How to fix a bash error when opening terminal in Mac OS X

Question

Last login: Thu Sep 16 15:13:07 from bubs
-bash: export: `/usr/local/mysql/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/X11/bin:/opt/local/bin': not a valid identifier
rick:~ rick$

When I open a new terminal window in OS X it always gives me this error. I am completely ignorant on all things Mac (or *nix) and can't find where a config or something would be that is calling this export command when I open a window

Answer 1

Looks like you have an error in your .bashrc, .profile, .bash_profile, .bash_login /etc/profile, or other such init file.

The error is likely to be around a line that says something like:

export "/usr/local/mysql/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/X11/bin:/opt/local/bin"

or

export $PATH

In order to correctly set the path, you need to use something like:

export PATH="/usr/local/mysql/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/X11/bin:/opt/local/bin"

Answer 2

Type:

grep export .??*

You will see output that looks vaguely like:

.profile:export RUBY_HEAP_MIN_SLOTS=500000
.profile:export RUBY_HEAP_SLOTS_INCREMENT=250000
.profile:export RUBY_GC_MALLOC_LIMIT=50000000
.profile:export RUBY_HEAP_SLOTS_GROWTH_FACTOR=1

The name to the left of the colon will be the file name that contains an export line. One will not look like the others or will not look like:

export PATH=a:bunch:of:stuff

Edit that line. You should also try grep PATH .??* as the intersection of the two output lists should be the bad line.