--- a/lisp/ChangeLog	Tue Sep 18 08:58:28 2012 +0200
+++ b/lisp/ChangeLog	Sat Oct 13 01:09:35 2012 +0200
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+2012-10-13  Mats Lidell  <matsl@xemacs.org>
+
+	* process.el (call-process-shell-command): New function from GNU.
+
 2012-09-18  Mats Lidell  <matsl@xemacs.org>
 
 	* window-xemacs.el (recenter-positions): New defcustom.

--- a/lisp/process.el	Tue Sep 18 08:58:28 2012 +0200
+++ b/lisp/process.el	Sat Oct 13 01:09:35 2012 +0200
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ;;; process.el --- commands for subprocesses; split out of simple.el
 
-;; Copyright (C) 1985-7, 1993,4, 1997, 2011 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+;; Copyright (C) 1985-7, 1993,4, 1997, 2011, 2012 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
 ;; Copyright (C) 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002 Ben Wing.
 
 ;; Author: Ben Wing
@@ -81,6 +81,34 @@
   (start-process name buffer shell-file-name shell-command-switch
 		 (mapconcat #'identity args " ")))
 
+(defun call-process-shell-command (command &optional infile buffer display
+				   &rest args)
+  "Execute the shell command COMMAND synchronously in separate process.
+The remaining arguments are optional.
+The program's input comes from file INFILE (nil means `/dev/null').
+Insert output in BUFFER before point; t means current buffer;
+ nil for BUFFER means discard it; 0 means discard and don't wait.
+BUFFER can also have the form (REAL-BUFFER STDERR-FILE); in that case,
+REAL-BUFFER says what to do with standard output, as above,
+while STDERR-FILE says what to do with standard error in the child.
+STDERR-FILE may be nil (discard standard error output),
+t (mix it with ordinary output), or a file name string.
+
+Fourth arg DISPLAY non-nil means redisplay buffer as output is inserted.
+Remaining arguments are strings passed as additional arguments for COMMAND.
+Wildcards and redirection are handled as usual in the shell.
+
+If BUFFER is 0, `call-process-shell-command' returns immediately with value nil.
+Otherwise it waits for COMMAND to terminate and returns a numeric exit
+status or a signal description string.
+If you quit, the process is killed with SIGINT, or SIGKILL if you quit again."
+  ;; We used to use `exec' to replace the shell with the command,
+  ;; but that failed to handle (...) and semicolon, etc.
+  (call-process shell-file-name
+		infile buffer display
+		shell-command-switch
+		(mapconcat 'identity (cons command args) " ")))
+
 (defun process-synchronize-point (proc)
   "Set the point(s) in buffer and stderr-buffer according to the process mark."
   ;; We need this because the documentation says to insert *BEFORE* point,

--- a/man/ChangeLog	Tue Sep 18 08:58:28 2012 +0200
+++ b/man/ChangeLog	Sat Oct 13 01:09:35 2012 +0200
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+2012-10-13  Mats Lidell  <matsl@xemacs.org>
+
+	* lispref/processes.texi (Synchronous Processes): New function
+	call-process-shell-command.
+
 2012-09-18  Mats Lidell  <matsl@xemacs.org>
 
 	* lispref/windows.texi (Vertical Scrolling): Added

--- a/man/lispref/processes.texi	Tue Sep 18 08:58:28 2012 +0200
+++ b/man/lispref/processes.texi	Sat Oct 13 01:09:35 2012 +0200
@@ -309,6 +309,13 @@
 @end smallexample
 @end defun
 
+@defun call-process-shell-command command &optional infile destination display &rest args
+This function executes the shell command @var{command} synchronously.
+The final arguments @var{args} are additional arguments to add at the
+end of @var{command}.  The other arguments are handled as in
+@code{call-process}.
+@end defun
+
 @node MS-DOS Subprocesses
 @section MS-DOS Subprocesses
 

--- a/tests/ChangeLog	Tue Sep 18 08:58:28 2012 +0200
+++ b/tests/ChangeLog	Sat Oct 13 01:09:35 2012 +0200
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+2012-10-13  Mats Lidell  <matsl@xemacs.org>
+
+	* automated/process-tests.el: Simple test cases for
+	call-process-shell-command.
+
 2012-09-02  Aidan Kehoe  <kehoea@parhasard.net>
 
 	* automated/regexp-tests.el:

--- a/tests/automated/process-tests.el	Tue Sep 18 08:58:28 2012 +0200
+++ b/tests/automated/process-tests.el	Sat Oct 13 01:09:35 2012 +0200
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-;; Copyright (C) 2011 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+;; Copyright (C) 2011, 2012 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
 
 ;; Author: Mats Lidell <matsl@xemacs.org>
 ;; Maintainer: 
@@ -67,4 +67,18 @@
   (with-current-buffer "Output buffer" 
     (goto-char (point-min))
     (Assert (looking-at "foobar")))
-)
+  )
+
+;; call-process-shell-command
+(when (equal system-type 'linux)
+  (setenv "LANG" "C")
+
+  ;; Output one line
+  (Assert (= 0 (call-process-shell-command "echo hello")))
+
+  ;; Output to stderr but no error buffer
+  (Assert (= 0 (call-process-shell-command "echo -e \"barefoot\nfoobar\n\" 1>&2" nil "Output buffer")))
+  (with-current-buffer "Output buffer" 
+    (goto-char (point-min))
+    (Assert (looking-at "barefoot\n")))
+  )