Working with Custom Environment Variables in the AWS Cloud9 Integrated Development Environment (IDE)

The AWS Cloud9 IDE supports setting custom environment variables. You can set custom environment variables in the AWS Cloud9 IDE in the following ways.

• Set Command-Level Custom Environment Variables

• Set Custom User Environment Variables in ~/.bash_profile

• Set Local Custom Environment Variables

• Set Custom User Environment Variables in ~/.bashrc

• Set Custom Environment Variables in the ENV List

Set Command-Level Custom Environment Variables

You can set command-level custom environment variables as you run a command in your AWS Cloud9 development environment. To test this behavior, create a file named script.sh with the following code:

#!/bin/bash

echo $MY_ENV_VAR

If you run the following command, the terminal displays Terminal session:

MY_ENV_VAR='Terminal session' sh ./script.sh

If you set the custom environment variable by using multiple approaches described in this topic, then when you try to get the custom environment variable's value, this setting takes priority over all of the others.

Set Custom User Environment Variables in ~/.bash_profile

You can set custom user environment variables in the ~/.bash_profile file in your environment. To test this behavior, add the following code to the ~/.bash_profile file in your environment:

export MY_ENV_VAR='.bash_profile file'

If you then run sh ./script.sh from the command line, the terminal displays .bash_profile file. (This assumes you created the script.sh file as described earlier.)

Set Local Custom Environment Variables

You can set local custom environment variables in a terminal session by running the export command. To test this behavior, run the following command in a terminal session:

export MY_ENV_VAR='Command line export'

If you then run sh ./script.sh from the command line, the terminal displays Command line export. (This assumes you created the script.sh file as described earlier.)

If you set the same custom environment variable with the export command and in your ~/.bash_profile file, then when you try to get the custom environment variable's value, the export command setting takes priority.

Set Custom User Environment Variables in ~/.bashrc

You can set custom user environment variables in the ~/.bashrc file in your environment. To test this behavior, add the following code to the ~/.bashrc file in your environment:

export MY_ENV_VAR='.bashrc file'

If you then run sh ./script.sh from the command line, the terminal displays .bashrc file. (This assumes you created the script.sh file as described earlier.)

If you set the same custom environment variable with the export command and in your ~/.bashrc file, then when you try to get the custom environment variable's value, the export command setting takes priority.

Set Custom Environment Variables in the ENV List

You can set custom environment variables in the ENV list on the Run tab.

To test this behavior, do the following:

1. On the menu bar, choose Run, Run Configurations, New Run Configuration.

2. On the [New] - Idle tab, Choose Runner: Auto, and then choose Shell script.

3. Choose ENV, and then type MY_ENV_VAR for Name and ENV list for Value.

4. For Command, type ./script.sh.

5. Choose the Run button. the runner tab displays ENV list. (This assumes you created the script.sh file as described earlier.)

If you set the same custom environment variable in your ~/.bash_profile file, with the export command, in your ~/.bashrc file, and in the ENV list, then when you try to get the custom environment variable's value, the ~/.bash_profile file setting takes first priority, followed by the export command setting, the ~/.bashrc file setting, and the ENV list setting.

Note

The ENV list is the only approach for getting and setting custom environment variables by using code, separate from a shell script.