Export Command in Linux

Without any arguments, the command will generate or display all exported variables. Below is an example of the expected output.

$ export

Sample output

If you wish to view all exported variables on the current shell, use the -p flag as shown in the example

$ export -p 

Sample output

Suppose you have a function and you wish to export it, how do you go about it? In this case , the -f flag is used. In this example, we are exporting the function name (). First, call the function

$ name () { echo "Hello world"; }

Then export it using the -f flag

$ export -f name

Next, invoke bash shell

$ bash

Finally, call the function

$ name

Output

Hello World

You can also assign a value before exporting a function as shown

$ export name[=value]

For example, you can define a variable before exporting it as shown

$ student=Divya

In the above example, the variable ‘student’ has been assigned the value ‘Divya’ To export the variable run

$ export students

You can use the printenv command to verify the contents of the variable as shown

$ printenv students

Check the output below of the commands we have just executed Output The above can be achieved in 2 simple steps by declaring and exporting the variable in one line as shown

$ export student=Divya

To display the variable run

$ printenv student

Output This concludes our tutorial about export command. Go ahead and give it a try and see the magic! Your feedback is most welcome.