Re: Executing a external command

[ww]

Interestingly... on W2k with AS 5.8.6

C:\foo\>perl -e "print `dir;"
Can't find string terminator "`" anywhere before EOF at -e line 1.

    ...and yes, that is a backtic before dir.
Did it need to be escaped? Or am I truly deep into Altz-a-whatchamajig?

UPDATE See reneeb's shot of brainpower, immediately below.

However ...

C:\foo\>perl -e "system dir;"

        <snip ...>

 Directory of C:\foo\

08/31/2006  10:06a      <DIR>          .
08/31/2006  10:06a      <DIR>          ..
11/21/2003  02:49p      <DIR>          .c--
11/21/2003  02:49p      <DIR>          .c#
 <snipped - no further interest here ... >

...and...

C:\foo\>perl -e "$cmd=system(dir);print $cmd;"

<snip ...>

 Directory of C:\foo\

08/31/2006  10:06a      <DIR>          .
08/31/2006  10:06a      <DIR>          ..
11/21/2003  02:49p      <DIR>          .c--
11/21/2003  02:49p      <DIR>          .c#
     <snipped>

               3 File(s)          2,731 bytes
               9 Dir(s)  67,502,247,936 bytes free
0 <=== There is the UNshifted system status/return code referenced abo
+ve....
C:\foo\>

[reneeb]

There is a backtick after dir missing.

[ww]

Thank you, reneeb, both for the knowledgable reply, and for the resultant lesson...

"Resultant Lesson" you say?

Well, I was busy drafting a scathing [and undoubtedly -- ;-) -- brilliant ] diatribe on the difference between quotes and operators -- en route to exposing my misunderstanding [ ignorance! ] here, when I needed to check perlop for a precise definition on a minor point in my argument, only to there discover that, in fact, quotes are (sometimes, in effect) operators ( think "interpolation" ).

In perlop | Regexp Quote-Like Operators | qx/STRING/ one will find (as I did) a subhead: `STRING` and there discover that the examples make the requirement for a closing backtick clear. (Fact is, I have not yet found where the documentation makes that explicit, but other authorities offer statements like "Remember, the string (system command) to be executed and its arguments must be followed by a(nother) backtick."

Bottom line?

C:\foo>perl -e "print `dir`;"
 
<snip>

 Directory of C:\foo

08/31/2006  10:06a      <DIR>          .
08/31/2006  10:06a      <DIR>          ..
11/21/2003  02:49p      <DIR>          .c--
11/21/2003  02:49p      <DIR>          .c#

<snip> ...

reneeb's Re^2: Executing a external command is correct. Thank you again.