Executing DOS "copy" command from perl script via web interface

[FlashGuy]

Hi,

I have a web interface where I'm executing a compiled perl script. Within the perl script I'm trying to execute a DOS command but its not working properly.
If I put my command in a batch file and execute the batch file from the perl script it works. I know it's because copy is not a program...it's a function inside the command.com
/cmd.exe shell interpreter. That's why it works when it's a batch file...because the batch is implicitly run under the shell interpreter.

This is the line in my perl script that is not quite doing what I want it to do. Copy the file.

system("command.com copy /C d:\test\input.ps e:\test\output.ps");


When I run the above line from a DOS command prompt this is the error I get.

File not found - D:\TEST\INPUT.PS
0 file(s) copied

What wrong?




---------------------------------------------------
FIGJAM
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[m***@workzoo.com]

The file can't be found? Sounds like a DOS not a Perl problem.

Post by FlashGuy
Hi,
I have a web interface where I'm executing a compiled perl script. Within the perl script I'm trying to execute a DOS command but its not working properly.
If I put my command in a batch file and execute the batch file from the perl script it works. I know it's because copy is not a program...it's a function inside the command.com
/cmd.exe shell interpreter. That's why it works when it's a batch file...because the batch is implicitly run under the shell interpreter.
This is the line in my perl script that is not quite doing what I want it to do. Copy the file.
system("command.com copy /C d:\test\input.ps e:\test\output.ps");
When I run the above line from a DOS command prompt this is the error I get.
File not found - D:\TEST\INPUT.PS
0 file(s) copied
What wrong?
---------------------------------------------------
FIGJAM
---------------------------------------------------
--

...

[Sudarshan Raghavan]

Post by FlashGuy
Hi,
I have a web interface where I'm executing a compiled perl script. Within the perl script I'm trying to execute a DOS command but its not working properly.
If I put my command in a batch file and execute the batch file from the perl script it works. I know it's because copy is not a program...it's a function inside the command.com
/cmd.exe shell interpreter. That's why it works when it's a batch file...because the batch is implicitly run under the shell interpreter.
This is the line in my perl script that is not quite doing what I want it to do. Copy the file.
system("command.com copy /C d:\test\input.ps e:\test\output.ps");
When I run the above line from a DOS command prompt this is the error I get.
File not found - D:\TEST\INPUT.PS
0 file(s) copied
What wrong?

...

As has been pointed out D:\TEST\INPUT.PS is not present. Why don't you use
File::Copy comes with the standard perl distro.

perldoc File::Copy

[Tim Musson]

Hey FlashGuy,

My MUA believes you used PMMail 2000 Standard (2.20.2502) For Windows 2000 (5.1.2600;1)
to write the following on Tuesday, September 17, 2002 at 8:00:06 AM.

F> I have a web interface where I'm executing a compiled perl script.
F> Within the perl script I'm trying to execute a DOS command but its
F> not working properly. If I put my command in a batch file and
F> execute the batch file from the perl script it works. I know it's
F> because copy is not a program...it's a function inside the
F> command.com /cmd.exe shell interpreter. That's why it works when
F> it's a batch file...because the batch is implicitly run under the
F> shell interpreter.

F> This is the line in my perl script that is not quite doing what I
F> want it to do. Copy the file.

F> system("command.com copy /C d:\test\input.ps e:\test\output.ps");

First, you could just have Perl do the file copy... Check out
perldoc -m "file::copy"

F> When I run the above line from a DOS command prompt this is the
F> error I get.

F> File not found - D:\TEST\INPUT.PS
F> 0 file(s) copied

This error is coming from the copy command, and is indicating the
file does not exist...

[Michael Kelly]

Post by FlashGuy
Hi,

Hi FlashGuy,

Post by FlashGuy
I have a web interface where I'm executing a compiled perl script. Within the perl script I'm trying to execute a DOS command but its not working properly.
If I put my command in a batch file and execute the batch file from the perl script it works. I know it's because copy is not a program...it's a function inside the command.com
/cmd.exe shell interpreter. That's why it works when it's a batch file...because the batch is implicitly run under the shell interpreter.
This is the line in my perl script that is not quite doing what I want it to do. Copy the file.
system("command.com copy /C d:\test\input.ps e:\test\output.ps");
When I run the above line from a DOS command prompt this is the error I get.
File not found - D:\TEST\INPUT.PS
0 file(s) copied
What wrong?

...

In Perl, backslashes escape the character that follows them, just like in C. If
you want a literal backslash, you need either "\\" or '\':

system("command.com copy /C d:\\test\\input.ps e:\\test\\output.ps");

or

system('command.com copy /C d:\test\input.ps e:\test\output.ps');

The latter example is probably perferable.

But that still doesn't explain why it lists the file as "D:\TEST\INPUT.PS",
which seems correct (I would expect it to say something like "D: EST NPUT.PS".)
But I've never messed with DOS, so I can't be sure.

[Tim Musson]

Hey Michael,

My MUA believes you used Mutt/1.3.27i
to write the following on Tuesday, September 17, 2002 at 7:06:32 PM.

MK> In Perl, backslashes escape the character that follows them, just
MK> like in C. If you want a literal backslash, you need either "\\"
MK> or '\':

MK> system("command.com copy /C d:\\test\\input.ps e:\\test\\output.ps");

MK> or

MK> system('command.com copy /C d:\test\input.ps e:\test\output.ps');

MK> The latter example is probably perferable.

MK> But that still doesn't explain why it lists the file as "D:\TEST\INPUT.PS",
MK> which seems correct (I would expect it to say something like "D: EST NPUT.PS".)
MK> But I've never messed with DOS, so I can't be sure.

Works just like you said... I just tested using type instead of copy.
,----- [ output of running t.pl from the root of T: - it types it's self ]
| T:\>t.pl
| #!perl
| # This file is T:\t.pl
| use strict;
| use warnings;
| system("cmd /c type T:\\t.pl");
| system('cmd /c type T:\t.pl');
|
| #!perl
| # This file is T:\t.pl
| use strict;
| use warnings;
| system("cmd /c type T:\\t.pl");
| system('cmd /c type T:\t.pl');
`-----