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Accepted
Ewan Delanoy
Asked: 2024-06-30 16:50:02 +0800 CST

Correct way to include file of custom aliases and commands

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've just started using Ubuntu. I wish to use a few homemade aliases and environment variables, so I did the following :

  1. Put those homemade aliases in a initializer_file.sh file, which I located at my personal subdirectory $HOME/Teuliou/Bash_scripts/initializer_file.sh

  2. Add the following lines at the end of the .profile file :

# include homemade initializer file if it exists
if [ -f "$HOME/Teuliou/Bash_scripts/initializer_file.sh" ]; then
  . "$HOME/Teuliou/Bash_scripts/initializer_file.sh"
fi

This does nothing however. When I open a new terminal after having saved the .profile file, my aliases are still unknown commands. On the other hand, I know that the code inside initializer_file.sh is correct because if I copy-paste it into a terminal the aliases work. What am I doing wrong ?

command-line

1 Answers

  1. Best Answer

    When I open a new terminal after having saved the .profile file, my aliases are still unknown commands.

    This is normal. It did not work because .profile is only read once for a login-shell, i.e., when you log in. To make it work (provided your script is correct), log out, then back in. However, defining aliases through .profile may not be the best way.

    .bashrc, is interpreted each time you open an interactive shell, i.e., when you open a terminal. It therefore makes more sense to define them through .bashrc.

    .bashrc in Ubuntu is already configured to source a file .bash_aliases if it exists. So it is most convenient to just put your custom alias definitions in .bash_aliases.

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