SYSTEM
[SIC\]SYSTEM ["Command"]
$ Command
Execute a command from the operating system, or create a subshell.
If no argument is given, start a subshell based on the SIC logical
GAG\PROCESS. If it is not defined, the user $SHELL environment variable
is used. If it is also not defined, the last fallback is /bin/sh. The
subshell can be terminated by typing 'exit' or 'bye' or case.
If an argument is given, execute the command in a /bin/sh subshell (note
that /bin/sh is system-dependent and might behave differently from one
system to another). It must be a single argument: use double-quotes to
enclose multiple arguments separated by blanks. Note that an error is
raised if the shell command returns a non-zero status. This behavior can
be modified in 2 manners:
- use dedicated command options, if any, to ensure it does not return a
non-zero status (for example -q option for grep),
- catch the error in the shell way, e.g. terminate the command line with
" || true" which executes the "true" command if an error occurs. Obvi-
ously ignoring errors is at your own risk.
Note that Unix environment variables cannot be defined in such a way,
since it is a subshell (i.e. the environment modifications are lost when
the subshell ends). In particular, use command SIC DIRECTORY to change
your working directory.
$ Command:
At the interactive prompt, system commands can also be executed directly
from the SIC level using the $ token. "Command" must be a valid operat-
ing system command in the default shell of the user. The $ token is in-
valid in procedures.