# Running a system command

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/running-a-system-command/63392>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [June 14, 2006, 9:22pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/running-a-system-command/63392 "2006-06-14T21:22:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![verynewbie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/v/3bc359/32.png) [@verynewbie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/verynewbie)\
**Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 9:22pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/running-a-system-command/63392/1 "2006-06-14T21:22:36Z")

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how do i run a system command in ruby

in php it is exec(“commandhere”);

what is the ruby equivalent

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**Author:** ![verynewbie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/v/3bc359/32.png) [@verynewbie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/verynewbie)\
**Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 9:28pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/running-a-system-command/63392/2 "2006-06-14T21:28:32Z")

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very newbie wrote:

> how do i run a system command in ruby
> 
> in php it is exec(“commandhere”);
> 
> what is the ruby equivalent

system(“commandhere”)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![verynewbie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/v/3bc359/32.png) [@verynewbie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/verynewbie)\
**Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 9:39pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/running-a-system-command/63392/3 "2006-06-14T21:39:20Z")

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Tim H. wrote:

> very newbie wrote:
> 
> > how do i run a system command in ruby

> system(“commandhere”)

thanks that was it

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![verynewbie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/v/3bc359/32.png) [@verynewbie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/verynewbie)\
**Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 9:49pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/running-a-system-command/63392/4 "2006-06-14T21:49:33Z")

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On 6/14/06, qubit qubit [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> how do i run a system command in ruby
> 
> in php it is exec(“commandhere”);
> 
> what is the ruby equivalent

Please remember to look in the various information sources that exist  
before asking a simple question like this. This could have been  
Googled pretty easily. You _are_ posting to a mailing list, not a mere  
web forum.

-austin

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![verynewbie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/v/3bc359/32.png) [@verynewbie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/verynewbie)\
**Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 10:03pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/running-a-system-command/63392/5 "2006-06-14T22:03:40Z")

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Tim H. wrote:

> 

`commandhere` will return the output:

irb(main):001:0\> `ls -alt`  
=\> “total 8\ndrwxrwxr-x 2 justinc justinc 4096 Jun 14 12:55  
.\n-rw-rw-r-- 1 justinc justinc 0 Jun 14 12:55  
another\n-rw-rw-r-- 1 justinc justinc 0 Jun 14 12:55  
file\n-rw-rw-r-- 1 justinc justinc 0 Jun 14 12:55  
afile\ndrwxr-xr-x 59 justinc justinc 4096 Jun 14 11:13 …\n”

Also, please checkout [http://ruby-doc.org/](http://ruby-doc.org/) and especially  
[module Kernel - RDoc Documentation](http://ruby-doc.org/core/classes/Kernel.html)

-Justin