So, I want to make a script that will execute 2 .bat files and start some .exe files.
However, the .bat files are supposed to keep running.
I have something like this :
pushd tools\wamp64
start wampmanager.exe
pushd ..\..\server\login
call startLoginServer.bat
pushd ..\test
call startTestServer.bat
start "C:\DEV\P2\Test\client" P2.bin
The problem is that call startLoginServer.bat will not exit and therefore, I'm stucked here.
How can I run my 2 .bat files and let them keep running.
(Ideally, I want them to run in 2 different command prompt windows)
Also, there is probably a better way to handle relative path than using pushd if you can correct me on this.
Thanks
You could use:
start "Wamp Manager" /B /D "%~dp0tools\wamp64" wampmanager.exe
start "Login Server" /B /D "%~dp0server\login" startLoginServer.bat
start "Test Server" /B /D "%~dp0server\test" startTestServer.bat
start "Text Client" /B /D "%~dp0" "C:\DEV\P2\Test\client.exe" P2.bin
Run in a command prompt window start /? for help on this command explaining the options.
"..." ... title for new console window which is optional, but must be often specified on program to start is or must be enclosed in double quotes. The START command in last command line in batch file code in question interprets C:\DEV\P2\Test\client as window title. It is also possible to use an empty window title, i.e. "" which is best if the started application is a Windows GUI application on which no console window is opened at all.
/B ... run without opening a new window, i.e. in "background". This option can be omitted to see what the started applications and batch files output to console if the executables are not Windows GUI applications.
/D "..." or also /D"..." defines the directory to set first as current directory before running the command specified next. %~dp0 references the directory of the batch file containing these commands. This path always ends with a backslash. Therefore no backslash must be added on concatenating the directory of the batch file with a file or folder name or path.
Run in a command prompt window call /? for help on %~dp0 explaining how arguments of a batch file can be referenced from within a batch file.
See also the answer on How to call a batch file that is one level up from the current directory? explaining in total four different methods to call or run a batch file from within a batch file.
Finally read also the Microsoft documentations about the Windows kernel library function CreateProcess and the structure STARTUPINFO used by cmd.exe on every execution of an executable without or with usage of its internal command start. The options of start become more clear on having full knowledge about the kernel function and the structure used on Windows to run a program.
Related
I have this PowerShell command line which usually opens a webpage via Google Chrome, but I would like that to open randomly with Chrome and Firefox.
start-process -FilePath chrome.exe "www.quora.com"
One PowerShell solution for usage in a PowerShell script or in PowerShell console window is as posted by Santiago Squarzon:
start-process -FilePath ('chrome.exe','firefox.exe'|get-random) "https://www.quora.com"
For understanding the two used PowerShell cmdlets and how they work, open a PowerShell console window, execute there the following commands, and read entirely the two help pages displayed for the two cmdlets very carefully.
help start-process
help get-random
One batch file solution is:
#echo off
setlocal EnableExtensions DisableDelayedExpansion
set /A "Browser=%RANDOM% & 1"
if %Browser% == 0 (set "Browser=chrome") else set "Browser=firefox"
start "" %Browser%.exe "https://www.quora.com"
endlocal
The first two command lines just define the required execution environment completely and creates a new environment variables list as copy of the current environment variables list and the last line just results in restoring the initial execution environment and environment variables list. The second and the last command line could be omitted if it is no problem to depend on Windows defaults or what the process calling this batch file defines as execution environment.
The third line uses an arithmetic expression to apply on a random number a bitwise AND with 1 to get assigned to the environment variable Browser randomly either 0 or 1.
The third line could be also:
set /A Browser=%RANDOM% %% 2
This arithmetic expression divides a random number by two and gets the remainder 0 or 1 assigned to the environment variable Browser.
The fourth line uses an IF condition to redefine the environment variable Browser on having currently the value 0 with the string chrome and otherwise with the string firefox.
The fifth line uses command start to start either chrome.exe or firefox.exe as separate process on which cmd.exe does not wait for self-termination before continuation of processing of the batch file with passing the URL to started executable. "" defines an empty string as optional title for the console window not opened at all as the two browsers are Windows applications with a graphic user interface.
For understanding the used Windows Commands and how they work, open a command prompt window, execute there the following commands, and read entirely all help pages displayed for each command very carefully.
help echo or echo /?
help endlocal or endlocal /?
help if or if /?
help set or set /?
help setlocal or setlocal /?
help start or start /?
See also:
An A-Z Index of Windows CMD commands
An A-Z Index of Windows PowerShell commands
Windows CMD Shell How-to guides and examples
Windows PowerShell How-to guides and examples
Where is "START" searching for executables?
powershell.exe does the same. PowerShell and CMD use the Windows kernel library function CreateProcess to start the Chrome or Firefox process.
When I enter the following from a command prompt:
start myprog.exe
It opens the program in a command window, but it doesn't start the actual program itself.
Does anyone know what I'm doing wrong with this?
try this:
start /b "" "myprog.exe"
See start /? for more help.
You don't need START just have myprog.exe, make sure that the program can be found. Put the directory for it in the PATH environment variable if necessary.
If you want to continue processing more commands in the batch file use the /B switch for START, see syntax here Microsoft DOS start command.
