Get program's return data?

[Muffinthief]

Well this is probably a noob question but here it goes.
How does one go about getting the output from a program?
I know you run system() but that just returns an integer.
Is there perhaps a command similar to exec() in PHP?
Or do you have to have the program you're running write to a file.

Well thanks for the help.

[gpraghuram]

Is this for C++ or in PHP?

Raghu

[newb16]

popen .........

[Muffinthief]

This was for C++, I was just using exec as an example of what I was looking for, and popen was it. So Thanks!