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Difference between environment variable and shell variable

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http://unix.stackexchange.com – It is said that environment variables are inherited in child processes but shell variables are not. However the following test shows shell variables are seen in child process just as environment variables. What is the difference? > bash --version GNU bash, version 3.2.39(1)-release (x86_64-suse-linux-gnu) Copyright (C) 2007 Free Software Foundation, Inc. > export TEST="ENV_TEST" #env var > sh -c "echo \$TEST" ENV_TEST > TEST="SHELL_TEST" #shell var > sh -c "echo \$TEST" #shell var is seen in child process SHELL_TEST (HowTos)

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Submitted by Danial on 12/10/2012

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I have searched stackexchange and other website for the difference. It is said that environment variable is inherited in child processes but shell variables are not. However the following test shows shell variables are seen in child process just as environment variables. Any suggestion please?

I'm reading Wrox, Beginning Linux Programming. But I've got a question about shell variables.

Here is a shell script named test.sh:

#!

Hi everyone,

well I am using Linux some years, but since I built a LFS, I feel noobish again. Now with the help of BLFS I am setting up my environment and somewhere I incidentally read, that not every variable is inherited by a child Bash shell.

Hi, doing exercises in A Practical Guide to Linux Commands, Editors, and Shell Programming by Mark G. Sobell. One of the exercises involves a script that is passed in the name of an environment variable.

So lets say I have an environment variable $test that I exported with value "testing".

So lets say the script is named foobar, and is invoked:

I want to somehow enter a different bash shell with some altered environment variables.

For example, if I run script bfin.sh and it contains something like

export PATH=/home/me/bfin2012:$PATH

I want it to create a bash shell with this changed variable. How to do this?

I have a shell script that exports values of variables when executed. The same values will be used in another script. How to run this script(test.sh) in cron.

#!/bin/sh export I="10" echo $I

I will be using root access for cron. I tried this command :

*/5 * * * * /home/ubuntu/backup/.test.sh

I checked with environment variables, nothing is updated.

I set the a array as an environment variable in this manner eg.

I was trying to figure out how to export my environmental via script instead of changing my .bashrc file.

I found this old useful post that said:

Variables can only be exported to subordinate processes, you can't pass them back up to the parent. If you really want your script to affect the parent shell's environment, run the script as

.

Hey everybody, I've been searching google and these forums and have found some solutions to the issues I've been having today within the Bourne Shell.