Extra informative Bash prompt

[Techie2000]

where is the default .bash_config so I can go and make it say:
root@linux:/>
instead of
linux /#

[tyreth]

That's just the PS1 environment variable. Throw it in /etc/profile or /etc/bashrc I think. If you want it just for one user then I think it's ~/.bashrc

Hope that helps. I think there's a bash howto on www.linuxdocs.org

[grakker]

If you want a pretty sick tutorial on setting the bash prompt, the man himself, drobbins, wrote a cool one that on the ibm site here
http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-tip-prompt.

[wont-i]

I've got a bash prompt that I've been using for quite awhile now, and that others that I've shown it to often want to make use of, so I thought I'd offer it up here, too.

It's a 3 line prompt, but I find it provides me almost every bit of info about my current environment I need or want at a glance.

Note: The following assumes a black terminal background. If you're using a white background, you'll need to adjust the color codes to be more visible (as can be seen in the example prompt shown below).

[pjp]

I've not botherd to relearn prompt code. I don't need all that info, but this certainly makes
it easier to learn

Thanks for the tip.


EDIT:
Some other bash prompt threads:

• Bash prompt
  
• Cool prompt
  
• a BASH promt to show when $USER is using su
  
• HOWTO: Customize bash shell prompt
  

_________________
lolgov. 'cause where we're going, you don't have civil liberties.

In Loving Memory
1787 - 2008

[andee]

thanks
My prompt looks really pretty right now

[JefP@@]

it sure is interesting ... I'll try it out once, when I've got the time

[bert]

Here's a bash prompt that shows battery status on a laptop. Needs apm tools / kernel support available (and awk).

[pjp]

Hope you don't mind, I edited your prompt to produce mine. I removed the time, # of files
and dir size. Changed the look a tiny bit, will probably change colors in the future.

[bone]

About 5 years ago. I borrowed the sets from a bashcolor script and did something similar.

[This is from my /etc/profile file]

# Color Variables for Prompt
GRAD1='\333\262\261\260'
GRAD2='\260\261\262\333'
YLOBRN='\[\033[01;33;43m\]'
WHTBRN='\[\033[01;37;43m\]'
REDBRN='\[\033[00;31;43m\]'
REDBLK='\[\033[00;31;40m\]'
PPLBLK='\[\033[01;35;40m\]'
WHTBLK='\[\033[01;37;40m\]'
NONE='\[\033[00m\]'
HBLK='\[\033[00;30;30m\]'
HBLU='\[\033[01;34;34m\]'
BLU='\[\033[00;34;34m\]'
YEL='\[\033[00;33;33m\]'
WHT='\[\033[01;37;37m\]'
PRPL='\[\033[00;34;35m\]'
RED='\[\033[01;31;31m\]'
NORM='\[\033[01;00;0m\]'

export GRAD1 GRAD2 YLOBRN WHTBRN REDBRN REDBLK PPLBLK WHTBLK NONE HBLK HBLU BLU YEL WHT PRPL RED NORM

# Prompt Settings
if [ `/usr/bin/whoami` = 'root' ]
then
if [ "$SHELL" = '/bin/bash' ] || [ "$SHELL" = '/bin/sh' ]
then
PS1='\n'$WHT'*'$NONE'['$HBLU'\u'$WHT'@'$HBLU'\h'$WHT':'$HBLU'\W'$NONE']'$NONE' '
PS2='\n'$WHT'*'$NONE'['$HBLU'\u'$WHT'@'$HBLU'\h'$WHT':'$HBLU'\W (2)'$NONE']'$NONE' '
fi
else
if [ "$SHELL" = '/bin/bash' ] || [ "$SHELL" = '/bin/sh' ]
then
PS1='\n'$NONE'['$HBLU'\u'$WHT'@'$HBLU'\h'$WHT':'$HBLU'\W'$NONE']'$NONE' '
PS2='\n'$NONE'['$HBLU'\u'$WHT'@'$HBLU'\h'$WHT':'$HBLU'\(2)'$NONE']'$NONE' '
fi
fi

================

[user@host:directory]

What this does is make a very nicely colored prompt that looks well at home with both white and black backgrounds (but probably looks better with black background). And the added feature of when your root, it sets your prompt with a star in front of it like this.

*[root@host:directory]


I am in a habit of having so many sessions running, that I tend to forget which one is root or not, and just grab the session and start working. its very bad to test untested or foreign code as user root, so this helps me to make sure i do not trash a system by running bad/rogue code.

[pjp]

It is also very bad to intend to reboot a remote client and forget that you are in the
server terminal. Fortunately it was during a setup phase
_________________
lolgov. 'cause where we're going, you don't have civil liberties.

In Loving Memory
1787 - 2008

[TGL]

There exists a program called "bashish" which allows you to switch between a lot of prompts (from the best to the ugliest ones):
http://bashish.sourceforge.net/

There is no ebuild as far as I know, maybe I'll write one someday...

-- T.

[HammeR]

Sorry for being such a n00b, but where do I put this? In ~/.bashrc ?

EDIT: Did some research and found out that this should be in /etc/profiles ..
_________________
"Linux is communism" - Balmer, Microsoft.

[Spark]

Thx. This is my one now:
PS1='\[\033[0m\][\[\033[1;36m\]\w\[\033[0m\]] \[\033[0m\]'

Looks like this:
[/usr/src/linux]

(only good for black background of course)
and that's everything I need =) simplicity rules.

[Spark]

Hmm, I put this in /etc/profile but it only works on tty, not in xterm. Can anyone tell me what I have to do to get it working in X?

[pjp]

Try putting it in your ~/.bashrc file
_________________
lolgov. 'cause where we're going, you don't have civil liberties.

In Loving Memory
1787 - 2008

[tfoss]

[Spark]

Great that worked, thanks.

[Techie2000]

one of the great things about Linux . Very customizable...

[ee99ee2]

Here's my very simple one:

[Ard Righ]

When you mention putting that prompt in ~/.bashrc do you mean for each user, for root only, or what ?

Is there one file location that works for all users (including root) and whether it is X or not.

[pjp]

[Ard Righ]

ok sweet. There aren't many user accounts on the machines I have, so not a great biggie

[wizy]

You could also edit the .bashrc in /etc/skel so when new users are added and it uses that directory as the template, they get the new prompt.

[wyrickre]