Curso de Batch Script
Curso de Batch Script
Has control structures such as for, if, while, switch for better automating and scripting.
Batch scripts are stored in simple text files containing lines with commands that get executed in sequence, one
after the other. These files have the special extension BAT or CMD. Files of this type are recognized and
executed through an interface (sometimes called a shell) provided by a system file called the command
interpreter. On Windows systems, this interpreter is known as cmd.exe.
Running a batch file is a simple matter of just clicking on it. Batch files can also be run in a command prompt or
the Start-Run line. In such case, the full path name must be used unless the file's path is in the path environment.
Following is a simple example of a Batch Script. This Batch Script when run deletes all files in the current
directory.
:: Deletes All files in the Current Directory With Prompts and Warnings
::(Hidden, System, and Read-Only Files are Not Affected)
:: @ECHO OFF
DEL . DR
Method 2 − Via the run command – The following snapshot shows to find the command prompt(cmd.exe) on
Windows server 2012.
Once the cmd.exe is launched, you will be presented with the following screen. This will be your environment for
executing your batch scripts.
Environment Variables
In order to run batch files from the command prompt, you either need to go to the location to where the batch file
is stored or alternatively you can enter the file location in the path environment variable. Thus assuming that the
batch file is stored in the location C:\Application\bin, you would need to follow these instructions for the
PATH variable inclusion.
OS Output
Windows Append the String; C:\Application\bin to the end of the system variable PATH.
1 VER
This batch command shows the version of MS-DOS you are using.
2 ASSOC
This is a batch command that associates an extension with a file type (FTYPE), displays existing
associations, or deletes an association.
3 CD
This batch command helps in making changes to a different directory, or displays the current directory.
4 CLS
This batch command clears the screen.
5 COPY
This batch command is used for copying files from one location to the other.
6 DEL
This batch command deletes files and not directories.
7 DIR
This batch command lists the contents of a directory.
8 DATE
This batch command help to find the system date.
9 ECHO
This batch command displays messages, or turns command echoing on or off.
10 EXIT
This batch command exits the DOS console.
11 MD
This batch command creates a new directory in the current location.
12 MOVE
This batch command moves files or directories between directories.
13 PATH
This batch command displays or sets the path variable.
14 PAUSE
This batch command prompts the user and waits for a line of input to be entered.
15 PROMPT
This batch command can be used to change or reset the cmd.exe prompt.
16 RD
This batch command removes directories, but the directories need to be empty before they can be
removed.
17 REN
Renames files and directories
18 REM
This batch command is used for remarks in batch files, preventing the content of the remark from being
executed.
19 START
This batch command starts a program in new window, or opens a document.
20 TIME
This batch command sets or displays the time.
21 TYPE
This batch command prints the content of a file or files to the output.
22 VOL
This batch command displays the volume labels.
23 ATTRIB
Displays or sets the attributes of the files in the curret directory
24 CHKDSK
This batch command checks the disk for any problems.
25 CHOICE
This batch command provides a list of options to the user.
26 CMD
This batch command invokes another instance of command prompt.
27 COMP
This batch command compares 2 files based on the file size.
28 CONVERT
This batch command converts a volume from FAT16 or FAT32 file system to NTFS file system.
29 DRIVERQUERY
This batch command shows all installed device drivers and their properties.
30 EXPAND
This batch command extracts files from compressed .cab cabinet files.
31 FIND
This batch command searches for a string in files or input, outputting matching lines.
32 FORMAT
This batch command formats a disk to use Windows-supported file system such as FAT, FAT32 or
NTFS, thereby overwriting the previous content of the disk.
33 HELP
This batch command shows the list of Windows-supplied commands.
34 IPCONFIG
This batch command displays Windows IP Configuration. Shows configuration by connection and the
name of that connection.
35 LABEL
This batch command adds, sets or removes a disk label.
36 MORE
This batch command displays the contents of a file or files, one screen at a time.
37 NET
Provides various network services, depending on the command used.
38 PING
This batch command sends ICMP/IP "echo" packets over the network to the designated address.
39 SHUTDOWN
This batch command shuts down a computer, or logs off the current user.
40 SORT
This batch command takes the input from a source file and sorts its contents alphabetically, from A to Z
or Z to A. It prints the output on the console.
