My command:
system("start cmd.exe /k C:\\script.pl $arg1 $arg2 $arg3");
is not passing the arguments correctly. What is the correct way to do this?
Thx
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1 Answer
The best way to invoke system is with an array or a list:
my @args = ("start", "cmd.exe", "/k", "C:\\script.pl", $arg1, $arg2, $arg3);
system @args;
system "start", "cmd.exe", "/k", "C:\\script.pl", $arg1, $arg2, $arg3;
Compared with a single string to system, this saves the complexities of 'how to quote the arguments' because the shell doesn't get a chance to interpret them. On the other hand, if you want the shell to do I/O redirection or piping, you probably won't use this mechanism.
answered Sep 27, 2013 at 15:11
Jonathan Leffler
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4 Comments
tadman
You don't need the array, you can just supply a list.
Jonathan Leffler
Agreed; you don't formally need an array variable. See update.
tjd
using the list form of
system will prevent perl from launching a shell in order to run start, but in this case start is then just running a cmd.exe shell anyway and most of the benefit is lost. Perhaps Win32::Console could also be used to eliminate the start.Jonathan Leffler
@tjd: Now you're delving into territory outside my scope — I know nothing of the Win32 packages beyond 'they exist' and 'people seriously using Windows might need to know about them'. I currently don't use Windows at all. That means you're probably right.