SYSTEM(3)                            BSD                             SYSTEM(3)



NAME
     system - issue a shell command

SYNOPSIS
     #include <stdlib.h>

     int system(string)
     const char *string;

DESCRIPTION
     The system function causes the string pointed to by string to be given to
     the command processor (sh(1)) as input, as if the string had been typed
     as a command at a terminal.  If string is a null pointer, system returns
     1 to indicate that a command processor is available.

     If system cannot exec /bin/sh, it tries to exec /com/sh.  If either exec
     is successful, the current process waits until the shell has completed,
     then returns the exit status of the shell.

FILES
     /bin/sh
     /com/sh

DIAGNOSTICS
     system returns 1 if given a null pointer.  If string is not null, system
     returns the exit status of the shell, or 127 if the shell could not be
     executed.

     If a signal other than SIGINT or SIGQUIT is received during the call,
     system returns -1 and sets errno.

NOTES
     system was formerly declared in the header file stdio.h.

SEE ALSO
     exec(2), fork(2), wait(2).
     sh(1) in the BSD Command Reference.
     sh in the Aegis Command Reference.