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Show directories in the PATH, one per line

Terminal - Show directories in the PATH, one per line
echo "${PATH//:/$'\n'}"
2009-08-26 23:12:05
User: camspiers
Functions: echo
15
Up
Down
Show directories in the PATH, one per line

Shorter version.

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Alternatives

There are 9 alternatives - vote for the best!

Terminal - Alternatives
echo $PATH | tr \: \\n
2009-09-09 02:10:04
User: crk
Functions: echo tr
Tags: bash echo tr PATH
12
Up
Down
Show directories in the PATH, one per line

This version uses Pipes, but is easier for the common user to grasp... instead of using sed or some other more complicated method, it uses the tr command

Show sample output | Comments (2) | Add to favourites | Report as malicious
( IFS=:; for p in $PATH; do echo $p; done )
2009-03-19 22:45:47
User: haivu
Functions: echo
Tags: bash
3
Up
Down
Show directories in the PATH, one per line

The output of "echo $PATH" is hard to read, this is much easier. The parentheses ensure that the change to the input field separator (IFS) only happens the the sub shell and not affecting the current shell.

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echo -e ${PATH//:/\\n}
2011-08-02 03:22:46
User: kristidev
Functions: echo
Tags: bash PATH
1
Up
Down
Show directories in the PATH, one per line

quoteless

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echo src::${PATH} | awk 'BEGIN{pwd=ENVIRON["PWD"];RS=":";FS="\n"}!$1{$1=pwd}$1!~/^\//{$1=pwd"/"$1}{print $1}'
2009-09-09 04:03:46
User: arcege
Functions: awk echo
Tags: awk echo PATH
-2
Up
Down
Show directories in the PATH, one per line

Removes trailing newline; colon becomes record separator and newline becomes field separator, only the first field is ever printed. Replaces empty entries with $PWD. Also prepend relative directories (like ".") with the current directory ($PWD). Can change PWD with env(1) to get tricky in (non-Bourne) scripts.

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print -l $path
2009-08-27 16:33:04
User: Mikachu
Tags: zsh PATH
-5
Up
Down
Show directories in the PATH, one per line

This doesn't work in bash, but in zsh you can typeset -T to bind a scalar variable to an array. $PATH and $path behave this way by default.

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Know a better way?

If you can do better, submit your command here.

What others think

Shouldn't it be?: echo "${PATH//:/$'\n'}"

Comment by plasticdoc 194 weeks and 6 days ago

Yes, it's like plasticdoc said, if not they will be displayed in one line, space separated.

Comment by inkel 194 weeks and 6 days ago
echo -e "${PATH//:/\n}"

Ya plasticdoc is correct. Using that builtin version is by far the best.

Comment by AskApache 191 weeks and 4 days ago

display only existing+exec with only builtins: http://www.commandlinefu.com/commands/view/3535/show-only-existing-executable-dirs-in-path-using-only-builtin-bash-commands

Comment by AskApache 191 weeks and 4 days ago

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