ENVIRON(7)                  386BSD Reference Manual                 ENVIRON(7)

NAME
     environ - user environment

SYNOPSIS
     extern char **environ;

DESCRIPTION
     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:

     EXINIT      A startup list of commands read by ex(1),  edit(1),  and
                 vi(1).

     HOME        A user's login directory, set by login(1) from the password
                 file passwd(5).

     PATH        The sequence of directories, separated by colons, searched by
                 csh(1),  sh(1),  system(3),  execvp(3),  etc, when looking
                 for an executable file.  PATH is set to
                 ``:/usr/ucb:/bin:/usr/bin'' initially by login(1).

     PRINTER     The name of the default printer to be used by lpr(1),
                 lpq(1),  and lprm(1).

     SHELL       The full pathname of the user's login shell.

     TERM        The kind of terminal for which output is to be prepared.
                 This information is used by commands, such as nroff(1) or
                 plot(1) which may exploit special terminal capabilities.  See
                 /usr/share/misc/termcap (tmercap(5))  for a list of terminal
                 types.

     TERMCAP     The string describing the terminal in TERM, or, if it begins
                 with a '/', the name of the termcap file.  See TERMPATH be-
                 low, termcap(5),  and termcap.

     TERMPATH    A sequence of pathnames of termcap files, separated by colons
                 or spaces, which are searched for terminal descriptions in
                 the order listed.  Having no TERMPATH is equivalent to a
                 TERMPATH of ``$HOME/.termcap:/etc/termcap''. TERMPATH is ig-
                 nored if TERMCAP contains a full pathname.

     USER        The login name of the user.

     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).  It is unwise to change certain sh(1) variables that are fre-
     quently exported by .profile files, such as MAIL, PS1, PS2, and IFS, un-
     less you know what you are doing.

SEE ALSO
     csh(1),  ex(1),  login(1),  sh(1),  execve(2),  execle(3),  system(3),
     termcap(3),  termcap(5)

HISTORY
     The environ manual page appeared in 4.2BSD.

4.2 Berkeley Distribution        July 19, 1991                               2