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isomorphismes
Asked: 2011-09-10 17:36:51 +0800 CST

How do I add a directory to MANPATH or INFOPATH?

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I think I understand the instructions given in How to add a directory to the PATH? about adding directories to $PATH. But I don't understand how to add directories to $MANPATH or $INFOPATH.

Also -- in googling around for help I have noticed that sometimes directions say export PATH=/usr/share/lib/something:$PATH and sometimes they say export PATH=$PATH:/usr/share/lib/something. Which is it?

manpage

3 Answers

  1. Best Answer

    1. These 2 are almost the same:

      export PATH=/usr/share/lib/something:$PATH 
export PATH=$PATH:/usr/share/lib/something

      The only difference is that the first one puts the directory to add in front and the second one puts it behind the current directories in $PATH. It only matters if there are commands inside /usr/share/lib/something that have the same name inside one of the directories in $PATH.

    2. To add directories to $MANPATH or $INFOPATH as required from the link you posted you do that by changing the config files inside the link.

      It says to open the global version of bash.bashrc with:

      sudo vi /etc/bash.bashrc

      and to add at the end:

      PATH=/usr/local/texlive/2010/bin/x86_64-linux:$PATH; export PATH
MANPATH=/usr/local/texlive/2010/texmf/doc/man:$MANPATH; export MANPATH
INFOPATH=/usr/local/texlive/2010/texmf/doc/info:$INFOPATH; export INFOPATH

      This sets $PATH, $MANPATH and $INFOPATH. And it also tells you to edit /etc/manpath.config with:

      sudo vi /etc/manpath.config

      and to add 

      MANPATH_MAP /usr/local/texlive/2010/bin/x86_64-linux /usr/local/texlive/2010/texmf/doc/man

      underneath # set up PATH to MANPATH mapping.

    If you are unsure about this make a backup 1st (never a bad thing) with:

    sudo cp /etc/bash.bashrc /etc/bash.backup_$(date +"%Y_%m_%d").bashrc
sudo cp /etc/manpath.config /etc/manpath.backup_$(date +"%Y_%m_%d").config

    The weird string changes into the current date. If you mess up just copy the backup back over the original file:

    $ touch test1
$ cp test1 test1.$(date +"%Y_%m_%d")
$ ls
test1  test1.2014_11_14
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  2. If your man pages are in /usr/local/myproject/man, all you need to do is add that to (the end of) /etc/manpath.config:

    MANDATORY_MANPATH        /usr/local/myproject/man
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  3. x:y:z:$PATH or $PATH:x:y:z?

    Barely different. $PATH contains a :-separated list of places where bash (the shell/terminal) should check for a program.

    For example if you type cat the way the terminal understands what that means is to look through the first, second, third elements of $PATH, then save the first location it finds for later invocations of cat.

    If I have two different versions of a program in two different places, with one of them being preferred, and $PATH tells the shell to search in the wrong order, then there's a problem. Otherwise, no problem.

    export

    Open a terminal and type 

    echo $a
a=5
echo a
echo $a

    You'll see that a=5 set the variable value and $a refers to the variable name, not the value.

    Open a second terminal and type echo $a. It should again be blank.

    The difference between export and assignment (=) is explained here: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/1158091/defining-a-variable-with-or-without-export.

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