# Environmental variables in Ruby 1.8.5

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/environmental-variables-in-ruby-1-8-5/66719>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [August 28, 2006, 6:53pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/environmental-variables-in-ruby-1-8-5/66719 "2006-08-28T18:53:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![farfignugen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/f/f17d59/32.png) [@farfignugen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/farfignugen)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2006, 6:53pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/environmental-variables-in-ruby-1-8-5/66719/1 "2006-08-28T18:53:32Z")

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I get:  
irb(main):001:0\> ENV.keys.size  
=\> 15  
irb(main):002:0\> ENV.keys[0…14]  
=\> [“TERM\_PROGRAM”, “TERM”, “SHELL”, “CLICOLOR”,  
“TERM\_PROGRAM\_VERSION”, “USER”, “\_\_CF\_USER\_TEXT\_ENCODING”, “PATH”,  
“RI”, “PWD”, “SHLVL”, “HOME”, “LOGNAME”, “SECURITYSESSIONID”, “\_”]

Which is a smaller set of environmental variables quite different  
than what is described in the Pickaxe Book. Did the Ruby powers trim  
them? Just curious.

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**Author:** ![farfignugen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/f/f17d59/32.png) [@farfignugen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/farfignugen)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2006, 7:15pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/environmental-variables-in-ruby-1-8-5/66719/2 "2006-08-28T19:15:43Z")

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$ env | wc -l  
23  
$ ruby -e ‘puts ENV.size’  
23

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![farfignugen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/f/f17d59/32.png) [@farfignugen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/farfignugen)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2006, 7:25pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/environmental-variables-in-ruby-1-8-5/66719/3 "2006-08-28T19:25:51Z")

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It is _your_ environment ruby is seeing

may I demonstrate

robert@PC:~/mirrors 19:22:04  
255/36 \> ruby -e ‘p ENV[“xxx”]’  
nil  
robert@PC:~/mirrors 19:22:28  
256/37 \> xxx=“set now” ruby -e ‘p ENV[“xxx”]’  
“set now”  
robert@PC:~/mirrors 19:22:44

Hope that helps  
Robert

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![farfignugen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/f/f17d59/32.png) [@farfignugen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/farfignugen)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2006, 9:16pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/environmental-variables-in-ruby-1-8-5/66719/4 "2006-08-28T21:16:14Z")

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On 8/28/06, Kent S. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> > =\> 15  
> > Conscience is thoroughly well-bred and soon leaves off talking to  
> > Kent
> 
> * * *
> 
> [http://www.datanoise.com](http://www.datanoise.com)

Ah I see Kent, that was a very clever and concise way to show your  
point.  
So clever I failed to see it ☹

## Cheers Robert

Deux choses sont infinies : l’univers et la bêtise humaine ; en ce qui  
concerne l’univers, je n’en ai pas acquis la certitude absolue.

- Albert Einstein

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![farfignugen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/f/f17d59/32.png) [@farfignugen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/farfignugen)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2006, 7:31pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/environmental-variables-in-ruby-1-8-5/66719/5 "2006-08-28T19:31:56Z")

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On Aug 28, 2006, at 10:14 AM, Kent S. wrote:

> $ env | wc -l  
> 23  
> $ ruby -e ‘puts ENV.size’  
> 23

Thanks Kent,  
I get it now.