Export Command in Linux | DigitalOcean
In this guide, we will look at the export command in Linux. Export is a built-in command of the Bash shell. It is used to mark variables and functions to be passed to child processes. Basically, a variable will be included in child process environments without affecting other environments. To get a clearer picture of what we are talking about, let’s dive in and have a look at the export command examples.
Without any arguments, the command will generate or display all exported variables. Below is an example of the expected output.
$ export
Sample output
If you wish to view all exported variables on the current shell, use the -p flag as shown in the example
$ export -p
Sample output
Suppose you have a function and you wish to export it, how do you go about it? In this case , the -f flag is used. In this example, we are exporting the function name (). First, call the function
$ name () { echo “Hello world”; }
Then export it using the -f flag
$ export -f name
Next, invoke bash shell
$ bash
Finally, call the function
$ name
Output
Hello World
You can also assign a value before exporting a function as shown
$ export name[=value]
For example, you can define a variable before exporting it as shown
$ student=Divya
In the above example, the variable ‘student’ has been assigned the value ‘Divya’ To export the variable run
$ export students
You can use the printenv command to verify the contents of the variable as shown
$ printenv students
Check the output below of the commands we have just executed Output The above can be achieved in 2 simple steps by declaring and exporting the variable in one line as shown
$ export student=Divya
To display the variable run
$ printenv student
Output This concludes our tutorial about export command. Go ahead and give it a try and see the magic! Your feedback is most welcome.
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