[snorkytheweasel]

[ note: I found quite a few threads on this in the archives, but none of the solutions offered worked for me ]

My current path is /usr/local/bin:/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/local/bin

If I execute from the CLI
export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/sbin:/sbin:/usr/sbin:
I get the correct result $PATH becomes /usr/local/bin:/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/sbin:/usr/sbin

I've modified

• /etc/skel/.bash_profile
• /etc/skel/.bashrc
• /etc/bashrc
• /etc/profile

adding the following:
/usr/local/sbin:/sbin:/usr/sbin to the existing PATH=$PATH: statement
the export statement in each case already includes PATH

And for good measure, rebooted.....

None of the attempted changes stick.

Among the possible exisiting anomalies in my system:
echo $BASH_ENV yields an empty result set; somewhere in the system BASH_ENV is defined as ~/.bashrc - which doesn't exist for either root or for me.

No doubt I've made some itsy-bitsy syntax error or modified the wrong files.

Can we take it from the top and give explicit step-by-step instructions on how to add directories to the path - and to make that change permanent for all users (in my case, it's just me & my alter ego, root)?

[Squashman]

What did you change in /etc/profile?

[snorkytheweasel]

modified highlighted line in /etc/profile:

if [ $( id -u ) -gt 14 ]; then
ulimit -c 1000000
umask 002
PS1="[\u \W]\\$ "
PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/bin
else
umask 022
PS1="[\u \W]# "
PATH=$PATH:/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/local/bin:/sbin:/usr/sbin:/usr/local/sbin:
fi

[Squashman]

Add that path statement to the bottom of your /etc/profile and then export it.

PATH=$PATH:/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/local/bin:/sbin:/usr/sbin:/usr/local/sbin
export PATH

[snorkythewea]

That solved the problem.

THX!

Now, to document this...........