How to call shell commands from Ruby?

 

In Ruby, you can call shell commands using backticks (), the %x{}syntax, or thesystem()` method. Here's how to do it with examples for each method:

1. Backticks (`): Backticks allow you to execute shell commands and capture their output as a string.

ruby

result = `ls -l`
puts result

In this example, the ls -l command is executed, and its output is captured in the result variable and then printed.

2. %x{} Syntax: The %x{} syntax is another way to execute shell commands and capture their output.

ruby

result = %x{echo "Hello, Ruby"}
puts result

Here, the echo command is executed, and its output is captured and printed.

3. system() Method: The system() method allows you to execute shell commands and print their output directly to the console.

ruby

status = system("git --version")
puts "Command executed: #{status}"

In this example, the git --version command is executed, and the return value of system() (indicating the command's success or failure) is printed.

Choose the method that best suits your needs. If you need to capture the output for further processing, backticks or %x{} are usually more appropriate. If you only need to execute a command and display its output, the system() method might be more suitable.