osx - bash: "which adb" returns nothing, but "command -v adb" returns what i'd expect -

this bash weirdness that's been bugging me.

i'm on osx.

i've installed android sdk, , result adb tool located in folder in home directory. folder appears in path reported env ~/development/android_sdk_latest/platform-tools.

adb runs fine, when which adb result empty. if command -v adb, result full path, expected: /users/me/development/android_sdk_latest/platform-tools/adb

adb not appear in aliases.

what subtlety of bash paths or which in dark on?

you've run subtle incompatibility between /bin/bash , which command.

on system (linux mint), which command shell script, not built-in command, , first line #! /bin/sh. means uses /bin/sh's handling of $path variable.

this can vary depending on how /bin/sh set (it's symlink /bin/bash), little experimentation shows bash handles literal ~ character in $path if full path home directory, /bin/sh not. since have

~/development/android_sdk_latest/platform-tools 

as 1 of elements of $path, bash (your interactive shell) can find adb command, sh (the shell used which) cannot.

on systems, apparently including osx system, which binary executable. again, since it's not bash script, it's not going match bash's treatment of $path.

i recommend making 2 changes.

first, don't put literal ~ in $path. example, append platform-tools directory $path, rather this:

export path="$path:~/development/android_sdk_latest/platform-tools" # bad! 

do this:

export path="$path:$home/development/android_sdk_latest/platform-tools" 

the $home expand path home directory. ~ not expanded within double-quoted strings.

second, rather using which command, use type command that's built bash. type follow rules of current shell rather of /bin/sh, , able report shell functions , aliases which unable see. has several useful command-line options; type help type @ bash prompt details.

the bash shell's treatement of ~ characters in $path documented in bash manual's section on tilde expansion.