /bin directory to the shell search sequence
               PATH=$PATH:$HOME/bin

               # Make some environment variables global
               export MAIL PATH TERM

               # Set file creation mask
               umask 22

          Note that the file /etc/profile  is  a  system-wide  profile
          that,  if  it  exists, is executed for every user before the
          user's .profile is executed.


     Files
          $HOME/.profile
          /etc/profile


     See Also
          env(C), login(M), mail(C), sh(C), stty(C), su(C), environ(M)


     (printed 8/23/89)                                  PROFILE(M)