C using a string in shell command

Question

Hello I'm trying to do this shell command "rm -rf test" by doing this:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>


char name[] = "test";
char buffer[64];
int main()
{
        snprintf(buffer,sizeof(buffer),"rm -rf s% s%", name);
        system(buffer);
        return 0;
}

It will compile and run but doesn't remove the directory

Any help will be greatly appreciated!

you have %s repeated twice - should it just be `"rm -rf %s"` — stormCloud, May 01 '13 at 22:46
with "rm -rf %s" it still does not remove the test directory! but thank you for correcting me on that bit, there must be something else wrong too! — user2341069, May 01 '13 at 22:51
You might try `"rm -rf ./%s"`. Also, this question might be a possible duplicate of: http://stackoverflow.com/q/2256945/1208914 — stormCloud, May 01 '13 at 23:00
It's working for me now too! not quite sure why id didn't a second ago! Thanks a lot for your help guys! :D — user2341069, May 01 '13 at 23:02
@stormCloud I looked at that and I couldn't get what I wanted from it this way I'll be able to input what I want — user2341069, May 01 '13 at 23:04
Very bad idea, and stormCloud's fix does not help. Consider what happens when the string name is `"test /"`. — R.. GitHub STOP HELPING ICE, May 01 '13 at 23:08

Staven · Accepted Answer · 2013-05-02T00:33:15.807

1

Don't use system to run external processes, especially if the command line you're passing isn't constant. It will only make your life miserable. See man fork and man exec for the right way to do this.

edited May 02 '13 at 00:33

answered May 02 '13 at 00:21

Staven

3,113
16
20

score -1 · Answer 2 · answered May 02 '13 at 01:21

-1

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

char name[] = "test";
char buffer[64];

int main()
{
        snprintf(buffer,sizeof(buffer),"rm -rf %s", name);
        system(buffer);
        return 0;
}

it works for me.

answered May 02 '13 at 01:21

lamdoc

1

C using a string in shell command

2 Answers2