I am working on a script or batch file (or combo of the two) which imports an outlook prf file, then launches a new cmd.exe window runs a application specific program which when passed a server cluster name pulls in an outlook data file in the previously created outlook profile. So i have the vbs script that checks for the outlook profile if it doesn't exist it imports the prf. That's working fine, now the program i need to is called addiman.exe the server cluster name is gsiapp...the manual method is i launch a cmd windows and type "addiman gsiapp" i wish to automates this by calling it in a routine called :Filesite the below command has been unsuccessful, it launches a new cmd.exe window but doesn't run the command.
:ImportPRf
call cscript \\gsf1\Apps\Scripts\public\deployprf.vbs
GOTO :FileSite
:FileSite
start cmd.exe /c "c:\program files\interwoven\worksite\addiman.exe" GSIAPP
GOTO :EXIT
:Exit
Exit
start cmd.exe /c "c:\program files\interwoven\worksite\addiman.exe GSIAPP"
try this, because cmd.exe interprets the part between "" as comand and ignores the GSIAPP statement
wild guess. Try adding another call before the "start" - like this
:FileSite
call start cmd.exe /c "c:\program files\interwoven\worksite\addiman.exe" GSIAPP
problem solved, the full path isn't needed. just had to putt "addiman GSIAPP". Thanks everyone who provided suggestions.
I have scrip contain command line:
set dir=%1
cd %dir%
test.bat
echo successful
When run this script, file test.bat (this file run phpunit) run complete then this script don't run command line echo successful.
So, how to try run to eof script.
Use call test.bat.
When you try running a batch file from another batch like in your question control does not pass back to your calling batch.
Side note: I'd usually use pushd/popd for going into directories from batch files. At least I prefer when a batch file doesn't have a side-effect on the shell I'm working on (similar rationale for setlocal). Also this solves the problem when you pass a directory on another drive (although you could do cd /d in that case.
During an install of PostgreSQL 9.1.2 on my Windows 7 64-bit Home Premium box, the installation hung. After a long furious search I discovered the problem was that an installer VB Script was hung waiting for a batch file to complete in a hidden window.
I isolated the problem to the following line of code:
Dim objShell
Set objShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
objShell.Run "hello.bat", 1, True
(where 1 sets WindowStyle to Visible and True waits for completion). The Run call had launched the command prompt but was not executing the batch file. Thus, it would never complete.
I solved the problem by launching cmd.exe instead of the batch file directly, according to numerous online sources:
objShell.Run "%COMSPEC% /c hello.bat", 1, True
Since the fix is buried in the PostgreSQL installer (and I've submitted a bug report), I can only work around the problem unless the installer is modified.
But my main questions are:
Why does the first call hang?
Why use %COMSPEC% instead of calling the batch directly?
In regards to #2, could this be because executing a .bat directly makes an assumption that the default action associated with a .bat file is to execute it? I've in the past (on other machines) changed this default action to 'Edit'. And if I'd done that, I would have hung the PostgreSQL installer as well! (I imagine)
The batch file executes normally on other machines. So there is something weird on this one laptop. So in regards to #1, I need to figure out why this one laptop is different. I should note that there are some weird behaviors with batch files on this machine (one which I just noticed):
The context menu actions contain only "Open" and are missing "Edit", "Run", "Run As"
Double-clicking a batch file opens a command prompt but does not execute the batch file
I just noticed #2 while writing this. Clearly the default action for .bat is messed up. Yesterday I nearly bricked my computer removing Context Menu Handlers from my registry as recommended by several sites trying to restore my "Edit", "Run", etc. entries.
Any advice on questions 1 and 2 would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Eric
The problem was an HKCU override on .bat which created an association to cmd.exe, as noted on this wonderful post. Additional help was found here.
My registry looked like this:
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.bat
\OpenWithList
(Default) REG_SZ (value not set)
a REG_SZ NOTEPAD.EXE
MRUList REG_SZ a
\OpenWithProgids
(Default) REG_SZ (value not set)
batfile REG_NONE (zero-length binary value)
\UserChoice
(Default) REG_SZ (value not set)
Progid REG_SZ (Applications\cmd.exe)
Removing the entire .bat entry fixed everything. All context menu items were restored properly (Open, Edit, Print, Run as Administrator, and Troubleshoot Compatability) and double clicking on the batch file executed the batch.
The .bat key re-generated automatically sometime after I deleted it and double-clicked my test batch file. This automatically generated entry was:
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.bat
\OpenWithList
(Default) REG_SZ (value not set)
\OpenWithProgids
(Default) REG_SZ (value not set)
batfile REG_NONE (zero-length binary value)
Ultimately it was the \UserChoice key that was causing my problem. So I'm all cleared up now. My test scripts run properly and I re-installed PostgreSQL from scratch and the install went smoothly.
E
The 1st call launches a window that remains open until something tells it to close. Prsumably hello.bat terminates with an EXIT command, which would of course close the window, and your installation can then continue on its way.
But hello.bat fails to run on your one machine, so of course the window never closes, and your installation hangs.
The 2nd call through %COMSPEC% is opening a window and running CMD.EXE with the /C "command" option. The specifiation for the /C option states that CMD.EXE will terminate once the "command" completes (or fails). Your "command" is "hello.bat". Closure of the window is no longer dependent on an EXIT command in the hello.bat file. The window will close even if hello.bat fails to run.