How do I change the command prompt using a bash script?

Sterling Russell

10/28/22, 4:35 PM

My Ubuntu version is Ubuntu 21.04. I am trying to change my command prompt with a script I made, called recording.sh. Here is the code:

#!/bin/bash  

echo -n "are you recording? yes(1)/no(0)"  
read VAR  

if [ $VAR -eq 1 ]; then  
       PS1="\[\033[38;5;2m\]Hazardous-potato@\h\[$(tput sgr0)\]:\[$(tput sgr0)\]\[\033[38;5;4m\]\w\[$(tput sgr0)\]: \[$(tput sgr0)\]"  
else  
       PS1="\[\033[38;5;2m\]\u@\h\[$(tput sgr0)\]:\[$(tput sgr0)\]\[\033[38;5;4m\]\w\[$(tput sgr0)\]: \[$(tput sgr0)\]"  
fi

I expect my command prompt to change from:

sterling@The-beast~:

Hazardous-potato@The-beast~:

when I run the above script, but, instead, it just stays the same.

1 + 5

command-line

bash

user68186

10/28/22, 4:59 PM

When you change a variable in a bash file it only changes for the duration of the bash file. It has no effect once the file has run.

Sterling Russell

10/28/22, 5:02 PM

is there a way to run it until the terminal closes?

steeldriver

10/28/22, 5:13 PM

To take effect in the parent interactive shell you would need to *source* the file rather than run it

Sterling Russell

10/28/22, 5:38 PM

how do I do that?

user68186

10/28/22, 7:05 PM

@steeldriver that's the answer! prefix the bash script with `source`. I have seen the `source` used before, now it is clear to me what it does.

Score:0

Ubuntu

Sterling Russell

10/28/22, 6:15 PM

I sourced the file and lead bash into the file to execute it when the terminal opens. I sourced it at the end of the .bashrc file:

. /home/sterling/recording.sh

0 + 1

user68186

10/28/22, 6:59 PM

You don't need to put it in the `.bashrc` file if you don't want to run it every time you open a terminal. You can run it when you want in any terminal by typing `. ./recording.sh`. Note two dots separated by a space in the front before the `/`. Alternately you can type `source ./recording.sh`.

Elon Musk

I sit in a Tesla and translated this thread with Ai:

EN: How do I change the command prompt using a bash script?

TH: ฉันจะเปลี่ยนพรอมต์คำสั่งโดยใช้สคริปต์ทุบตีได้อย่างไร

RO: Cum schimb promptul de comandă folosind un script bash?

RU: Как изменить командную строку с помощью сценария bash?

VI: Làm cách nào để thay đổi dấu nhắc lệnh bằng tập lệnh bash?

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