Sudo command allows us running command as other user. Some commands or programs relay on environment variables. There is no problem if those variables are set properly. Situation complicates when required variables are not set or have other values than required.

In such cases, it is possible to create wrapping script that will setup environment and ten execute desired command. Let’s be hones, no one want’s to write wrapper to run simple command once. In some systems, it may be hard to create such script. Fortunately, sudo allows us to setup env variables and assign them proper values. Just keep in mind, that expressions will be evaluated in current user’s scope before executing command.

sudo VARIABLE_1=$value_for_variable_1 VARIABLE_2=$value_for_variable_2 command

It can also forward variables for new bash session.

sudo VARIABLE_1=$value_for_variable_1 VARIABLE_2=$value_for_variable_2 bash
# now you have root privileges and can use $VARIABLE_1 and $VARIABLE_2

If you need to pass parameters to command as it’s parameters you can use alias:

alias sudo_spell="sudo command ${var1} ${var2} ${var3}"
sudo_spell

Above code uses variables and it’s values in current scope (scope of a user that invokes sudo command). Why? Because, alias sudo_spel is created in current context, and while creating alias, bash replace variables with current values. So, when you execute sudo_spell, you execute command which has no variables, but values that was unwrapped at a time when alias was created.

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