rbashsystem2

system2("bash", "ls") -> cannot execute binary file

Anyone got an idea why

system2("bash", "ls")

would result in (both in R-Gui and RStudio Console)

/usr/bin/ls: /usr/bin/ls: cannot execute binary file

while other shells work w/o issues (see example below) and the "bash" in the RStudio Terminal also works w/o problems. AND if there is a remedy for that?

Working system2 example:

system2("powershell", "dir")

Running R-3.6.3 on Windows 10 here ... with "Git bash" executing as "bash".

PS: just in case someone wonders - I also tried the full path ie /usr/bin/ls -> same result

Solution

  • Ok - this does the trick

    system2("bash", input = "ls")

    so instead of args = ... as with the powershell command one needs (or more interestingly sometimes 'can') use the input = ... parameter with bash

    OR as mentioned in the comments by @oguzismail this will also work

    system2("bash", "-c ls")

    as well as pointed out by @Christoph

    system2("ls")

    also works sometimes (ie in some RStudio[?] setups it will not return results in some it will).

    But I have come to notice that different combinations of R-versions with different RStudio versions [or more probably Locales] will not always behave consistently of course also depending on the availability of bash commands like ls (more generally /usr/bin) being on the PATH or not.

    So choose what suits u best!