You do not have permission to edit this page, for the following reasons:

This IP address has been blocked from editing Wikipedia.
This does not affect your ability to read Wikipedia pages.
Most people who see this message have done nothing wrong. Some kinds of blocks restrict editing from specific service providers or telecom companies in response to recent abuse or vandalism, and can sometimes affect other users who are unrelated to that abuse. Review the information below for assistance if you do not believe that you have done anything wrong.

The IP address or range 3.85.0.0/16 has been blocked (disabled) by ‪ST47‬ for the following reason(s):

The IP address that you are currently using has been blocked because it is believed to be a web host provider. To prevent abuse, web hosts may be blocked from editing Wikipedia.
You will not be able to edit Wikipedia using a web host provider because it hides your IP address, much like a proxy or VPN.
We recommend that you attempt to use another connection to edit. For example, if you use a proxy or VPN to connect to the internet, turn it off when editing Wikipedia. If you edit using a mobile connection, try using a Wi-Fi connection, and vice versa. If you are using a corporate internet connection, switch to a different Wi-Fi network. If you have a Wikipedia account, please log in.
If you do not have any other way to edit Wikipedia, you will need to request an IP block exemption.

How to appeal if you are confident that your connection does not use a web host's IP address:
If you are confident that you are not using a web host, you may appeal this block by adding the following text on your talk page: ((unblock|reason=Caught by a web host block but this host or IP is not a web host. My IP address is _______. Place any further information here. ~~~~)). You must fill in the blank with your IP address for this block to be investigated. Your IP address can be determined here. Alternatively, if you wish to keep your IP address private you can use the unblock ticket request system. There are several reasons you might be editing using the IP address of a web host (such as if you are using VPN software or a business network); please use this method of appeal only if you think your IP address is in fact not a web host.

Administrators: The IP block exemption user right should only be applied to allow users to edit using web host in exceptional circumstances, and they should usually be directed to the functionaries team via email. If you intend to give the IPBE user right, a CheckUser needs to take a look at the account. This can be requested most easily at SPI Quick Checkuser Requests. Unblocking an IP or IP range with this template is highly discouraged without at least contacting the blocking administrator.

This block will expire on 21:48, 22 February 2026.

Even when blocked, you will usually still be able to edit your user talk page, as well as email administrators and other editors.

For information on how to proceed, please read the FAQ for blocked users and the guideline on block appeals. The guide to appealing blocks may also be helpful.

Other useful links: Blocking policy · Help:I have been blocked
Your IP address is in a range that has been blocked on all Wikimedia Foundation wikis. The block was made by ‪Jon Kolbert‬. The reason given is Open proxy/Webhost: See the help page if you are affected .
- Start of block: 05:35, 21 February 2024
- Expiry of block: 05:35, 21 February 2029
Your current IP address is 3.85.235.113. The blocked range is 3.85.0.0/16. Please include all above details in any queries you make. If you believe you were blocked by mistake, you can find additional information and instructions in the No open proxies global policy. Otherwise, to discuss the block please post a request for review on Meta-Wiki. You could also send an email to the stewards VRT queue at stewards@wikimedia.org including all above details.

You can view and copy the source of this page:

((Short description|Computer environment variable))
((ref improve|date=August 2014))
'''PATH''' is an [[environment variable]] on [[Unix-like]] [[operating system]]s, [[DOS]], [[OS/2]], and [[Microsoft Windows]], specifying a set of [[Directory (file systems)|directories]] where executable programs are located. In general, each executing [[process (computing)|process]] or [[login session|user session]] has its own PATH setting.

==History==
[[Multics]] originated the idea of a search path. The early [[Unix shell]] only looked for program names in <code>/bin</code>, but by [[Version 3 Unix]] the directory was too large and <code>/usr/bin</code>, and a search path, became part of the operating system.<ref name="reader">((cite tech report |first1=M. D. |last1=McIlroy |authorlink1=Doug McIlroy |year=1987 |url=http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~doug/reader.pdf |title=A Research Unix reader: annotated excerpts from the Programmer's Manual, 1971–1986 |series=CSTR |number=139 |institution=Bell Labs))</ref>

==Unix and Unix-like==
On [[POSIX]] and Unix-like operating systems, the '''<code>$PATH</code>''' variable is specified as a list of one or more directory names separated by colon (<code>:</code>) characters.<ref>[http://www.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/000095399/basedefs/xbd_chap08.html#tag_08_03 Open Group Unix Specification, Environment Variables]</ref><ref>[http://www.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/000095399/functions/execve.html Open Group Unix Specification, execve() function]</ref>
Directories in the <code>PATH</code>-string are not meant to be escaped, making it impossible to have directories with <code>:</code> in their name.<ref>[https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/utils/dash/dash.git/tree/src/exec.c?h=v0.5.9.1&id=afe0e0152e4dc12d84be3c02d6d62b0456d68580#n173 Dash exec.c as an example of an implementation of a PATH-string parser]</ref>