41 SUBST
This batch command assigns a drive letter to a local folder, displays current assignments, or removes
an assignment.
42 SYSTEMINFO
This batch command shows configuration of a computer and its operating system.
43 TASKKILL
This batch command ends one or more tasks.
44 TASKLIST
This batch command lists tasks, including task name and process id (PID).
45 XCOPY
This batch command copies files and directories in a more advanced way.
46 TREE
This batch command displays a tree of all subdirectories of the current directory to any level of
recursion or depth.
47 FC
This batch command lists the actual differences between two files.
48 DISKPART
This batch command shows and configures the properties of disk partitions.
49 TITLE
This batch command sets the title displayed in the console window.
50 SET
Displays the list of environment variables on the current system.
:: Deletes All files in the Current Directory With Prompts and Warnings
::(Hidden, System, and Read-Only Files are Not Affected)
::
@ECHO OFF
DEL .
DR
Try to avoid spaces when naming batch files, it sometime creates issues when they are called from other
scripts.
Don’t name them after common batch files which are available in the system such as ping.cmd.
The above screenshot shows how to save the batch file. When saving your batch file a few points to keep in
mind.
Remember to put the .bat or .cmd at the end of the file name.
Step 3 − Write the name of the file as shown in the following image and press the Enter button to
execute the batch file.
Modifying Batch Files
Following are the steps for modifying an existing batch file.
Step 3 − Right-click the file and choose the “Edit” option from the context menu. The file will open in
Notepad for further editing.
ECHO Command
@echo off
By default, a batch file will display its command as it runs. The purpose of this first command is to turn off this
display. The command "echo off" turns off the display for the whole script, except for the "echo off" command
itself. The "at" sign "@" in front makes the command apply to itself as well.
Documentation
Very often batch files also contains lines that start with the "Rem" command. This is a way to enter comments
and documentation. The computer ignores anything on a line following Rem. For batch files with increasing
amount of complexity, this is often a good idea to have comments.
Uses the echo off command to ensure that the commands are not shown when the code is executed.
The Rem command is used to add a comment to say what exactly this batch file does.
The dir command is used to take the contents of the location C:\Program Files.
The ‘>’ command is used to redirect the output to the file C:\lists.txt.
Finally, the echo command is used to tell the user that the operation is completed.
@echo off
Rem This is for listing down all the files in the directory Program files
dir "C:\Program Files" > C:\lists.txt
echo "The program has completed"
When the above command is executed, the names of the files in C:\Program Files will be sent to the file
C:\Lists.txt and in the command prompt the message “The program has completed” will be displayed.
The following example shows a batch file which accepts 3 command line arguments and echo’s them to the
command line screen.
@echo off
echo %1
echo %2
echo %3
If the above batch script is stored in a file called test.bat and we were to run the batch as
Test.bat 1 2 3
Following is a screenshot of how this would look in the command prompt when the batch file is executed.
Example 1 2 3 4
The output would still remain the same as above. However, the fourth parameter would be ignored.
Set Command
The other way in which variables can be initialized is via the ‘set’ command. Following is the syntax of the set
command.
Syntax
set /A variable-name=value
where,
The following example shows a simple way the set command can be used.
Example
@echo off
set message=Hello World
echo %message%
In the above code snippet, a variable called message is defined and set with the value of "Hello World".
To display the value of the variable, note that the variable needs to be enclosed in the % sign.
Output
The above command produces the following output.
Hello World
The following code shows a simple way in which numeric values can be set with the /A switch.
@echo off
SET /A a=5
SET /A b=10
SET /A c=%a% + %b%
echo %c%
We are first setting the value of 2 variables, a and b to 5 and 10 respectively.
All of the arithmetic operators work in batch files. The following example shows arithmetic operators can be used
in batch files.
@echo off
SET /A a=5
SET /A b=10
SET /A c=%a% + %b%
echo %c%
SET /A c=%a% - %b%
echo %c%
SET /A c=%b% / %a%
echo %c%
SET /A c=%b% * %a%
echo %c%
15
-5
2
50
DOS scripting also has a definition for locally and globally scoped variables. By default, variables are global to
your entire command prompt session. Call the SETLOCAL command to make variables local to the scope of your
script. After calling SETLOCAL, any variable assignments revert upon calling ENDLOCAL, calling EXIT, or when
execution reaches the end of file (EOF) in your script. The following example shows the difference when local
and global variables are set in the script.
