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Date: Wed, 12 Feb 1997 22:42:54 -0800 (PST)
From: "E. Lakin" <pharaoh@u.washington.edu>
To: Doug White <dwhite@resnet.uoregon.edu>
cc: Glenn Johnson <gljohnsn@iamerica.net>, freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Subject: Re: xman path
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> > I specified my MANPATH environment variable in my ".profile" file (using
> > BASH) to include the X11R6/man entries. If I launch xman from an xterm,
> > all is well; but if I set up an xman launch as a button or menu item in
> > my window manager, I do not get my x program manual entries. Also, if I
> > start xman from ".xinitrc" or ".xsession", I do not get the x program
> > manual entries. How can I get the MANPATH environment variable to be
> > read properly? Thanks in advance.
> It has to do with the environment used when X is started.  I've never been
> very sure about this.  You might try moving manpath into .login or
> .xsession.

For xman to use a customized MANPATH , it either has to recieve that path
from the command line, or it's parent process. When xman is called from an
xterm, the xterm is the parent process. If a custom MANPATH is in your
.profile, then it passed from the xterm to the xman. 

However, when xman is called from a .xsession/.xinitrc file, the parent of
xman is the .xsession/.xinitrc shell script. And since shell scripts don't
use the .profile or .login files, xman will only recieve a customized
manpath if it is defined for it's parent, i.e. by putting "MANPATH=...;
export MANPATH" in your .xsession/xinitrc. 

Finally, if you call xman from a button/menu, then the parent of xman is
the window manager. But, the parent of the window manager is...the
.xsession/.xinitrc file! so yet again, the MANPATH must be specified in
the .xsession/.xinitrc file.  (this is assuming your window manager is
started in your .xsession/.xinitrc file...if it's started from the command
line, it will inherit all the environmental variables found in your
.profile! i think)


	--eric lakin
>