I wrote a bash script to clean up duplicate directoris and garbage from PATH variable and set a new path into $newpath. However, even if I embbeded the following codes into my script, I still can't update PATH environment variable. export PATH=$newpath Any comments or suggestions? By the way, 1) I don't have administrator; 2) only an attribute "-x" has been set for PATH variable. 3) If the script exports "PATH=/usr/bin:/etc/local..." into a temporary file .tmp_path, then I use "source .tmp_path" at command line, PATH can be updated. Many thanks

You just answered you own question. You will have to source your script in order to get the variable replaced. Using -x will only export to shells spawned by your script. They will not export to the parent shell because your script is a sub-shell of your login shell. You may want to consider putting this stuff in your .profile (or whatever bash uses). Your .profile gets sourced when you log in and can perform the functions you are trying to do with a script. Perhaps you may want to source your script from your .profile. Jerry