path for user www

[Pieter Donche]

On Mon, 15 Jun 2009, Robert Huff wrote:

>
> Pieter Donche writes:
>>  How can one change the PATH for the user www ?
>>  to include e.g. /usr/local/bin
>>
>>  In /etc/passwd the entry now is:
>>  www:*:80:80:World Wide Web Owner:/nonexistent:/usr/sbin/nologin
>
> 	Start by reading the section 5 man page for "passwd".
> 	Could you provide a little more detail about what's breaking
> and why you think this user's path is involved?
> 				Robert Huff

Some users on my system run scripts in their webpages. If they specify
commands (e.g.) 'python',  it is not found, unless it is specified as
'/usr/local/bin/python', since the Apache runs in an environment which
has as PATH: (as can be seen from phpinfo() output)
/sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr:bin 
only.

How can one make the PATH that Apache httpd deamon will use
be a different path? 
and where exaclty does it get /sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr:bin from
in the first place?

I could try specifying in /usr/local/sbin/apachectl 's Bourne shell script:
PATH=/sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr:bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin
export PATH

but wouldn't this be set back to the original at an Apache update?

root has a better path:
PATH=/sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/usr/games:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/root/bin

how could I have httpd have the same path?