/etc/bash/bashrc not documented in man page

tarsius · 2010-11-17 00:33:24

I have just noticed that /etc/bash/bashrc is sourced when starting a interactive non-login shell but the manpage bash(1) only mentions ~/.bashrc.

This feature is enabled in the ebuild like this:

DSYS_BASHRC=\'\"/etc/bash/bashrc\"\'

however the manpage still reads like this:

When an interactive shell that is not a login shell is started, bash
reads and executes commands from  ~/.bashrc, if that file exists.
This may be inhibited by using the --norc option.  The --rcfile file
option will force bash to read and execute commands from file instead
of ~/.bashrc.

/etc/bash/bashrc is not mentioned at all (and other distributions seem to use /etc/bash.bashrc, also see the discussion at 26952). Info also does not mention this file.

Last edited by tarsius (2010-12-08 00:48:09)

brantgurga · 2010-11-17 02:49:17

Feel free to write information on the wiki about it. I don't know enough about Bash to know if it's something upstream bash should mention better or the gentoo or funtoo distro should do it. Bash is a GNU project so the Info pages are more authoritative than man pages.

tarsius · 2010-11-17 12:35:24

brantgurga wrote:

Feel free to write information on the wiki about it.

I don't think this would do much good. For this kind of essential information I usually consult man pages and info manuals, and just assume that this information is there.

brantgurga wrote:

I don't know enough about Bash to know if it's something upstream bash should mention better or the gentoo or funtoo distro should do it.

Well it seams pretty obvious that it should be mentioned. I also don't now if upstream provides a way to have it automatically mentioned or expects distributions to patch man/info.

brantgurga wrote:

Bash is a GNU project so the Info pages are more authoritative than man pages.

As I said the info manual also does not contain that information.

Guess I will report a bug in the gentoo bugtracker as next step.

brantgurga · 2010-11-17 17:43:17

I looked at the way bash is built and the setting of system bashrc comes from a preprocessor definition. I also read through some of the bug resulting in definining one, but it was pretty long so I didn't get through all the rationale and so forth.

drobbins · 2010-11-17 18:02:59

tarsius wrote:

brantgurga wrote:
Feel free to write information on the wiki about it.
I don't think this would do much good. For this kind of essential information I usually consult man pages and info manuals, and just assume that this information is there.

Do it anyway, and we'll take care of the man page.

On the wiki, add a bash page, and be sure to put a section called "Bugs" and note in BOLD that /etc/bash/bashrc is missing from the man page, with detailed info on /etc/bash/bashrc behavior that you've seen, and we'll get it fixed.

That way we can also start to explore other potential improvements to the bash ebuild.

-Daniel

brantgurga · 2010-11-17 18:32:28

http://docs.funtoo.org/wiki/Bash is a stub you can start with.

tarsius · 2010-11-17 19:21:41

Okay I have added something. Please tell me if this has to be improved. (Though I don't want to write an introduction to bash .)

brantgurga · 2010-11-17 19:59:32

It can always be improved. But it's on the wiki so anybody can improve it.

tarsius · 2011-01-12 12:13:47

rj wrote:

AFAIK"
bashrc will NOT be documented in any man /info manuals

In at least Debian's and Ubuntu's bash(1) it is documented. I created a similar patch for Funtoo which Daniel applied.

rj wrote:

Why - Bashrc is not a command - it's a script, invoked via profile

What does that have to do with anything? /etc/bash/bashrc is a file which is used to configure bash and therefor should be documented in it's man page. By the way there also exist manpages about specific files in section 4 and 5. There are 9 sections and only one of them is about [user] commands.

It is also not correct that /etc/bash[./]bashrc is not read and executed by bash directly. Bash doesn't do that by default but there is a compile time option to enable this feature. Unfortunately this option does not also adjust the documentation accordingly. Therefor Debian and now Funtoo apply a patch to fix that.

rj wrote:

Plse refer to etc/profile & >
http://linuxmanpages.com/man1/bash.1.php
Any user-wished bash customisations are to be started in this manner
(consider it akin to user/local, a last_2_B inititiated (user's_localized log-in script)
Among other things such a file may colourise, term shells, alter PS1, set "aliases" etal -
> w/out this behaviour any action is a "session only" behaviour, lost @ next bootup
NOTE some actions may not be allowed, dependent on Distro's install template
I.E. Gentoo_based > Calculate Linux Desktop, sources my file (named of course, "Dot" bashrc
containing aliases used successfully in earlier Gentoo - (rm = "rm -i") etc etc
> then throws an error Msg > parsing ea character as Not-found:???

Sorry but I do not understand what you are telling me here. Maybe complete sentences would help.

rj wrote:

HTH
PS a * view post B4 submitting* button would be a good feature
TIA & best wishes for continued success

Anyway read the patched bash(1) of funtoo to see what init files bash uses on Funtoo and how.

Last edited by tarsius (2011-01-12 12:35:03)

ulenrich · 2011-01-13 13:16:25

@rj, I hardly can follow your texts! I don't know, if this is of
- my bad english knowledge
- my missing deeper Gentoo knowledge
- your missing punctuations
- far too much braces in your texts
- missing structure in your texts
- you are just too cool for me?

Please, consider
- using code tags like quote and code
- to reedit your texts, which is most gentle done before another forum member answered.

Last edited by ulenrich (2011-01-13 13:25:49)

rj · 2011-01-14 04:38:11

Sorry: Forum decorum dictates such comments ( IF considered a necessity) be moved to a more suitable sub-header

Obviously, original replies stemmed from lack of clarity towards bashrc in other Distros vs Funtoo usage

Until corrected - I stand by my comments: man bash describes how bashrc & users' dot bashrc is parsed

(Albeit at present, it remains unclear why /etc/portage/bashrc would be used rather than profiles as defined in make.conf etal
To qualify, this is further to reading D.Robbins e news anouncements (Esp the dates of) in regard to profile changes
I am still searching for definitive documentation of *present* stage3 profile ebuilds

NTIM, Sabayon/Calculate do not deploy bashrc in like manner

Further, the original topic herein was PRIOR to news announcements ???
User overlays are fine & dandy - The O.T. (& wiki addition) seems to state that is not the approved status quo

tarsius · 2011-01-14 11:24:15

rj wrote:

Until corrected -

I have tried to do so: below is my last attempt. After that I have nothing more to say.

The two issues are not related in any way. One is about bash (a shell) and the other about portage (a package manager). The term "profile" shows up in both contexts but that is a coincident.

#1 2010-11-17 00:33:24

/etc/bash/bashrc not documented in man page

#2 2010-11-17 02:49:17

Re: /etc/bash/bashrc not documented in man page

#3 2010-11-17 12:35:24

Re: /etc/bash/bashrc not documented in man page

#4 2010-11-17 17:43:17

Re: /etc/bash/bashrc not documented in man page

#5 2010-11-17 18:02:59

Re: /etc/bash/bashrc not documented in man page

#6 2010-11-17 18:32:28

Re: /etc/bash/bashrc not documented in man page

#7 2010-11-17 19:21:41

Re: /etc/bash/bashrc not documented in man page

#8 2010-11-17 19:59:32

Re: /etc/bash/bashrc not documented in man page

#9 2011-01-12 12:13:47

Re: /etc/bash/bashrc not documented in man page

#10 2011-01-13 13:16:25

Re: /etc/bash/bashrc not documented in man page

#11 2011-01-14 04:38:11

Re: /etc/bash/bashrc not documented in man page

#12 2011-01-14 11:24:15

Re: /etc/bash/bashrc not documented in man page

Board footer