Example
@echo off
set globalvar=5
SETLOCAL
set var=13145
set /A var=%var% + 5
echo %var%
echo %globalvar%
ENDLOCAL
The ‘globalvar’ is defined with a global scope and is available throughout the entire script.
The ‘var‘ variable is defined in a local scope because it is enclosed between a ‘SETLOCAL’ and
‘ENDLOCAL’ block. Hence, this variable will be destroyed as soon the ‘ENDLOCAL’ statement is
executed.
Output
The above command produces the following output.
13150
5
You will notice that the command echo %var% will not yield anything because after the ENDLOCAL statement,
the ‘var’ variable will no longer exist.
@echo off
echo %JAVA_HOME%
The output would show the JAVA_HOME directory which would depend from system to system. Following is an
example of an output.
C:\Atlassian\Bitbucket\4.0.1\jre
For example, consider the following piece of code which has no form of comments. If any average person who
has not developed the following script tries to understand the script, it would take a lot of time for that person to
understand what the script actually does.
ECHO OFF
IF NOT "%OS%"=="Windows_NT" GOTO Syntax
ECHO.%* | FIND "?" >NUL
IF NOT ERRORLEVEL 1 GOTO Syntax
IF NOT [%2]==[] GOTO Syntax
SETLOCAL
SET WSS=
IF NOT [%1]==[] FOR /F "tokens = 1 delims = \ " %%A IN ('ECHO.%~1') DO SET WSS = %%A
FOR /F "tokens = 1 delims = \ " %%a IN ('NET VIEW ^| FIND /I "\\%WSS%"') DO FOR /F
"tokens = 1 delims = " %%A IN ('NBTSTAT -a %%a ^| FIND /I /V "%%a" ^| FIND "<03>"')
DO ECHO.%%a %%A
ENDLOCAL
GOTO:EOF
ECHO Display logged on users and their workstations.
ECHO Usage: ACTUSR [ filter ]
IF "%OS%"=="Windows_NT" ECHO Where: filter is the first part
of the computer name^(s^) to be displayed
Comments Using the Rem Statement
There are two ways to create comments in Batch Script; one is via the Rem command. Any text which follows the
Rem statement will be treated as comments and will not be executed. Following is the general syntax of this
statement.
Syntax
Rem Remarks
The following example shows a simple way the Rem command can be used.
Example
@echo off
Rem This program just displays Hello World
set message=Hello World
echo %message%
Output
The above command produces the following output. You will notice that the line with the Rem statement will not
be executed.
Hello World
Syntax
:: Remarks
The following example shows a simple way the Rem command can be used.
Example
@echo off
:: This program just displays Hello World
set message=Hello World
echo %message%
Output
The above command produces the following output. You will notice that the line with the :: statement will not be
executed.
Hello World
Note − If you have too many lines of Rem, it could slow down the code, because in the end each line of code in
the batch file still needs to be executed.
Let’s look at the example of the large script we saw at the beginning of this topic and see how it looks when
documentation is added to it.
::===============================================================
:: The below example is used to find computer and logged on users
::
::===============================================================
ECHO OFF
:: Windows version check
IF NOT "%OS%"=="Windows_NT" GOTO Syntax
ECHO.%* | FIND "?" >NUL
:: Command line parameter check
IF NOT ERRORLEVEL 1 GOTO Syntax
IF NOT [%2]==[] GOTO Syntax
:: Keep variable local
SETLOCAL
:: Initialize variable
SET WSS=
:: Parse command line parameter
IF NOT [%1]==[] FOR /F "tokens = 1 delims = \ " %%A IN ('ECHO.%~1') DO SET WSS = %%A
:: Use NET VIEW and NBTSTAT to find computers and logged on users
FOR /F "tokens = 1 delims = \ " %%a IN ('NET VIEW ^| FIND /I "\\%WSS%"') DO FOR /F
"tokens = 1 delims = " %%A IN ('NBTSTAT -a %%a ^| FIND /I /V "%%a" ^| FIND
"<03>"') DO ECHO.%%a %%A
:: Done
ENDLOCAL
GOTO:EOF
:Syntax
ECHO Display logged on users and their workstations.
