Modifying $PATH variable
environment-variables, node.js, path, terminal
Solution
Short answer, do this (notice the additional colon I inserted):
`export PATH="/usr/local/share/npm/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/local/sbin:~/bin:$PATH"`
The `$PATH` environment variable is colon separated list of directories to look in if you want to run a command without a fully qualified path (e.g. running `npm` instead of having to type `/usr/local/share/npm/bin/npm`).
You can try this from a terminal before actually saving the change in bash_profile. If everything is good, `which -a npm` will show you all fully qualified path(s).
UPDATE
It is not necessary to modify the $PATH variable in order to use npm. What homebrew install recommends instead is to add the directory where npm-installed binaries are stored to the $PATH variables, so its more convenient to use them from the command line later on.
Node modules like phantomjs, phonegap, express, etc. provide binaries which after the change are available on the command prompt without having to type the full path.
Problem
Trying to install node.js. Did `brew install node` It seems to have worked. However, received this message upon its completion Homebrew installed npm. We recommend prepending the following path to your `PATH` environment variable to have npm-installed binaries picked up: /usr/local/share/npm/bin Ok ... so, I open my `bash_profile`... And this is what I have in it: ``` export PATH="/usr/local/bin:/usr/local/sbin:~/bin:$PATH" [[ -s "$HOME/.rvm/scripts/rvm" ]] && source "$HOME/.rvm/scripts/rvm" # Load RVM into a shell session *as a function* ``` Trying to understand how to modify it correctly so I won't ruin it ... Do I add `/usr/local/share/npm/bin` like this ``` export PATH="/usr/local/bin:/usr/local/sbin:~/bin/usr/local/share/npm/bin:$PATH" ``` If not, what is the correct way to add that path? Thank you for any help provided! PS. let me know if there is any additional information I could have provided EDIT upon seeing `which npm` in macedigital's answer, I ran that ... and got this: `/usr/local/bin/npm` and that was before I did the second answer (ie, ThiefMaster's answer). ran `which npm` again ... and got the same answer as before ... i did echo `$PATH` and got this: /Users/name/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.3-p374/bin:/Users/name/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.3-p374@global/bin:/Users/name/.rvm/rubies/ruby-1.9.3-p374/bin:/Users/name/.rvm/bin:/usr/local/share/npm/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/local/sbin:~/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/usr/X11/bin:/usr/local/git/bin So, it looks like I already had it installed? Therefore, how do I handle the answers? I hate leaving it unresolved since both of you were so helpful and I feel bad that I asked without providing echo `$PATH` information since that would have told you that I had it installed ... EDIT 2 `ls -la /usr/local/share/npm/bin` gets this: ls: /usr/local/share/npm/bin: No such file or directory `which -a npm` gets this: `/usr/local/bin/npm` EDIT 3 `ls -a /usr/local/bin/npm` gets this: `/usr/local/bin/npm` there's no timestamp...