In comp.unix.shell, Kenny McCormack <gazelle@shell.xmission.com> wrote:

Lew Pitcher <lew.pitcher@digitalfreehold.ca> wrote:

[ HOME=$(dirname $(dirname $(realpath -e $0))) proxychains-ng-socks5 ]

$ awk -F : -v user=$(whoami) '$1 == user {print $6;}' /etc/passwd
/home/lpitcher

Or just:

$ echo ~

I've just got to really wonder what's going on here. If I have set
HOME differently than the one in /etc/passwd, I probably have a good
reason for that and will not like having it reset.

I frequently use /var/tmp/$(whoami) as an alternative $HOME for testing
things, in particular testing how stuff works without all my dot files.
Or for say, testing how dot file installation from a home-config git
repo works.

I use other directories, too, but rarely. It's a handy way to have
multiple simultaneous news readers working with different .newsrc files,
for example.

Elijah
------
HOME=/var/tmp/elijah PS1=': subshell; ' $SHELL

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Wednesday, October 27, 2021 at 2:37:57 AM UTC+8, Kenny McCormack wrote:

In article <sl9ckq$nc9$1...@dont-email.me>,
Lew Pitcher <lew.p...@digitalfreehold.ca> wrote:

On Tue, 26 Oct 2021 08:14:02 -0700, hongy...@gmail.com wrote:

On Tuesday, October 26, 2021 at 9:55:32 PM UTC+8, Lew Pitcher wrote:

On Tue, 26 Oct 2021 05:47:48 -0700, hongy...@gmail.com wrote:

I've written the following Emacs package debug script which can be
run by `$ bash /home/werner/.emacs.d/debug/.emacs.d/init.el`:

```emacs-lisp
#!/usr/bin/env bash
:;# $ realpath init.el
:;# /home/werner/.emacs.d/debug/.emacs.d/init.el
:; HOME=$(dirname $(dirname $(realpath -e $0))) proxychains-ng-socks5 >>> > /usr/local/bin/emacs -- "$@"; exit

;;Bootstrap straight
(defvar bootstrap-version)
(let ((bootstrap-file
(expand-file-name "straight/repos/straight.el/bootstrap.el"
user-emacs-directory))
(bootstrap-version 5))
(unless (file-exists-p bootstrap-file)
(with-current-buffer
(url-retrieve-synchronously
"https://raw.githubusercontent.com/raxod502/straight.el/develop/install.el"
'silent 'inhibit-cookies)
(goto-char (point-max))
(eval-print-last-sexp)))
(load bootstrap-file nil 'nomessage))
(straight-use-package 'use-package)
(setq straight-use-package-by-default t)

(use-package company
:demand t
:hook
(after-init . global-company-mode))
```
But the `proxychains-ng-socks5` wrapper script relies on the normal HOME
variable setting. How to solve this dilemma?

Well, you /could/ derive your version of HOME differently. Yes, let's go >>> with that.

Initially, HOME is derived from the 6th field in the user's
/etc/passwd entry. You could
- use whoami(1) to determine the username
- use grep(1) and cut(1) (alternately, just awk(1) )to parse /etc/passwd >>> and extract the home directory of the selected username
- use that extracted home directory value to set your HOME variable

Do you mean this one?

$ grep ^"$(whoami)" /etc/passwd |cut -d ':' -f6
/home/werner

Sure. Or
$ awk -F : -v user=$(whoami) '$1 == user {print $6;}' /etc/passwd /home/lpitcher

Or just:

$ echo ~
and
$ echo ~lpitcher

This doesn't work for the Emacs case. If the HOME has been changed from within the session where Emacs is started, it won't use the new HOME as ~.

--
People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough
men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.

George Orwell

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Tue, 26 Oct 2021 18:37:52 +0000, Kenny McCormack wrote:

In article <sl9ckq$nc9$1@dont-email.me>,
Lew Pitcher <lew.pitcher@digitalfreehold.ca> wrote:

On Tue, 26 Oct 2021 08:14:02 -0700, hongy...@gmail.com wrote:

On Tuesday, October 26, 2021 at 9:55:32 PM UTC+8, Lew Pitcher wrote:

On Tue, 26 Oct 2021 05:47:48 -0700, hongy...@gmail.com wrote:

I've written the following Emacs package debug script which can be
run by `$ bash /home/werner/.emacs.d/debug/.emacs.d/init.el`:

```emacs-lisp
#!/usr/bin/env bash
:;# $ realpath init.el
:;# /home/werner/.emacs.d/debug/.emacs.d/init.el
:; HOME=$(dirname $(dirname $(realpath -e $0))) proxychains-ng-socks5 >>>> > /usr/local/bin/emacs -- "$@"; exit

;;Bootstrap straight
(defvar bootstrap-version)
(let ((bootstrap-file
(expand-file-name "straight/repos/straight.el/bootstrap.el"
user-emacs-directory))
(bootstrap-version 5))
(unless (file-exists-p bootstrap-file)
(with-current-buffer
(url-retrieve-synchronously
"https://raw.githubusercontent.com/raxod502/straight.el/develop/install.el"
'silent 'inhibit-cookies)
(goto-char (point-max))
(eval-print-last-sexp)))
(load bootstrap-file nil 'nomessage))
(straight-use-package 'use-package)
(setq straight-use-package-by-default t)

(use-package company
:demand t
:hook
(after-init . global-company-mode))
```
But the `proxychains-ng-socks5` wrapper script relies on the normal HOME >>>> > variable setting. How to solve this dilemma?