ECHO Usage: ACTUSR [ filter ]
IF "%OS%"=="Windows_NT" ECHO Where: filter is the first part of the
computer name^(s^) to be displayed
You can now see that the code has become more understandable to users who have not developed the code and
hence is more maintainable.
1 Create String
A string can be created in DOS in the following way.
2 Empty String
Empty String
3 String Interpolation
String interpolation is a way to construct a new String value from a mix of constants, variables, literals,
and expressions by including their values inside a string literal.
4 String Concatenation
You can use the set operator to concatenate two strings or a string and a character, or two characters.
Following is a simple example which shows how to use string concatenation.
5 String length
In DOS scripting, there is no length function defined for finding the length of a string. There are custom-
defined functions which can be used for the same. Following is an example of a custom-defined
function for seeing the length of a string.
6 toInt
A variable which has been set as string using the set variable can be converted to an integer using the
/A switch which is using the set variable. The following example shows how this can be accomplished.
7 Align Right
This used to align text to the right, which is normally used to improve readability of number columns.
8 Left String
This is used to extract characters from the beginning of a string.
9 Mid String
This is used to extract a substring via the position of the characters in the string.
10 Remove
The string substitution feature can also be used to remove a substring from another string.
13 Replace a String
To replace a substring with another string use the string substitution feature.
14 Right String
This is used to extract characters from the end of a string.
Each element of the array needs to be defined with the set command.
The ‘for’ loop would be required to iterate through the values of the array.
Creating an Array
An array is created by using the following set command.
set a[0]=1
Where 0 is the index of the array and 1 is the value assigned to the first element of the array.
Another way to implement arrays is to define a list of values and iterate through the list of values. The following
example show how this can be implemented.
Example
@echo off
set list=1 2 3 4
(for %%a in (%list%) do (
echo %%a
))
Output
The above command produces the following output.
1
2
3
4
Accessing Arrays
You can retrieve a value from the array by using subscript syntax, passing the index of the value you want to
retrieve within square brackets immediately after the name of the array.
Example
@echo off
set a[0]=1
echo %a[0]%
In this example, the index starts from 0 which means the first element can be accessed using index as 0, the
second element can be accessed using index as 1 and so on. Let's check the following example to create,
initialize and access arrays −
@echo off
set a[0]=1
set a[1]=2
set a[2]=3
echo The first element of the array is %a[0]%
echo The second element of the array is %a[1]%
echo The third element of the array is %a[2]%
Modifying an Array
To add an element to the end of the array, you can use the set element along with the last index of the array
element.
Example
@echo off
set a[0]=1
set a[1]=2
set a[2]=3
Rem Adding an element at the end of an array
Set a[3]=4
echo The last element of the array is %a[3]%
You can modify an existing element of an Array by assigning a new value at a given index as shown in the
following example −
@echo off
set a[0]=1
set a[1]=2
set a[2]=3
Rem Setting the new value for the second element of the array
Set a[1]=5
echo The new value of the second element of the array is %a[1]%
@echo off
setlocal enabledelayedexpansion
set topic[0]=comments
set topic[1]=variables
set topic[2]=Arrays
set topic[3]=Decision making
set topic[4]=Time and date
set topic[5]=Operators
Each element of the array needs to be specifically defined using the set command.
The ‘for’ loop with the /L parameter for moving through ranges is used to iterate through the array.
Output
The above command produces the following output.
Comments
variables
Arrays
Decision making
Time and date
Operators
Length of an Array
The length of an array is done by iterating over the list of values in the array since there is no direct function to
determine the number of elements in an array.
@echo off
set Arr[0]=1
set Arr[1]=2
set Arr[2]=3
set Arr[3]=4
set "x=0"
:SymLoop
if defined Arr[%x%] (
call echo %%Arr[%x%]%%
set /a "x+=1"
GOTO :SymLoop
)
echo "The length of the array is" %x%
Output
Output The above command produces the following output.
