How to run bash in rxvt with both login shell and in a specific directory?

How to run bash in rxvt with both login shell and in a specific directory?

[KARR, DAVID (ATTCINW)]

I'd like to have a command line that will run bash inside rxvt, both as
a login shell (so I get all my paths and profile) and in a specific
directory.  I know how to get it to a specific directory, and I know how
to make it a login shell, but I can't figure out how to get both.

If I use this:

    C:\cygwin\bin\rxvt.exe -ls -cd "path" -e /usr/bin/bash -l

I get a login shell, but at my home dir, not at the specified path.

If I remove the last "-l", it goes to the correct directory, but it
didn't appear to load my profile (PATH isn't correct, for instance).

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Re: How to run bash in rxvt with both login shell and in a specific directory?

[Mark J. Reed]

When invoked as a login shell, bash changes to your home directory, so
the fact that it was started in the target directory becomes moot.  I
would advise adding something to your .bash_profile or .bashrc that
looks for an environment variable containing a directory and cd's
there if it's set.

if [ -n "$STARTDIR" ]; then
     cd "$STARTDIR"
fi

Then you have to set that somehow.  This is somewhat roundabout but effective:

C:\cygwin\bin\rxvt.exe -cd "path" -e /usr/bin/bash -c
"STARTDIR=\"$PWD\" exec /bin/bash --login"


On Wed, Sep 9, 2009 at 1:09 PM, KARR, DAVID (ATTCINW) wrote:
> I'd like to have a command line that will run bash inside rxvt, both as
> a login shell (so I get all my paths and profile) and in a specific
> directory.  I know how to get it to a specific directory, and I know how
> to make it a login shell, but I can't figure out how to get both.
>
> If I use this:
>
>    C:\cygwin\bin\rxvt.exe -ls -cd "path" -e /usr/bin/bash -l
>
> I get a login shell, but at my home dir, not at the specified path.
>
> If I remove the last "-l", it goes to the correct directory, but it
> didn't appear to load my profile (PATH isn't correct, for instance).
>
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> Problem reports:       http://cygwin.com/problems.html
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>



-- 
Mark J. Reed <markjreed@gmail.com>

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Re: How to run bash in rxvt with both login shell and in a specific directory?

[Gary Johnson]

On 2009-09-09, KARR, DAVID (ATTCINW) wrote:
> I'd like to have a command line that will run bash inside rxvt, both as
> a login shell (so I get all my paths and profile) and in a specific
> directory.  I know how to get it to a specific directory, and I know how
> to make it a login shell, but I can't figure out how to get both.
> 
> If I use this:
> 
>     C:\cygwin\bin\rxvt.exe -ls -cd "path" -e /usr/bin/bash -l
> 
> I get a login shell, but at my home dir, not at the specified path.
> 
> If I remove the last "-l", it goes to the correct directory, but it
> didn't appear to load my profile (PATH isn't correct, for instance).

This seems to work for me, from the Windows Command Prompt:

    C:\cygwin\bin\rxvt.exe -e /bin/bash --login -c "cd /usr/local/src; exec bash -i"

I just used the /usr/local/src path as a convenient example.

HTH,
Gary



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Re: How to run bash in rxvt with both login shell and in a specific directory?

[Mark J. Reed]

On Wed, Sep 9, 2009 at 1:31 PM, Gary Johnson wrote:
>    C:\cygwin\bin\rxvt.exe -e /bin/bash --login -c "cd /usr/local/src; exec bash -i"

A good solution, but it won't work if you do anything in .bash_profile
that's not inherited by child shell processes (aliases, shell
functions, etc), since .bash_profile won't be executed by the bash -i.

Of course, it's not good practice to do such things in .bash_profile;
better to put them in .bashrc (and have .bash_profile source .bashrc
so they happen in login shells, too)... but something to watch out
for.

-- 
Mark J. Reed <markjreed@gmail.com>

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RE: How to run bash in rxvt with both login shell and in a specific directory?

[KARR, DAVID (ATTCINW)]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: cygwin-owner@cygwin.com [mailto:cygwin-owner@cygwin.com] On
> 
> On Wed, Sep 9, 2009 at 1:31 PM, Gary Johnson wrote:
> >    C:\cygwin\bin\rxvt.exe -e /bin/bash --login -c "cd /usr/local/src;
> exec bash -i"
> 
> A good solution, but it won't work if you do anything in .bash_profile
> that's not inherited by child shell processes (aliases, shell
> functions, etc), since .bash_profile won't be executed by the bash -i.
> 
> Of course, it's not good practice to do such things in .bash_profile;
> better to put them in .bashrc (and have .bash_profile source .bashrc
> so they happen in login shells, too)... but something to watch out
> for.

Hmm.  This (Gary's solution) didn't work.  Instead of leaving me in my Cygwin home or the target directory, it left me in my Windows home.  I don't know why.

I tried implementing Mark's solution, and that worked fine.  I don't have to look at it, so I won't complain. :)