How do I add a new directory to $PATH? If I do "echo $PATH" I get /sbin:/usr/sbin:/bin: /usr/bin:/usr/X11R6/bin:/usr/local/bin: /usr/local/sbin I would like to add /usr/local/apache2 to this path, but don't know how. I searched and searched, but can't find a working solution. I read that one can add the path to /etc/profile or to /root/.bash_profile, but this doesn't seem to work. I can open the terminal and type: PATH="$PATH:/usr/local/apache2", but if I close the terminal, the new entry disappers from the path. So how do I add the directory to the path permanently? after all, /sbin:/usr/sbin:/bin: /usr/bin:/usr/X11R6/bin:/usr/local/bin: /usr/local/sbin are permanent, I just don't know where these entries are located, so that I would add the new directory here are my files: profile: # /etc/profile -*- Mode: shell-script -*- # (c) MandrakeSoft, Chmouel Boudjnah loginsh=1 # Users generally won't see annoyng core files [ "$UID" = "0" ] && ulimit -S -c 1000000 > /dev/null 2>&1 if ! echo ${PATH} |grep -q /usr/X11R6/bin ; then PATH="$PATH:/usr/X11R6/bin" fi if [ "$UID" -ge 500 ] && ! echo ${PATH} |grep -q /usr/games ; then export PATH=$PATH:/usr/games fi umask 022 USER=`id -un` LOGNAME=$USER MAIL="/var/spool/mail/$USER" HISTCONTROL=ignoredups HOSTNAME=`/bin/hostname` HISTSIZE=1000 if [ -z "$INPUTRC" -a ! -f "$HOME/.inputrc" ]; then INPUTRC=/etc/inputrc fi # some old programs still use it (eg: "man"), and it is also # required for level1 compliance for LI18NUX2000 NLSPATH=/usr/share/locale/%l/%N export PATH PS1 USER LOGNAME MAIL HOSTNAME INPUTRC NLSPATH export HISTCONTROL HISTSIZE for i in /etc/profile.d/*.sh ; do if [ -x $i ]; then . $i fi done unset i .bash_profile: # .bash_profile # Get the aliases and functions if [ -f ~/.bashrc ]; then . ~/.bashrc fi mesg n PATH="$PATH:/usr/local/apache2/bin"

Either in ~/.bashrc or ~/.bash_profile, add these two lines, PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/apache2/bin export PATH Lawrence

thanx, it worked. I added the line to .bashrc, logged off/on KDE, and voila-it was part of the $path now.