Example
@echo off
set len=3
set obj[0].Name=Joe
set obj[0].ID=1
set obj[1].Name=Mark
set obj[1].ID=2
set obj[2].Name=Mohan
set obj[2].ID=3
set i=0
:loop
if %i% equ %len% goto :eof
set cur.Name=
set cur.ID=
The following key things need to be noted about the above code.
Each variable defined using the set command has 2 values associated with each index of the array.
The variable i is set to 0 so that we can loop through the structure will the length of the array which is 3.
We always check for the condition on whether the value of i is equal to the value of len and if not, we
loop through the code.
We are able to access each element of the structure using the obj[%i%] notation.
Output
The above command produces the following output.
Name=Joe
Value=1
Name=Mark
Value=2
Name=Mohan
Value=3
1 If Statement
The first decision-making statement is the ‘if’ statement.
2 If/else Statement
The next decision making statement is the If/else statement. Following is the general form of this
statement.
3 Nested If Statements
Sometimes, there is a requirement to have multiple ‘if’ statement embedded inside each other.
Following is the general form of this statement.
Batch Script – Operators
An operator is a symbol that tells the compiler to perform specific mathematical or logical manipulations.
Arithmetic operators
Relational operators
Logical operators
Assignment operators
Bitwise operators
Arithmetic Operators
Batch script language supports the normal Arithmetic operators as any language. Following are the Arithmetic
operators available.
Show Example
Relational Operators
Relational operators allow of the comparison of objects. Below are the relational operators available.
Show Example
EQU Tests the equality between two objects 2 EQU 2 will give true
NEQ Tests the difference between two objects 3 NEQ 2 will give true
LSS Checks to see if the left object is less than the right operand 2 LSS 3 will give true
LEQ Checks to see if the left object is less than or equal to the right 2 LEQ 3 will give true
operand
GTR Checks to see if the left object is greater than the right operand 3 GTR 2 will give true
GEQ Checks to see if the left object is greater than or equal to the right 3 GEQ 2 will give true
operand
Logical Operators
Logical operators are used to evaluate Boolean expressions. Following are the logical operators available.
The batch language is equipped with a full set of Boolean logic operators like AND, OR, XOR, but only for binary
numbers. Neither are there any values for TRUE or FALSE. The only logical operator available for conditions is
the NOT operator.
Show Example
Operator Description
Assignment Operators
Batch Script language also provides assignment operators. Following are the assignment operators available.
Show Example
This adds right operand to the left operand and assigns the Set /A a = 5
result to left operand
+= a += 3
Output will be 8
This subtracts the right operand from the left operand and Set /A a = 5
assigns the result to the left operand
-= a -= 3
Output will be 2
This multiplies the right operand with the left operand and Set /A a = 5
assigns the result to the left operand
*= a *= 3
Output will be 15
This divides the left operand with the right operand and assigns Set /A a = 6
the result to the left operand
/= a/ = 3
Output will be 2
%= This takes modulus using two operands and assigns the result Set /A a = 5
to the left operand
a% = 3
Output will be 2
Bitwise Operators
Bitwise operators are also possible in batch script. Following are the operators available.
Show Example
Operator Description
0 0 0 0 0
0 1 0 1 1
1 1 1 1 0
1 0 0 1 1
DATE
This command gets the system date.
Syntax
DATE
Example
@echo off
echo %DATE%
Output
The current date will be displayed in the command prompt. For example,
Mon 12/28/2015
TIME
This command sets or displays the time.
Syntax
TIME
Example
@echo off
echo %TIME%
Output
The current system time will be displayed. For example,
22:06:52.87
Following are some implementations which can be used to get the date and time in different formats.
@echo off
echo/Today is: %year%-%month%-%day%
goto :EOF
setlocal ENABLEEXTENSIONS
set t=2&if "%date%z" LSS "A" set t=1
Output
The above command produces the following output.
Each of these three standard files, otherwise known as the standard streams, are referenced using the numbers
0, 1, and 2. Stdin is file 0, stdout is file 1, and stderr is file 2.
In the above example, the stdout of the command Dir C:\ is redirected to the file list.txt.
If you append the number 2 to the redirection filter, then it would redirect the stderr to the file lists.txt.
One can even combine the stdout and stderr streams using the file number and the ‘&’ prefix. Following is an
example.
