# Rails won't execute backticked OS commands

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rails-wont-execute-backticked-os-commands/190148>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [June 17, 2010, 6:56am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rails-wont-execute-backticked-os-commands/190148 "2010-06-17T06:56:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![S-gw](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@S-gw](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/S-gw)\
**Post date:** [June 17, 2010, 6:56am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rails-wont-execute-backticked-os-commands/190148/1 "2010-06-17T06:56:58Z")

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I’m at a loss as what to look for…

I can issue a command result = `some_os_command_string` on my dev system  
just fine in both a pur ruby test file, and from Rails in dev mode.

When I push that code to my server, the backtick command doesn’t work.  
No failure message – even if I wrap it in begin/rescue so I have no  
specific clues to work from.

I can run that same back ticked command on the server from a simple ruby  
test file, but not from Rails.

Any ideas what I could look for as to why Rails might be interfering  
with this?

Thx

(OS X 10.5.8 client and server versions, Ruby 1.8.6, Rails 2.3.2)

– gw

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![S-gw](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@S-gw](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/S-gw)\
**Post date:** [June 17, 2010, 4:22pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rails-wont-execute-backticked-os-commands/190148/2 "2010-06-17T16:22:20Z")

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There is probably no or different path. Try with an absolute file name,  
e.g.,  
`/usr/bin/commmand args`.

HTH,  
Jeffrey

Quoting Greg W. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid):