Setting the Path in Mac OS 10 Unix

[fcharney]

I have the executable for OpenSees in the directory /usr/bin. When I am in that directory and I execute the command ./OpenSees the program opens. If I am in any other directory the same command gives a "command not found" error. Note: Typing the command OpenSees without the ./ prefix always produces the "command not found" error.

On executing echo $PATH, Terminal list my path as follows:

/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/X11/bin:/usr/bin

Why won't the program open from other directories? The OpenSees executable definitely resides in /usr/bin. (Note that I do not have a /usr/local/bin directory).

In an earlier exchange with the Forum it was suggested that I edit my bash profile to include the line

PATH=./$HOME/bin/:usr/local/bin:/usr/local/rappture/bin:$PATH

I do not currently have a bash profile. If I need it, can you tell me where I should put the file, and exactly what it should contain?

I am running Mac OS 10.5.8

All of this is getting in the way of learning OpenSees!

Thanks

[fmk]

leave out the ./ when you want to execute OpenSees .. when you specify the directory when running an app, the OS ignores searching the directories on the path for it.