If you compile programs ( 52.8 ) or write shell scripts ( 1.5 ) , it's good to put them in one directory. This can be a subdirectory of your home directory. Or, if several people want to use these programs, you could pick any other directory - as long as you have write access to it. Usually, the directory's name is something like bin -though I name mine .bin (with a leading dot) ( 1.15 ) to keep it from cluttering my ls listings.
For instance, to make a bin under your home directory, type:
%cd
%mkdir bin
Once you have a directory for storing programs, be sure that the shell can find the programs in it. Type the command
echo
$PATH
and look for the directory's pathname. For instance, if your directory is called
/u/walt/bin
, you should see:
%echo $PATH
...:/u/walt/bin:...
If the directory isn't in your PATH , add it ( 8.7 ) .
Finally, if other people are sharing the directory, use a command like chmod go+rx bin ( 22.7 ) to give them access.
When you add a new program to your bin directory, if you use the C shell, you need to use the shell's rehash command. That's because the C shell doesn't search your path directly but instead uses a hash table to find the commands more quickly.
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