Re: Systemd ... Pass CL Params to Pgm ?

On 2025-06-12 11:58, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

On 12/06/2025 09:07, Carlos E.R. wrote:
 

EnvironmentFile=-/etc/sysconfig/spamd

 You have a directory called /-etc ???
 

No. The dash has a meaning in systemd parlance. I confess to not knowing what, so I asked chatgpt after looking perfunctorily at "https://www.freedesktop.org/software/systemd/man/latest/systemd.service.html". This is the answer:
In a **systemd** service file, the line:
```
EnvironmentFile=-/etc/sysconfig/spamd
```
includes a **dash (`-`)** before the path. This dash is **significant**—it tells `systemd` to **ignore** the file **if it does not exist**.
### Meaning of the dash:
* `EnvironmentFile=/etc/sysconfig/spamd` → systemd **fails** to start the service if the file is missing.
* `EnvironmentFile=-/etc/sysconfig/spamd` → systemd **ignores the missing file** and continues starting the service without error.
### Use case:
This is helpful when the environment file is **optional** or only present in certain configurations or environments.
### Summary:
The dash (`-`) before the path means:
 > *"Use this environment file if it exists; otherwise, proceed without it."*
Let me know if you want a breakdown of how `EnvironmentFile` works with variables.
--
Cheers, Carlos.