Modify Environment Variables (for example $env:PSModulePath) on Linux

[rudolfvesely]

Hi all,

I think it would be great if you can change Environment Variables (accessed for example by $env:Name or Get-ChildItem env:) on Linux.

For example to set there values a new configuration file in /etc ?

On Windows I can change for example PSModulePath and add a custom path. The only option on Linux is to create a profile ps1 file for all users.

Thank you.

[mklement0]

Can I suggest that you change the title of your issue to reflect the fact that you're looking for PowerShell to introduce a profile-independent way to persistently define environment variables?

A few thoughts:

• Environment variables are by definition shell/application-agnostic and are seen by all descendant processes, irrespective of what shell/application created them.

• PowerShell "listens to" only 2 environment variables, $env:PSModulePath being one of them.

• From what I understand, Linux environments (all of them?) already have file /etc/environment as a system-wide, shell-independent mechanism for defining environment variables.

• That said, if a set of environment variables is truly only used by PowerShell, then the system-wide PowerShell profile - $profile.AllUsersAllHosts - arguably is the right place to define them.

  • This solution would also work for macOS, which doesn't have a system-wide mechanism for defining environment variables (anymore).
  • (macOS has /etc/profile, which the default shell is expected to process, which (a) doesn't take effect for GUI applications, and (b) requires the default shell to honor this expectation and (c) requires the default shell to understand POSIX-shell syntax (which PowerShell, if it were defined as the default shell, wouldn't [Update: /etc/profile and ~/.profile now are honored if you start with pwsh -l or use PowerShell as the default shell]).

[danwize]

I tried setting an environment variable like this on an Ubuntu machine:
[System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('ASPNETCORE_ENVIRONMENT', 'HypervDev', [System.EnvironmentVariableTarget]::Machine)

I was hoping this would edit the /etc/environment file to set the environment variable system wide.

[vexx32]

Unfortunately .NET Core have yet to implement a method to set environment variables in Unix systems. The documentation for those methods states that applying values to anything other than the current process is only supported on windows. ☹️

[sumit84mca]

I tried setting an environment variable like this on an Ubuntu machine: [System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('ASPNETCORE_ENVIRONMENT', 'HypervDev', [System.EnvironmentVariableTarget]::Machine)

I was hoping this would edit the /etc/environment file to set the environment variable system wide.

Is there any update on this or any work around

[vexx32]

No, you'd need to file an issue in the https://github.com/dotnet/runtime repository to request the functionality be expanded for non-Windows operating systems.

A workaround for now would be to modify the /etc/environment file directly instead.

GitHub

GitHub - dotnet/runtime: .NET is a cross-platform runtime for cloud, mobile, desktop, and IoT apps.

.NET is a cross-platform runtime for cloud, mobile, desktop, and IoT apps. - GitHub - dotnet/runtime: .NET is a cross-platform runtime for cloud, mobile, desktop, and IoT apps.

[rbleattler]

I've written a function which can be used to accomplish this when running elevated (as su) as part of my xEnvironmentVariables Module. I don't know how helpful it is to anyone, but thought I'd share Set-NixEnvironmentVariable.ps1. Hope this is helpful to anyone landing here looking for a solution.

[mieliespoor]

Can we re-open this as this still seem to be an issue?