lix/src/nix/shell.md
Qyriad 194ba8a02f docs: guide to installables docs in installable commands' docs
The installables syntax is not documented in any of the man pages or
docbook pages for any of those individual commands. And while these
commands really should at least peripherally individually document how
installables work, in the meantime we can at least direct people to the
right place.

This commit also clarifies the unexpected fact that `nix profile remove`
and `nix profile upgrade` do *not* take installables.

Change-Id: I3b1453cb197a613bbab639c66a466365c3592c6d
2024-04-29 08:06:05 -06:00

57 lines
1.4 KiB
Markdown

R""(
**Note:** this command's interface is based heavily around [*installables*](./nix.md#installables), which you may want to read about first (`nix --help`).
# Examples
* Start a shell providing `youtube-dl` from the `nixpkgs` flake:
```console
# nix shell nixpkgs#youtube-dl
# youtube-dl --version
2020.11.01.1
```
* Start a shell providing GNU Hello from NixOS 20.03:
```console
# nix shell nixpkgs/nixos-20.03#hello
```
* Run GNU Hello:
```console
# nix shell nixpkgs#hello --command hello --greeting 'Hi everybody!'
Hi everybody!
```
* Run multiple commands in a shell environment:
```console
# nix shell nixpkgs#gnumake --command sh -c "cd src && make"
```
* Run GNU Hello in a chroot store:
```console
# nix shell --store ~/my-nix nixpkgs#hello --command hello
```
* Start a shell providing GNU Hello in a chroot store:
```console
# nix shell --store ~/my-nix nixpkgs#hello nixpkgs#bashInteractive --command bash
```
Note that it's necessary to specify `bash` explicitly because your
default shell (e.g. `/bin/bash`) generally will not exist in the
chroot.
# Description
`nix shell` runs a command in an environment in which the `$PATH` variable
provides the specified [*installables*](./nix.md#installable). If no command is specified, it starts the
default shell of your user account specified by `$SHELL`.
)""