Well, you /could/ derive your version of HOME differently. Yes, let's go >>>> with that.

Initially, HOME is derived from the 6th field in the user's
/etc/passwd entry. You could
- use whoami(1) to determine the username
- use grep(1) and cut(1) (alternately, just awk(1) )to parse /etc/passwd >>>> and extract the home directory of the selected username
- use that extracted home directory value to set your HOME variable

Do you mean this one?

$ grep ^"$(whoami)" /etc/passwd |cut -d ':' -f6
/home/werner

Sure. Or
$ awk -F : -v user=$(whoami) '$1 == user {print $6;}' /etc/passwd
/home/lpitcher

Or just:

$ echo ~
and
$ echo ~lpitcher

If $HOME is not reliably set, then ~ is unlikely to be either.
Witness:

10:27 $ echo $HOME
/home/lpitcher
10:27 $ echo ~
/home/lpitcher

Both $HOME and ~ point at my home directory

But now, I change $HOME to point somewhere else
10:27 $ HOME=/var/some/directory
10:28 $ echo $HOME
/var/some/directory

And, lo and behold, ~ changes as well
10:28 $ echo ~
/var/some/directory

So, if the OP can't depend on $HOME to point to the proper
directory (hence, his asking how to derive the home directory)
then he can't depend on ~ either.

HTH
--
Lew Pitcher
"In Skills, We Trust"

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Wed, 27 Oct 2021 14:31:45 +0000, Lew Pitcher wrote:

On Tue, 26 Oct 2021 18:37:52 +0000, Kenny McCormack wrote:

In article <sl9ckq$nc9$1@dont-email.me>,
Lew Pitcher <lew.pitcher@digitalfreehold.ca> wrote:

On Tue, 26 Oct 2021 08:14:02 -0700, hongy...@gmail.com wrote:

On Tuesday, October 26, 2021 at 9:55:32 PM UTC+8, Lew Pitcher wrote:

On Tue, 26 Oct 2021 05:47:48 -0700, hongy...@gmail.com wrote:

I've written the following Emacs package debug script which can be >>>>> > run by `$ bash /home/werner/.emacs.d/debug/.emacs.d/init.el`:

```emacs-lisp
#!/usr/bin/env bash
:;# $ realpath init.el
:;# /home/werner/.emacs.d/debug/.emacs.d/init.el
:; HOME=$(dirname $(dirname $(realpath -e $0))) proxychains-ng-socks5 >>>>> > /usr/local/bin/emacs -- "$@"; exit

;;Bootstrap straight
(defvar bootstrap-version)
(let ((bootstrap-file
(expand-file-name "straight/repos/straight.el/bootstrap.el"
user-emacs-directory))
(bootstrap-version 5))
(unless (file-exists-p bootstrap-file)
(with-current-buffer
(url-retrieve-synchronously
"https://raw.githubusercontent.com/raxod502/straight.el/develop/install.el"
'silent 'inhibit-cookies)
(goto-char (point-max))
(eval-print-last-sexp)))
(load bootstrap-file nil 'nomessage))
(straight-use-package 'use-package)
(setq straight-use-package-by-default t)

(use-package company
:demand t
:hook
(after-init . global-company-mode))
```
But the `proxychains-ng-socks5` wrapper script relies on the normal HOME
variable setting. How to solve this dilemma?

Well, you /could/ derive your version of HOME differently. Yes, let's go >>>>> with that.

Initially, HOME is derived from the 6th field in the user's
/etc/passwd entry. You could
- use whoami(1) to determine the username
- use grep(1) and cut(1) (alternately, just awk(1) )to parse /etc/passwd >>>>> and extract the home directory of the selected username
- use that extracted home directory value to set your HOME variable

Do you mean this one?

$ grep ^"$(whoami)" /etc/passwd |cut -d ':' -f6
/home/werner

Sure. Or
$ awk -F : -v user=$(whoami) '$1 == user {print $6;}' /etc/passwd
/home/lpitcher

Or just:

$ echo ~
and
$ echo ~lpitcher

If $HOME is not reliably set, then ~ is unlikely to be either.
Witness:

10:27 $ echo $HOME
/home/lpitcher
10:27 $ echo ~
/home/lpitcher

Both $HOME and ~ point at my home directory

But now, I change $HOME to point somewhere else
10:27 $ HOME=/var/some/directory
10:28 $ echo $HOME
/var/some/directory

And, lo and behold, ~ changes as well
10:28 $ echo ~
/var/some/directory

So, if the OP can't depend on $HOME to point to the proper
directory (hence, his asking how to derive the home directory)
then he can't depend on ~ either.

HTH

FWIW, from bash(1):
Shell Variables
The following variables are set by the shell:
...
HOME The home directory of the current user; the default argument for
the cd builtin command. The value of this variable is also used
when performing tilde expansion.

--
Lew Pitcher
"In Skills, We Trust"

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)