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Example when start a Virtualenv of python. It will need to type . someenv/bin/activate. However, even if it works fine, I still a little bit confuse about how it works.

Is there anyone who can give me a explanation in more general view about . command in shell?

Vlastimil Burián
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pah8J
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1 Answers1

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. is a synonym to source in bash. To sum up, it executes a script within the current shell, instead of executing it in a subshell. This means that anything changed in the environment by the script will persist in the shell after the script has ended.

Have a look at this question, which is basically the same as yours : What's the meaning of a dot before a command in shell?

Vince
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