How to call a shell command in our Perl script

Overview

There are two ways to call a shell command from the Perl script.

Syntax

We use the backticks (``) syntax when we want to capture the output of the shell command. We provide the command between the backticks.

Error: Code Block Widget Crashed, Please Contact Support

If we don't want to capture the output of the shell command, we use the system function, as shown below. The system function will just display the output.

Error: Code Block Widget Crashed, Please Contact Support

Example

# usage backticks
my $output = `ls -l`;
print "------display the captured output with backticks------ \n";
print $output;
print "\n------display the output of disk usage command with system------- \n";
#usage of system
system("df -h");
A shell command in Perl

Explanation

  • Line 2: We call a shell command from a Perl script, using backticks, and capture the output in a Perl variable output.
  • Line 4: We display the output captured in line 2.
  • Line 8: We call a shell command from the Perl script using the system function. The system function displays the output.

Free AI Mock Interviews
Coding Interview
Coding PatternsFree Interview
Gain insights and practical experience with coding patterns through targeted MCQs and coding problems, designed to match and challenge your expertise level.
System Design
You TubeFree Interview
Learn to design a video streaming platform like YouTube by tackling functional and non-functional requirements, core components, and high-level to detailed design challenges.

Free Resources

License: Creative Commons-Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC-BY-SA 4.0)