source bashrc in WSL causes bash: eval: line 38: syntax error near unexpected token `('

I tried to load the bashrc in WSL but I get the error:

bash: eval: line 38: syntax error near unexpected token `('

similar problem here.

This false alarm seems to be WSL's fault. I have opened an issue in their GitHub repo here, I have also explained the workarounds here and here.

this user believes it is an OpenFOAM build issue. I don't think so though.

Launch the Ubuntu bash on WSL and run:

echo $PATH

If I remember correctly, you will probably get something in the path referring to C:\Program Files (x86)\ and that is likely what's breaking it.

The workaround is reaaaally simple, before sourcing OpenFOAM's environment, run:

export PATH=/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin

It's essentially just the basic settings for a bash shell in a Linux Distribution.

WSL sources the Windows PATH environment shell... simply because reasons.

@wyldckat My solution is not as easy as yours, but in general I agree with you that it is a WSL issue. However here in the WSL GitHub repo they believe it is an OpenFOAM issue. you may wanna look into that too.

I let my bitterness towards Microsoft come up to the surface in my previous post... I've been bitten by issues on Windows so many times, that I tend to have allergic responses to these kinds of situations...

So here's the situation: Inheriting the PATH environment variable into the Ubuntu bash on WSL is a feature. The reason is that it is possible to run Windows applications within the Ubuntu bash on WSL, if I remember correctly. This may be useful to have a way for Linux binaries to interact with Windows binaries, to do cross-operating-system applications and developments (e.g. as we can do with WINE on Linux).

The problem is that this is done by default, which is essentially a security hazard of sorts. Of course that having a computer connected to the Internet is a security hazard by definition, it's just that we try to use as much software and proper configurations to avoid getting a bad time.

Therefore, as with any Operating System, it's left to the user to secure things on their own (e.g. ages ago, users had to purchase anti-virus software) or in this case, if you know that you will be running Linux applications that cannot handle finding alien binaries from Windows' in the PATH environment variable, then it's up to the user to change said PATH variable.

From my own experience with porting OpenFOAM to Windows, we have used MSys and MSys2 successfully for years now, but one of the first things our launching scripts do is eliminate alien paths from the PATH environment variable, because incompatible zlib libraries tended to be picked up by accident, or the wrong find application was being used.

All of this to say that:

1. Yes, this is a limitation on OpenFOAM's part, because using unconventional characters in paths is... unconventional. Supporting all possible configurations can be considerably distressful, specially if Unicode comes in to play...

2. If anything needs to be done on WSL's side, it would be to have an option regarding whether PATH should be inherited by default from Windows. And that's very ambiguous, given that the users can simply add the command line I mentioned in my previous post and problem solved... no more feet will get shot from that day onward...

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@foadsf: I don't have a WSL installation at hand right now, please check if the following command:

grep "PATH=" /etc/login.defs

gives the following output:

ENV_SUPATH	PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin
ENV_PATH	PATH=/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/local/games:/usr/games

I ask this because this may be the more standardized way to have instructions that can be used with WSL, either with Ubuntu or any other Linux Distribution running within WSL. What I mean is that we could have a single command that uses this default path, without having to hard-code it, e.g. by running:

grep "ENV_PATH" /etc/login.defs | sed -e 's=ENV_PATH==' | xargs export

although it does look more convoluted...

mentioned in issue #1008

mentioned in commit b7054272

mentioned in commit 0a276866

assigned to @mark

The shell sourcing issue mainly seems to be from the foamCleanPath script, which I've now changed (commit 0a276866). If you don't wish to update your installation much, you can just try replacing that one file and see if it solves some/all of the issues.

I tested local (on Linux) with the following:

PATH="/tmp/path\ with\(tm\):$PATH:/other\ Documents"
source ~/OpenFOAM/OpenFOAM-plus/etc/bashrc

Runs through without complaint. Checking the resulting environment

echo "$PATH" | tr ':' '\n'

everything seems to be OK.

mentioned in issue #1030 (closed)

mentioned in commit 2e102ce6

mentioned in commit 1cb7e7b5

mentioned in commit 1a519622

closed

mentioned in issue openfoam#1008 (closed)