! Command

Execute system commands

WSupported on Windows

USupported on Unix

VSupported on OpenVMS

! [command]

Arguments

command

(optional) The command in a shell to be executed.

Discussion

The ! command takes you to the operating system prompt, which enables you to execute a system command without exiting the debugger.

If no arguments are specified, ! places you at the operating system’s command level prompt. On Unix, this means executing a Unix shell without executing any commands. On OpenVMS, ! spawns a subprocess.

The ! command is not supported by the debug server if you are debugging remotely.

Examples

For example, in a Unix environment whose shell prompt is a $, the following sequence of commands exits to a shell, renames a.b to x.y, deletes test, and returns to the debugger:

DBG> !
$ mv a.b x.y
$ rm test
$ exit