# How to run a terminal command from a Ruby app?

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-run-a-terminal-command-from-a-ruby-app/168483>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [May 21, 2009, 11:27am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-run-a-terminal-command-from-a-ruby-app/168483 "2009-05-21T11:27:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![eltercero](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/e99b99/32.png) [@eltercero](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/eltercero)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 11:27am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-run-a-terminal-command-from-a-ruby-app/168483/1 "2009-05-21T11:27:33Z")

</div>

Hi there.

I’m using Ruby and the great Processing implementation made for Ruby  
([Home · jashkenas/ruby-processing Wiki · GitHub](http://github.com/jashkenas/ruby-processing/wikis)). The “problem” is  
that if you need to run anything of Ruby-Processing, you need to write:

#rp5 run app.rb

Instead of #Ruby app.rb

So, what I need is executing the “rp5 run” command from another ruby  
application, since I’m generating the Processing document in another  
Ruby app which does not use Ruby-Processing.

I’m running Ruby from Mac Os X. Any idea?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![eltercero](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/e99b99/32.png) [@eltercero](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/eltercero)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 11:49am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-run-a-terminal-command-from-a-ruby-app/168483/2 "2009-05-21T11:49:18Z")

</div>

system(“rp5 run foo”)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![eltercero](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/e99b99/32.png) [@eltercero](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/eltercero)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 3:47pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-run-a-terminal-command-from-a-ruby-app/168483/3 "2009-05-21T15:47:05Z")

</div>

On Thu, May 21, 2009 at 4:49 AM, Brian C. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)  
wrote:

> system(“rp5 run foo”)  
> or, if you need the output what you ran,  
> foo=%x{rp5 run foo}

# note, you can use most paired symbols, like () [] \<\>, or quotes “” ‘’,

#with %x, not just {}

–Kyle

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![eltercero](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/e99b99/32.png) [@eltercero](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/eltercero)\
**Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 5:36pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-run-a-terminal-command-from-a-ruby-app/168483/4 "2009-05-22T17:36:24Z")

</div>

thanks! it worked perfect with "system(“rp5 run foo”)