The <code>/bin</code>, <code>/usr/bin</code>, and <code>/usr/local/bin</code> directories are typically included in most users' <code>$PATH</code> setting (although this varies from implementation to implementation). The [[superuser]] also typically has <code>/sbin</code> and <code>/usr/sbin</code> entries for easily executing [[system administration]] commands. The current directory (<code>.</code>) is sometimes included by users as well, allowing programs residing in the [[current working directory]] to be executed directly. System administrators as a rule do ''not'' include it in <code>$PATH</code> in order to prevent the accidental execution of scripts residing in the current directory, such as may be placed there by a malicious [[tarbomb]]. In that case, executing such a program requires specifying an absolute (<code>/home/userjoe/bin/script.sh</code>) or relative path (<code>./script.sh</code>) on the command line.

When a command name is specified by the user or an [[exec (operating system)|exec]] call is made from a program, the system searches through <code>$PATH</code>, examining each directory from left to right in the list, looking for a [[filename]] that matches the command name. Once found, the program is executed as a [[child process]] of the command shell or program that issued the command.

==DOS, OS/2, and Windows==
On DOS, OS/2, and Windows operating systems, the '''<code>%PATH%</code>''' variable is specified as a list of one or more directory names separated by semicolon (<code>;</code>) characters.<ref>[http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa922003.aspx Microsoft.com, PATH command]</ref>

The Windows system directory (typically <code>C:\WINDOWS\system32</code>) is typically the first directory in the path, followed by many (but not all) of the directories for installed software packages. Many programs do not appear in the path as they are not designed to be executed from a [[command shell|command window]], but rather from a [[GUI|Graphical User Interface]]. Some programs may add their directory to the front of the PATH variable's content during installation, to speed up the search process and/or override OS commands. In the DOS era, it was customary to add a <syntaxhighlight lang="dosbatch" inline>PATH {program directory};%PATH%</syntaxhighlight> or <syntaxhighlight lang="dosbatch" inline>SET PATH={program directory};%PATH%</syntaxhighlight> line to [[AUTOEXEC.BAT]].

When a command is entered in a command shell or a system call is made by a program to execute a program, the system first searches the [[current working directory]] and then searches the path, examining each directory from left to right, looking for an [[executable]] filename that matches the command name given. Executable programs have [[filename extension]]s of <code>[[EXE]]</code> or <code>[[COM file|COM]]</code>, and batch scripts have extensions of <code>[[Batch file|BAT]]</code> or <code>[[CMD file (CP/M)|CMD]]</code>. Other executable filename extensions can be registered with the system as well.

Once a matching executable file is found, the system [[Spawn (computing)|spawns]] a new process that runs it.

The PATH variable makes it easy to run commonly used programs located in their own folders. If used unwisely, however, the value of the PATH variable can slow down the operating system by searching too many locations, or invalid locations.

Invalid locations can also ''stop'' services from running altogether, especially the 'Server' service which is usually a dependency for other services within a Windows Server environment.

==References==
((Reflist))

((DEFAULTSORT:Path (Variable)))
[[Category:Computer file systems]]
[[Category:Environment variables]]

Pages transcluded onto the current version of this page (help):

PATH (variable) (edit)
Template:Ambox (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Cite tech report (view source) (semi-protected)
Template:Find sources mainspace (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Main other (view source) (protected)
Template:More citations needed (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Pagetype (view source) (protected)
Template:Ref improve (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Reflist (view source) (protected)
Template:Reflist/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Template:SDcat (view source) (protected)
Template:Short description (view source) (protected)
Template:Short description/lowercasecheck (view source) (protected)
Module:Arguments (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/blacklist (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/config (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/data (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/shared (view source) (protected)
Module:Check for unknown parameters (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1 (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/COinS (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Date validation (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Identifiers (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Whitelist (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Module:Disambiguation/templates (view source) (protected)
Module:Find sources (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Find sources/config (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Find sources/links (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Find sources/templates/Find sources mainspace (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Message box (view source) (protected)
Module:Message box/ambox.css (view source) (protected)
Module:Message box/configuration (view source) (protected)
Module:Namespace detect/config (view source) (protected)
Module:Namespace detect/data (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype/config (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype/disambiguation (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype/setindex (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype/softredirect (view source) (protected)
Module:SDcat (view source) (protected)
Module:String (view source) (protected)
Module:Unsubst (view source) (protected)
Module:Wikitext Parsing (view source) (protected)
Module:Yesno (view source) (protected)

Return to PATH (variable).

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PATH_(variable)"