env(1) — Commands
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 ...]
STANDARDS
Interfaces documented on this reference page conform to industry standards as follows:
env: XPG4, XPG4−UNIX
Refer to the standards(5) reference page for more information about industry standards and associated tags.
FLAGS
-iInvokes utility with exactly the environment specified by the arguments; the inherited environment is ignored completely. Changes are in effect only while the specified command is running.
-Dash is equivalent to -i flag.
PARAMETERS
name=valueChanges in the form name=value are added to the current environment before the command is run.
name[Digital] Name of an environment variable to be printed.
commandName of a command to be invoked with the modified environment.
argsArguments to be passed to command when it is executed.
DESCRIPTION
The env command lets you get and change your current environment, and then run the specified command with the changed environment. 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.
[Digital] 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 the name of a currently set environment variable, only a blank line is printed, no error is reported. If name is not specified, printenv displays the current environment, one name=value per line.
ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
The following environment variables affect the execution of env:
LANGProvides a default value for the internationalization variables that are unset or null. If LANG is unset or null, the corresponding value from the default locale is used. If any of the internationalization variables contain an invalid setting, the utility behaves as if none of the variables had been defined.
LC_ALLIf set to a non-empty string value, overrides the values of all the other internationalization variables.
LC_CTYPEDetermines the locale for the interpretation of sequences of bytes of text data as characters (for example, single-byte as opposed to multibyte characters in arguments).
LC_MESSAGESDetermines the locale for the format and contents of diagnostic messages written to standard error.
NLSPATHDetermines the location of message catalogues for the processing of LC_MESSAGES.
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 invoked, 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.
1-125An 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), Bourne shell sh(1b), POSIX shell sh(1p)