Stdin
To work with the Stdin, you have to use a workaround to achieve this. This can be done by redirecting the
command prompt’s own stdin, called CON.
The following example shows how you can redirect the output to a file called lists.txt. After you execute the below
command, the command prompt will take all the input entered by user till it gets an EOF character. Later, it sends
all the input to the file lists.txt.
1 Incorrect function. Indicates that Action has attempted to execute non-recognized command in
Windows command prompt cmd.exe.
2 The system cannot find the file specified. Indicates that the file cannot be found in specified location.
3 The system cannot find the path specified. Indicates that the specified path cannot be found.
5 Access is denied. Indicates that user has no access right to specified resource.
9009 Program is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.
Indicates that command, application name or path has been misspelled when configuring the Action.
0x2331
-1073741801
3221225786 The application terminated as a result of a CTRL+C. Indicates that the application has been
terminated either by the user's keyboard input CTRL+C or CTRL+Break or closing command prompt
0xC000013A window.
-1073741510
3221225794 The application failed to initialize properly. Indicates that the application has been launched on a
Desktop to which the current user has no access rights. Another possible cause is that either
0xC0000142 gdi32.dll or user32.dll has failed to initialize.
-1073741502
Error Level
The environmental variable %ERRORLEVEL% contains the return code of the last executed program or script.
By default, the way to check for the ERRORLEVEL is via the following code.
Syntax
IF %ERRORLEVEL% NEQ 0 (
DO_Something
)
It is common to use the command EXIT /B %ERRORLEVEL% at the end of the batch file to return the error
codes from the batch file.
EXIT /B at the end of the batch file will stop execution of a batch file.
Use EXIT /B < exitcodes > at the end of the batch file to return custom return codes.
Environment variable %ERRORLEVEL% contains the latest errorlevel in the batch file, which is the latest error
codes from the last command executed. In the batch file, it is always a good practice to use environment
variables instead of constant values, since the same variable get expanded to different values on different
computers.
Let’s look at a quick example on how to check for error codes from a batch file.
Example
Let’s assume we have a batch file called Find.cmd which has the following code. In the code, we have clearly
mentioned that we if don’t find the file called lists.txt then we should set the errorlevel to 7. Similarly, if we see that
the variable userprofile is not defined then we should set the errorlevel code to 9.
Let’s assume we have another file called App.cmd that calls Find.cmd first. Now, if the Find.cmd returns an error
wherein it sets the errorlevel to greater than 0 then it would exit the program. In the following batch file, after
calling the Find.cnd find, it actually checks to see if the errorlevel is greater than 0.
Call Find.cmd
Output
In the above program, we can have the following scenarios as the output −
If the file c:\lists.txt does not exist, then nothing will be displayed in the console output.
If the variable userprofile does not exist, then nothing will be displayed in the console output.
If both of the above condition passes then the string “Successful completion” will be displayed in the
command prompt.
Loops
In the decision making chapter, we have seen statements which have been executed one after the other in a
sequential manner. Additionally, implementations can also be done in Batch Script to alter the flow of control in a
program’s logic. They are then classified into flow of control statements.
Example
@ECHO OFF
:Loop
Output
Let’s assume that our above code is stored in a file called Test.bat. The above command will produce the
following output if the batch file passes the command line arguments of 1,2 and 3 as Test.bat 1 2 3.
1
2
3
As like any other languages, functions in Batch Script follows the same procedure −
Function Declaration − It tells the compiler about a function's name, return type, and parameters.
Function Definition
In Batch Script, a function is defined by using the label statement. When a function is newly defined, it may take
one or several values as input 'parameters' to the function, process the functions in the main body, and pass back
the values to the functions as output 'return types'.
Every function has a function name, which describes the task that the function performs. To use a function, you
"call" that function with its name and pass its input values (known as arguments) that matches the types of the
function's parameters.
:function_name
Do_something
EXIT /B 0
The function_name is the name given to the function which should have some meaning to match what
the function actually does.
The EXIT statement is used to ensure that the function exits properly.
Example
:Display
SET /A index=2
echo The value of index is %index%
EXIT /B 0
1 Calling a Function
A function is called in Batch Script by using the call command.
5 Recursive Functions
The ability to completely encapsulate the body of a function by keeping variable changes local to the
function and invisible to the caller.
