How To Reload Environment Variables in XFCE Without Relogin

In this article, we’ll guide you through the process of reloading environment variables in XFCE without having to re-login. This can be particularly useful when you need to update your environment variables and want the changes to take effect immediately, without disrupting your current session.

Understanding Environment Variables

Environment variables are dynamic-named values that can affect the way running processes behave on a computer. They are part of the environment in which a process runs. For example, a running process can query the value of the TEMP environment variable to discover a suitable location to store temporary files, or the HOME variable to find the directory structure owned by the user running the process.

Updating Environment Variables

To update environment variables, you typically have to modify the appropriate files and then re-login to your session for the changes to take effect. However, there are ways to reload these variables without re-login. Let’s explore how.

Using the source Command

The source command reads and executes commands from the file specified as its argument in the current shell environment. It is a shell built-in function that helps to read and execute commands from a file in the current shell session.

Here’s how you can use it:

1. Open a terminal.
2. Use the source command to re-read the file containing the environment variables. For example:

source $HOME/.profile

In this command, source is the command that reads and executes commands from the file, $HOME/.profile is the file from which the commands are read. $HOME is an environment variable that represents your home directory.

Using the Dot Abbreviation

Alternatively, you can use the dot abbreviation, which performs the same function as the source command:

. $HOME/.profile

Setting Environment Variables for Specific Applications

If you want to set environment variables for a specific application, you can do so in a shell session and start the application from there. For example:

export LANG=fr_FR
/some/path/to/an/executable

In this example, export is a command that sets environment variables, LANG is the name of the variable, and fr_FR is the value. The second line is the path to the executable file of the application.

Setting Environment Variables for Specific Commands

Another option is to set an environment variable for a specific command. For example:

LANG=fr_FR /some/path/to/an/executable

In this command, LANG=fr_FR sets the LANG environment variable to fr_FR for the duration of the command that follows.

Automating the Process with a Script

If you frequently use the same environment variables, you can create a script to automate the process. Here’s an example script:

#!/bin/bash
export LANG=fr_FR
/some/path/to/an/executable

Save the script in a location within your $PATH, such as /usr/local/bin, with a name like start_important_application. Then, you can use the command start_important_application to launch your application with the updated environment.

Conclusion

In summary, to reload environment variables in a running desktop environment, you can use the source command or its dot abbreviation to re-read the file containing the variables. Alternatively, you can set environment variables in a shell session or create a script to automate the process. These methods allow you to update your environment variables without having to disrupt your current session by re-logging in.