Results of printf() and system() are in the wrong order when output is redirected to a file [duplicate]

Solution 1:

By default output to stdout is line-buffered when connected to a terminal. That is, the buffer is flushed when it's full or when you add a newline.

However, if stdout is not connected to a terminal, like what happens when you redirect the output from your program to a file, then stdout becomes fully buffered. That means the buffer will be flushed and actually written either when it's full or when explicitly flushed (which happens when the program exits).

This means that the output of a separate process started from your code (like what happens when you call system) will most likely be written first, since the buffer of that process will be flushed when that process ends, which is before your own process.

What happens when using redirection (or pipes for that matter):

1. Your printf call writes to the stdout buffer.
2. The system function starts a new process, which writes to its own buffer.
3. When the external process (started by your system call) exits, its buffer is flushed and written. Your own buffer in your own process, isn't touched.
4. Your own process ends, and your stdout buffer is flushed and written.

To get the output in the "correct" (or at least expected) order, call fflush before calling system, to explicitly flush stdout, or call setbuf before any output to disable buffering completely.

Solution 2:

It is related to output buffering. I managed to reproduce the same behaviour. Forcing the flush did it for me.

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

int main(int argc, char ** argv) {
  printf("this is a test message.\n");
  fflush(stdout);
  system("ls");

  return 0;
}

Before adding the fflush:

$ ./main > foo
$ cat foo
main
main.c
this is a test message.

and after:

$ ./main > foo
$ cat foo
this is a test message.
foo
main
main.c