system command

[webscripter]

Does anyone know how to use the system command to execute the indexer.pl file for perlfect search? I don't have a shell account. I want to pass the password parameter to the script with something like this:

my $rv = system("cd $instdir;perl indexer.pl password=zipzip"

Does this work?


Thanks
Tricia
yorkeylady@earthlink.net

 

[Stiddy]

surrond the command in ticks like so:

`c:\\perl indexer.pl password=zipzip`;

 

[MikeLacey]

Tricia,

That should work actually -- the return value you get is a bit of a pain because it doesn't work in the same way as most Perl functions.

Most Perl functions return 0 for failure and something else for success.

The system() function returns values like the UNIX shells, 0 for success and an error number for failure.

Stiddy's example will work ok with one addition (sorry to butt in Stiddy)

The backticks (``) return the output of the command, so running this:

$var = `ls`;

will fill $var with the output you would normally see from ls

Mike
________________________________________________________________

"Experience is the comb that Nature gives us, after we are bald."

Is that a haiku?
I never could get the hang
of writing those things.

 

[webscripter]

Thanks for that piece of info. The script does test for a boolean value. If I had a shell account I could see that the indexer is working properly. As it is via http it only returns one page and sometimes none, when I know the info exists.

Is this correct?

$var = system(`cd $instdir; perl indexer.pl password=zipzip` Thanks
Tricia
yorkeylady@earthlink.net

 

[flawless69]

Don't use the backticks with the system call. Use one or the other. i.e.

$var = system("cd $instdir; perl indexer.pl password=zipzip");

or

$var = `cd "$instdir"; perl indexer.pl password=zipzip`;

the "" are needed because perl won't interpolate unless there are quotes. --Derek

"Fear not the storm for this is where we grow strong."