NAME

env, printenv − Displays or sets the current environment, or displays the values of environment variables

SYNOPSIS

Current Syntax

env [-i] [name=value ...] [command] [args ...]
printenv [name]

Obsolescent Syntax

env [-] [name=value ...] [command] [args ...]

DESCRIPTION

The env command lets you get and change your current environment, and then run the specified command with the changed environment.  Changes in the form name=value are added to the current environment before the command is run.  If the -i flag is used, the current environment is ignored and the command runs with only the changed environment.  Changes are only in effect while the specified command is running. 

If command is not specified, env displays your current environment, one name=value pair per line. 

The printenv command displays the values of the variables in the environment.  If name is specified, only its value is printed.  If name is not specified, printenv displays the current environment, one name=value per line. 

FLAGS

The following options are supported:

-iInvoke utility with exactly the environment specified by the arguments; the inherited environment will be ignored completely.  Changes are in effect only while the specified command is running. 

-Dash is equivalent to -i flag. 

EXAMPLES

     1.To add a shell variable to the environment for the duration of one command (sh only), enter:

TZ=MST7MDT date
env TZ=MST7MDT date

Each of these commands displays the current date and time in Mountain Standard Time.  The two commands shown are equivalent.  When date is finished, the previous value of TZ takes effect again. 

     2.To replace the environment with another one, enter:

env -i PATH=$PATH IDIR=/u/jim/include LIBDIR=/u/jim/lib make

This runs make in an environment that consists only of these definitions for PATH, IDIR, and LIBDIR.  You must redefine PATH so that the shell can find the make command. 

When make is finished, the previous environment takes effect again. 

     3.To find the current setting of the TERM environment variable, enter:

printenv TERM

The command returns the value for the TERM environment variable. 

EXIT VALUES

If command is specified, the exit status of env is the exit status of command; otherwise, the env utility exits with one of the following values:

0The env utility completed successfully. 

1-25An error occurred in the env utility. 

126The command specified by command was found but could not be invoked. 

127The command specified by command could not be found. 

RELATED INFORMATION

Commands:  csh(1), ksh(1), sh(1). 

Functions:  exec(2).