Pipe

For $pipe(command and arguments), see the pipe script. Load it with:

/load pipe

The function is an alias supplied by that script, not a registered C built-in. The “pipe function” and “pipe script” therefore refer to the same supplied interface: it runs an exec command, collects stdout lines through a temporary hook, waits for the managed process, and returns the collected text.

Its result is a word-list-style accumulation, not byte-for-byte output: line boundaries and empty lines are not preserved, stderr is separate, and the function does not return an exit-status success flag. Command interpretation follows exec options and shell settings. See the script page for waiting, quoting, and capture limitations.

For direct input/output/error stream handles instead, see the distinct exec function. Those pipes are blocking and do not use the script's temporary exec hook. Both interfaces run local programs rather than requesting data from an IRC server.

Source references

• script/pipe: function alias, temporary stdout hook, process wait, and return value.
• source/functions.c: built-in registry and separate exec() function.
• source/exec.c: managed subprocesses and stdout delivery.