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I know I can use the system function to execute commands, but I need
to pass parameters to it and it doesn't want to accept them...
is there a way to do system("mv %s temp123", myvar) ?
or maybe there's another function that accepts parameters?
thanks for your help.

Simon

"Kentor" <> writes:

> I know I can use the system function to execute commands, but I need
> to pass parameters to it and it doesn't want to accept them...
> is there a way to do system("mv %s temp123", myvar) ?

Use a function such as sprintf to construct the command in a
temporary string, then pass that string to system().
--
"When in doubt, treat ``feature'' as a pejorative.
(Think of a hundred-bladed Swiss army knife.)"
--Kernighan and Plauger, _Software Tools_

Kentor wrote:
> I know I can use the system function to execute commands, but I need
> to pass parameters to it and it doesn't want to accept them...
> is there a way to do system("mv %s temp123", myvar) ?
> or maybe there's another function that accepts parameters?

Build the string you want with sprintf() and pass it to system().

--
Ian Collins.

>I know I can use the system function to execute commands, but I need
>to pass parameters to it and it doesn't want to accept them...

Generate a string that contains the command you wish to execute,
including all the parameters. It does not have to be a string
literal. Then pass it to system().

>is there a way to do system("mv %s temp123", myvar) ?

No, but take a look at the sprintf() function, and consider what
happens if you pass the resulting string to system(). There are
lots of ways to construct strings in C other than sprintf(), but
sprintf() is often convenient for this purpose. Beware that it's
YOUR problem to allocate a sufficiently long buffer to hold the
command, either with a character array, or with malloc().

"Kentor" <> wrote:
# I know I can use the system function to execute commands, but I need
# to pass parameters to it and it doesn't want to accept them...
# is there a way to do system("mv %s temp123", myvar) ?
# or maybe there's another function that accepts parameters?
# thanks for your help.

More specifically, you can do things like

static char F[] = "mv %s temp123";
char f[sizeof F+strlen(myvar)+1];
sprintf(f,F,myvar);
int rc = system(f);

--
SM Ryan http://www.rawbw.com/~wyrmwif/
I have no idea what you just said.
I get that alot.

SM Ryan <> writes:

> static char F[] = "mv %s temp123";
> char f[sizeof F+strlen(myvar)+1];
> sprintf(f,F,myvar);

sizeof F includes F's null terminator in its value, so you don't
have to add an additional 1 to the size of f. (You could, in
fact, subtract 2, because f will not include %s.) I can see why
you'd want to be conservative, though.

Also, this is not valid C89, because the size of f is not a
constant expression.
--
"You call this a *C* question? What the hell are you smoking?" --Kaz

Kentor wrote:
> I know I can use the system function to execute commands, but I need
> to pass parameters to it and it doesn't want to accept them...
> is there a way to do system("mv %s temp123", myvar) ?
> or maybe there's another function that accepts parameters?
> thanks for your help.

Build the command string with sprintf (obviously other ways are available),
Use the built command string as the argument for system

On Mar 18, 11:08 pm, SM Ryan <wyrm...@tango-sierra-oscar-foxtrot-
tango.fake.org> wrote:
> "Kentor" <ken...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> # I know I can use the system function to execute commands, but I need
> # to pass parameters to it and it doesn't want to accept them...
> # is there a way to do system("mv %s temp123", myvar) ?
> # or maybe there's another function that accepts parameters?
> # thanks for your help.
>
> More specifically, you can do things like
>
> static char F[] = "mv %s temp123";
> char f[sizeof F+strlen(myvar)+1];
> sprintf(f,F,myvar);
> int rc = system(f);
>
> --
> SM Ryanhttp://www.rawbw.com/~wyrmwif/
> I have no idea what you just said.
> I get that alot.

Great thanks everyone, and thanks even more for the example Ryan.

Ben Pfaff wrote:
> SM Ryan <> writes:
>
>> static char F[] = "mv %s temp123";
>> char f[sizeof F+strlen(myvar)+1];
>> sprintf(f,F,myvar);
>
> sizeof F includes F's null terminator in its value, so you don't
> have to add an additional 1 to the size of f. (You could, in
> fact, subtract 2, because f will not include %s.) I can see why
> you'd want to be conservative, though.
>
> Also, this is not valid C89, because the size of f is not a
> constant expression.

ITYM strlen(myvar) is not a constant expression.

--
<http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~pgut001/pubs/vista_cost.txt>
<http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/423>

"A man who is right every time is not likely to do very much."
-- Francis Crick, co-discover of DNA
"There is nothing more amazing than stupidity in action."
-- Thomas Matthews


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On Mar 18, 10:49 pm, "Kentor" <ken...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I know I can use the system function to execute commands, but I need
> to pass parameters to it and it doesn't want to accept them...
> is there a way to do system("mv %s temp123", myvar) ?
> or maybe there's another function that accepts parameters?

In addition to creating that string make sure myvar makes
sense, learn shell quoting rules, and use '--' argument for
mv.

Best regards,
Yevgen