# Using external software via exec command

**URL:** <https://discourse.nodered.org/t/using-external-software-via-exec-command/23041>\
**Category:** General\
**Created:** [12 March 2020 17:16 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/using-external-software-via-exec-command/23041 "2020-03-12T17:16:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Folldoll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/91b2a8/32.png) [@Folldoll](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Folldoll)\
**Post date:** [12 March 2020 17:16 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/using-external-software-via-exec-command/23041/1 "2020-03-12T17:16:32Z")

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Hey, im currently working on my first project with Node-Red. I'm using an ESP32-Cam to take pictures of my count meter and tried image processing it with [ssocr](https://www.unix-ag.uni-kl.de/~auerswal/ssocr/)

ssocr works pretty simple, you enter the command for the image procession in the terminal and then get the numbers that have been detected. (this works perfectly fine in the terminal)

```auto
the command looks like this:
ssorc -t 20 /home/pi/Pictures/image3.jpg

```

the image is located in /home/pi/Pictures.

When i try using the exec command however I always get the error-message:  
"ssocr error could not load image". Do I have to give permissions to node-red to be able to use the software or image? Or is it just not possible to use software like this?

Thanks in advance for your help! I also tried using the contrib-tesseract, but i wasnt able to get it working with 7-segment-displays, if you have any ideas on how to fix this, that would be awesome 🙂

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**Author:** ![Colin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/colin/32/17040_2.png) [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)\
**Post date:** [12 March 2020 17:46 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/using-external-software-via-exec-command/23041/2 "2020-03-12T17:46:26Z")

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Have you put that full command in as a fixed command in the exec node or are you building the command somehow at run time?  
If it is a fixed command have you cleared the checkbox in the exec node that tells it to add the payload to the command?

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**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/1X/d073cd938eafa2e558d7c2cd59003b3ef4963033.png) [@system](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [11 May 2020 17:46 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/using-external-software-via-exec-command/23041/3 "2020-05-11T17:46:28Z")

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