`unix`

Runs a command through the Unix shell and returns its status and output.

Category: Environment and Settings > System Commands

Syntax

status = unix(cmd)

Runs cmd, showing its output, and returns the exit status.

[status, out] = unix(cmd)

Captures the output in out instead of showing it.

Description

unix is the Unix-specific counterpart of dos: it behaves like system, intended for Linux and macOS shells. Code that must run on every platform should call system instead.

Input arguments

cmd: Command line to run.

Output arguments

status: Exit code of the command; 0 means success.
out: Text the command wrote as output.

Example

Capture the output

[status, out] = unix('echo hi');
disp(status)
disp(strtrim(out))

Output

     0
hi

Notes

MatLivre runs the command on any host, including Windows. In MATLAB for Windows, unix is not meant to be used.

unix