Setting Environment Variables in Linux Using Bash

Setting environment variables in Linux using Bash

export VAR=value will set VAR to value. Enclose it in single quotes if you want spaces, like export VAR='my val'. If you want the variable to be interpolated, use double quotes, like export VAR="$MY_OTHER_VAR".

Set environment variables from file of key/value pairs

Problem with your approach is the export in the while loop is happening in a sub shell, and those variable will not be available in current shell (parent shell of while loop).

Add export command in the file itself:

export MINIENTREGA_FECHALIMITE="2011-03-31"
export MINIENTREGA_FICHEROS="informe.txt programa.c"
export MINIENTREGA_DESTINO="./destino/entrega-prac1"

Then you need to source in the file in current shell using:

. ./conf/prac1

OR

source ./conf/prac1

bash - get a list of environment variables with proper handling of new lines

As choroba pointed out, you can use env -0 :

export MYVAR="$(echo -e "something\nMYVAR=10")"

env -0 | while IFS== read -d '' -r var value; do
    [ "$var" = "MYVAR" ] && echo "$value"
done
something
MYVAR=10

Can a shell script set environment variables of the calling shell?

Your shell process has a copy of the parent's environment and no access to the parent process's environment whatsoever. When your shell process terminates any changes you've made to its environment are lost. Sourcing a script file is the most commonly used method for configuring a shell environment, you may just want to bite the bullet and maintain one for each of the two flavors of shell.

Shell script to set environment variables

Please show us more parts of the script and tell us what commands you had to individually execute and want to simply.

Meanwhile you have to use double quotes not single quote to expand variables:

export PATH="/home/linux/Practise/linux-devkit/bin/:$PATH"

Semicolons at the end of a single command are also unnecessary.

So far:

#!/bin/sh
echo "Perform Operation in su mode"
export ARCH=arm
echo "Export ARCH=arm Executed"
export PATH="/home/linux/Practise/linux-devkit/bin/:$PATH"
echo "Export path done"
export CROSS_COMPILE='/home/linux/Practise/linux-devkit/bin/arm-arago-linux-gnueabi-' ## What's next to -?
echo "Export CROSS_COMPILE done"
# continue your compilation commands here
...

For su you can run it with:

su -c 'sh /path/to/script.sh'

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Note: The OP was not explicitly asking for steps on how to create export variables in an interactive shell using a shell script. He only asked his script to be assessed at most. He didn't mention details on how his script would be used. It could have been by using . or source from the interactive shell. It could have been a standalone scipt, or it could have been source'd from another script. Environment variables are not specific to interactive shells. This answer solved his problem.

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