I have a user, say user1, which has modifications to its .bash_profile, one of them changing the PATH, e.g.: export PATH=/some/place:$PATH. This change works fine if I log on as user1 or do a su - user1.
But if I try to run a command via su as root, e.g.:
su -c test.sh oracle
(test contains echo $PATH)
It doesn't seem to have the modified PATH (or root's PATH, for that matter). I've also tried copying .bash_profile to .profile, to no avail.
Why is this happening?
Using su without -l or - starts bash as an interactive, but non-login shell, which doesn't read from either of the files you specified. Use the -l or - option or put the relevant config into /root/.bashrc.
Quick summary of config files:
-l/--login) reads /etc/profile first, and then the first it finds of: ~/.bash_profile, ~/.bash_login, and ~/.profile. -i) reads /etc/bash.bashrc and ~/.bashrc, in that order (unless the --rcfile option is used and tells it to look elsewhere). -l or -i flags, reads the file specified in the BASH_ENV environment variable. sh as a login shell, it will read /etc/profile and ~/.profile, in that order.sh as an interactive non-login, it reads the file specified in ENV.
Bash behaves differently depending on if it believes that it is a login shell, i.e. the first shell run when you log onto a system. It only reads .bash_profile if it is a login shell. If you put the PATH-changing code into .bashrc instead, it will be run for all interactive bash shells, not just login shells.
If using the Gnome environment in Scientific Linux 6 (or presumably RHEL 6), start a terminal. Go to Edit -> Profile Preferences -> "Title and Command" tab. Make sure that the checkbox "Run command as a login shell" is checked. I found that the Gnome terminal application is ignoring my .bash_profile unless I do this.
