problems with executing unix commands

[shanky]

Hello ppl,

I'm trying to execute unix commands from java, but with weird results. Basically my unix command is a pipe and so I wrote a shell script and i'm trying to invoke it from java. This is the piece of code i use to invoke it

cmd = new String[]{ "sh","./shell_script" }

Runtime r = Runtime.getRuntime();
Process p = r.exec(cmd);
PrintWriter out = new PrintWriter(p.getOutputStream());
InputStream error = p.getErrorStream();

Now, my shell script contains a pipeline of commands and one of the command is that of an installed program, say mql. For instance., cat file_name | perl script1 | mql arg1 arg2

My shell is able to recognize the mql command and when I run "sh./shell_script" from shell it runs fine. But when I invoke cmd from java, it gives an error, mql command not found. I tried to set the path in the shell configuration file and even added the whole path of the command in the shell script.

I have a strong feeling that this is a problem with java. Could anyone throw some light on this?

Thanks in advance,

[toadaly]

The problem is not the mql command, the problem is the pipes. When you exec a command in java (or in c for that matter), you are executing it without a shell. Symbols such as "|", "&", ">", etc. that you are used to when running commands in a shell will not work.

To do what you are trying to do, you need to create a simple script that *does* use a shell, and exec that script. For example, create a script called 'example.csh" containing:

#!/bin/csh -f

cat file_name | perl script1 | mql arg1 arg2

...and let 'cmd' be "example.csh".