GNU bug report logs - #74550
eshell cannot set the environment variable PATH on Windows

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Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Siyuan Chen <chansey97 <at> gmail.com>
To: bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org
Subject: eshell cannot set the environment variable PATH on Windows
Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2024 04:38:30 +0800

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

Reproduce steps:

1. Emacs -Q

2. M-x eval-expression `(setenv "PATH" (concat "C:/env" path-separator
(getenv "PATH")))`

3. M-x eshell

4. In the *eshell* window, type `echo $PATH`, but the path "C:/env" doesn't
show in the result.

P.S. I have also tried `eshell-set-path` and `with-environment-variables`,
but they cannot set PATH as well. For example,

(require 'eshell)

(defun eshell2()
  (interactive)
  (eshell-set-path '("C:/env"))
  (call-interactively 'eshell))

(defun eshell3()
  (interactive)
  (with-environment-variables (("PATH" (concat "C:/env" path-separator
(getenv "PATH"))))
    (call-interactively 'eshell)))

Emacs 29.4 on Windows 10.

Thanks.

Best regards,
Siyuan Chen

[Message part 2 (text/html, inline)]

Message #8 received at 74550 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Jim Porter <jporterbugs <at> gmail.com>
To: Siyuan Chen <chansey97 <at> gmail.com>, 74550 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#74550: eshell cannot set the environment variable PATH on
 Windows
Date: Tue, 26 Nov 2024 13:14:42 -0800

On 11/26/2024 12:38 PM, Siyuan Chen wrote:
> Reproduce steps:
> 
> 1. Emacs -Q
> 
> 2. M-x eval-expression `(setenv "PATH" (concat "C:/env" path-separator 
> (getenv "PATH")))`
> 
> 3. M-x eshell
> 
> 4. In the *eshell* window, type `echo $PATH`, but the path "C:/env" 
> doesn't show in the result.

Thanks for the bug report. This is an intentionally-incompatible change 
in Eshell to improve behavior with remote systems via Tramp. Here's the 
relevant section from the Emacs 29 NEWS:

> *** Eshell's PATH is now derived from 'exec-path'.
> For consistency with remote connections, Eshell now uses 'exec-path'
> to determine the execution path on the local or remote system, instead
> of using the PATH environment variable directly.

So instead, you want to do something like '(push "C:/env" exec-path)' in 
order to update the PATH in a way where Eshell sees it.

Message #11 received at 74550 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Siyuan Chen <chansey97 <at> gmail.com>
To: Jim Porter <jporterbugs <at> gmail.com>
Cc: 74550 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#74550: eshell cannot set the environment variable PATH on
 Windows
Date: Thu, 28 Nov 2024 01:15:34 +0800

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

Dear Jim,

It works, thanks.

However, this seems to be a global setting only. Is there any equivalent of
with-environment-variables for exec-path?

For example, with regular shell, I can do something like:

```
(defun shell1 ()
  (interactive)
  (let ((explicit-shell-file-name "cmdproxy")
        (current-prefix-arg 4))
    (with-environment-variables (("PATH" (concat "C:/env1" path-separator
(getenv "PATH"))))
      (call-interactively 'shell))
    ))

(defun shell2 ()
  (interactive)
  (let ((explicit-shell-file-name "cmdproxy")
        (current-prefix-arg 4))
    (with-environment-variables (("PATH" (concat "C:/env2" path-separator
(getenv "PATH"))))
      (call-interactively 'shell))
    ))
```

to create two *shell* buffers with different PATH "C:/env1" and "C:/env2".

How to do the same thing in eshell?

I have tried with the following code but it doesn't work as expected.

 ```
 (defun eshell1()
  (interactive)
  (let ((exec-path (cons "C:/env1" (copy-sequence exec-path)))
        (current-prefix-arg "new"))
    (call-interactively 'eshell)))
 ```

 ```
 (defun eshell2()
  (interactive)
  (let ((exec-path (cons "C:/env2" (copy-sequence exec-path)))
        (current-prefix-arg "new"))
    (call-interactively 'eshell)))
 ```

M-x eshell1 and echo $PATH

M-x eshell2 and echo $PATH

The result is that the eshell1 buffer can show C:/env1, but eshell2 can not.

Thanks.

Best regards,
Siyuan Chen

On Wed, Nov 27, 2024 at 5:14 AM Jim Porter <jporterbugs <at> gmail.com> wrote:

> On 11/26/2024 12:38 PM, Siyuan Chen wrote:
> > Reproduce steps:
> >
> > 1. Emacs -Q
> >
> > 2. M-x eval-expression `(setenv "PATH" (concat "C:/env" path-separator
> > (getenv "PATH")))`
> >
> > 3. M-x eshell
> >
> > 4. In the *eshell* window, type `echo $PATH`, but the path "C:/env"
> > doesn't show in the result.
>
> Thanks for the bug report. This is an intentionally-incompatible change
> in Eshell to improve behavior with remote systems via Tramp. Here's the
> relevant section from the Emacs 29 NEWS:
>
> > *** Eshell's PATH is now derived from 'exec-path'.
> > For consistency with remote connections, Eshell now uses 'exec-path'
> > to determine the execution path on the local or remote system, instead
> > of using the PATH environment variable directly.
>
> So instead, you want to do something like '(push "C:/env" exec-path)' in
> order to update the PATH in a way where Eshell sees it.
>
>

[Message part 2 (text/html, inline)]

Message #14 received at 74550 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Jim Porter <jporterbugs <at> gmail.com>
To: Siyuan Chen <chansey97 <at> gmail.com>
Cc: 74550 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#74550: eshell cannot set the environment variable PATH on
 Windows
Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2024 10:52:47 -0800

On 11/27/2024 9:15 AM, Siyuan Chen wrote:
> It works, thanks.
> 
> However, this seems to be a global setting only. Is there any equivalent 
> of with-environment-variables for exec-path?

Not exactly. However, you can use setq-local or eshell/addpath:

  (defun shell1 ()
    (interactive)
    (let ((current-prefix-arg 4))
      (call-interactively 'shell)
      (setq-local exec-path (cons "C:/foo" exec-path))
      ;; or ...
      (eshell/addpath "-b" "C:/foo")))

That's probably the best way to do it for now. I think it's probably 
reasonable for Eshell to work correctly when you've let-bound 
'exec-path' like in your examples, but I'll have to think about the best 
way to do it.

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