<page xmlns="http://projectmallard.org/1.0/"
      type="topic"
      id="pref-custom-command">

  <info>
    <revision pkgversion="3.8" date="2013-03-02" status="candidate"/>
    <revision pkgversion="3.12" date="2014-09-08" status="candidate"/>
    <link type="guide" xref="index#preferences"/>
    <link type="guide" xref="profile"/>
    <link type="seealso" xref="gs-execute-commands"/>
<!--    <link type="seealso" xref="prob-add-to-path"/>-->

    <credit type="author copyright">
      <name>Sindhu S</name>
      <email>sindhus@live.in</email>
      <years>2013</years>
    </credit>
    <credit type="copyright editor">
      <name>Ekaterina Gerasimova</name>
      <email>kittykat3756@gmail.com</email>
      <years>2013-2014</years>
    </credit>
    <credit type="copyright editor">
      <name>Michael Hill</name>
      <email>mdhillca@gmail.com</email>
      <years>2013</years>
    </credit>

    <include href="legal.xml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude"/>

    <desc>Set <app>Terminal</app> to run a command or a different shell on startup.</desc>

  </info>

  <title>Custom commands and shells</title>

  <p>A <em>shell</em> is software that provides an interface for users of an
  operating system to run <em>commands</em>, which can be programs such as
  <app>top</app> or a command line shell. The default shell is usually
  <app>Bash</app>.</p>

  <p>You can set <app>Terminal</app> to run a command when it starts up instead
  of awaiting input from you:</p>

  <steps>
    <item>
      <p>Select
      <guiseq><gui style="menu">Edit</gui><gui style="menuitem">Profile
      Preferences</gui><gui style="tab">Command</gui></guiseq>.</p>
    </item>
    <item>
      <p>Check <gui>Run a custom command instead of my shell</gui>.</p>
    </item>
    <item>
      <p>In the text box, type the command or the desired shell.</p>
      <p>The command will be passed to the terminal exactly as you write it,
      including any arguments that you specify. Environment variables will be
      inherited from the terminal as it is a child process of the terminal.</p>
    </item>
    <item>
      <p>Open a new <app>Terminal</app> tab or window to see how the custom
      shell or command executes.</p>
    </item>
  </steps>

  <p>You can also <link xref="pref-custom-exit">set the behavior</link> of
  the terminal once the command finishes executing.</p>

  <note style="important">
    <p>You may have to enter full path to the command or the shell if the
    directory where the command or shell resides is not in the
    <code>PATH</code> variable of your system.</p>
  </note>

</page>
