For info, this function can be used only in places where the arguments are individually available, so it it not possible to use it when the command line is made available as a single string (see eg the definition of use_output in Toploop).

What is the advantage of Sys.command with Filename.quote_command if it works only when arguments are individually available compare to a create_process?

What is the advantage of Sys.command with Filename.quote_command if it works only when arguments are individually available compare to a create_process?

I guess they are roughly equivalent, but using Unix.create_process requires Unix, setting up file descriptors for redirection, etc.

Sys.command is widely used to quickly execute shell commands, but getting the quoting right across platforms is notoriously complicated, hence the motivation for Filename.quote_command.

Thanks, it could be interesting to add (another MR) a simple Unix.command_quote_command that would do all the boiler plate and avoid the complication of the shell.

It is a design decision that ocamltest does not depend on the Unix library. This could be questioned later, but for the moment Sys.command + Filename.quote_command is the way to go.

(I had already looked at those Sys.command usages during our discussion of #9465 )

Very nice! Thank you. This should be good to merge if CI agrees. (@nojb: given that this affects ocamltest, you may want to also run a precheck if you haven't already)

Good idea: https://ci.inria.fr/ocaml/job/precheck/361/

precheck OK, merging.