Editing Unix shell (section)

==Configuration files==
Shells read configuration files in various circumstances. These files usually contain commands for the shell and are executed when loaded; they are usually used to set important variables used to find executables, like [[$PATH]], and others that control the behavior and appearance of the shell. The table in this section shows the configuration files for popular shells.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unixnote.com/2010/05/different-unix-shell.html|title=Different UNIX Shells|publisher=unixnote.com|date=2010|access-date=2016-08-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403120601/http://www.unixnote.com/2010/05/different-unix-shell.html|archive-date=2016-04-03|url-status=dead}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable floatleft sortable" style="text-align: center; margin-right: 2em;"
|-
! Configuration file
![[Bourne shell|sh]]
![[KornShell|ksh]]
![[C shell|csh]]
![[tcsh]]
![[Bash (Unix shell)|bash]]
![[Z shell|zsh]]
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{mono|/etc/.login}}
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|login
|login
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|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{mono|/etc/csh.cshrc}}
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|yes
|yes
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|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{mono|/etc/csh.login}}
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|login
|login
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|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{mono|~/.tcshrc}}
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|yes
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|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{mono|~/.cshrc}}
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|yes
|yes{{Efn|only if {{mono|~/.tcshrc}} not found}}
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|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{mono|/etc/ksh.kshrc}}
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|int.
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|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{mono|/etc/sh.shrc}}
|int.{{Efn|Newer versions of the Bourne Shell only}}
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|style="text-align:left;"|{{mono|$ENV}} (typically {{mono|~/.kshrc}})<ref>SCO Unix Group, [http://unix.harley.com/instructors/timeline.html SCO Unixware 7 documentation, 22 Apr 2004, retrieved 18 Oct 2012].</ref>
|int.{{Efn|Available on systems that support the "User Portability Utilities option"; value of the variable must be an ''absolute'' path, and it is ignored "if the user's real and effective user IDs or real and effective group IDs are different."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/utilities/V3_chap02.html#tag_18_05_03|title=Shell Command Language|work=opengroup.org|access-date=15 June 2015}}</ref>}}{{Efn|{{mono|$ENV}} is {{mono|$HOME/.shrc}} in newer versions of the Bourne Shell}}
|int.
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|int.{{Efn|Same behavior as {{mono|sh}}, but only if invoked as {{mono|sh}} (bash 2+) or, since bash 4.2, also if invoked ''explicitly'' in POSIX compatibility mode (with options {{mono|--posix}} or {{mono|-o posix}}).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/software/bash/manual/html_node/Bash-Startup-Files.html|title=Bash Reference Manual: Bash Startup Files|work=gnu.org|access-date=15 June 2015}}</ref>}}
|
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{mono|~/.login}}
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|login
|login
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|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{mono|~/.logout}}
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|login
|login
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|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{mono|/etc/profile}}
|login
|login
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|login
|login{{Efn|name="zsh profiles"|Only in sh/ksh compatibility mode (when invoked as bash, sh, ksh)}}
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{mono|~/.profile}}
|login
|login
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|
|login{{Efn|name="bash profiles"|The first readable file in order of {{mono|~/.bash_profile}}, {{mono|~/.bash_login}} and {{mono|~/.profile}}; and only {{mono|~/.profile}} if invoked as {{mono|sh}} or, as of at least Bash 4.2, if invoked ''explicitly'' in POSIX compatibility mode (with options {{mono|--posix}} or {{mono|-o posix}})}}
|login{{Efn|name="zsh profiles"}}
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{mono|~/.bash_profile}}
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|login{{Efn|name="bash profiles"}}
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|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{mono|~/.bash_login}}
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|login{{Efn|name="bash profiles"}}
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|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{mono|~/.bash_logout}}
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|login
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|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{mono|~/.bashrc}}
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|int.+n/login
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|style="text-align:left;"|{{mono|/etc/zshenv}}
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|yes
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|style="text-align:left;"|{{mono|/etc/zprofile}}
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|login
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|style="text-align:left;"|{{mono|/etc/zshrc}}
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|int.
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{mono|/etc/zlogin}}
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|login
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|style="text-align:left;"|{{mono|/etc/zlogout}}
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|login
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{mono|~/.zshenv}}
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|yes
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{mono|~/.zprofile}}
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|login
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{mono|~/.zshrc}}
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|int.
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{mono|~/.zlogin}}
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|login
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{mono|~/.zlogout}}
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|login
|}

Explanation:
* blank means a file is not read by a shell at all.
* "yes" means a file is always read by a shell upon startup.
* "login" means a file is read if the shell is a login shell.
* "n/login" means a file is read if the shell is not a login shell.
* "int." means a file is read if the shell is interactive.
{{Clear}}{{Notelist}}