6 File I/O
In Batch Script, it is possible to perform the normal file I/O operations that would be expected in any
programming language.
7 Creating Files
The creation of a new file is done with the help of the redirection filter >. This filter can be used to
redirect any output to a file.
8 Writing to Files
Content writing to files is also done with the help of the redirection filter >. This filter can be used to
redirect any output to a file.
9 Appending to Files
Content writing to files is also done with the help of the double redirection filter >>. This filter can be
used to append any output to a file.
11 Deleting Files
For deleting files, Batch Script provides the DEL command.
12 Renaming Files
For renaming files, Batch Script provides the REN or RENAME command.
13 Moving Files
For moving files, Batch Script provides the MOVE command.
17 Folders
In Batch Script, it is possible to perform the normal folder based operations that would be expected in
any programming language.
18 Creating Folders
The creation of a folder is done with the assistance of the MD (Make directory) command.
20 Deleting Folders
For deleting folders, Batch Scripting provides the DEL command.
21 Renaming Folders
For renaming folders, Batch Script provides the REN or RENAME command.
22 Moving Folders
For moving folders, Batch Script provides the MOVE command.
Syntax
TASKLIST [/S system [/U username [/P [password]]]] [/M [module] | /SVC | /V] [/FI filter]
[/FO format] [/NH]
Following are the description of the options which can be presented to the TASKLIST command.
Examples
TASKLIST
The above command will get the list of all the processes running on your local system. Following is a snapshot of
the output which is rendered when the above command is run as it is. As you can see from the following output,
not only do you get the various processes running on your system, you also get the memory usage of each
process.
The above command takes the output displayed by tasklist and saves it to the process.txt file.
The above command will only fetch those processes whose memory is greater than 40MB. Following is a sample
output that can be rendered.
Syntax
TASKKILL [/S system [/U username [/P [password]]]] { [/FI filter]
[/PID processid | /IM imagename] } [/T] [/F]
Following are the description of the options which can be presented to the TASKKILL command.
Examples
taskkill /f /im notepad.exe
The above command kills the open notepad task, if open.
Syntax
START "title" [/D path] [options] "command" [parameters]
Wherein
Following are the description of the options which can be presented to the START command.
Examples
START "Test Batch Script" /Min test.bat
The above command will run the batch script test.bat in a new window. The windows will start in the minimized
mode and also have the title of “Test Batch Script”.
The above command will actually run Microsoft word in another process and then open the file TESTA.txt in MS
Word.
Dir /w
dw=dir /w
When we want to execute the dir /w command, we can simply type in the word dw. The word ‘dw’ has now
become an alias to the command Dir /w.
Creating an Alias
Alias are managed by using the doskey command.
Syntax
DOSKEY [options] [macroname=[text]]
Wherein
Following are the description of the options which can be presented to the DOSKEY command.
1. /REINSTALL
Installs a new copy of Doskey
2. /LISTSIZE = size
Sets size of command history buffer.
3. /MACROS
Displays all Doskey macros.
4. /MACROS:ALL
Displays all Doskey macros for all executables which have Doskey macros.
5. /MACROS:exename
Displays all Doskey macros for the given executable.
6. /HISTORY
Displays all commands stored in memory.
7. /INSERT
Specifies that new text you type is inserted in old text.
8. /OVERSTRIKE
Specifies that new text overwrites old text.
9. /EXENAME = exename
Specifies the executable.
11. macroname
Specifies a name for a macro you create.
12. text
Specifies commands you want to record.
Example
Create a new file called keys.bat and enter the following commands in the file. The below commands creates two
aliases, one if for the cd command, which automatically goes to the directory called test. And the other is for the
dir command.
@echo off
doskey cd=cd/test
doskey d=dir
Once you execute the command, you will able to run these aliases in the command prompt.
Output
The following screenshot shows that after the above created batch file is executed, you can freely enter the ‘d’
command and it will give you the directory listing which means that your alias has been created.
Deleting an Alias
An alias or macro can be deleted by setting the value of the macro to NULL.
Example
@echo off
doskey cd=cd/test
doskey d=dir
d=
In the above example, we are first setting the macro d to d = dir. After which we are setting it to NULL. Because
we have set the value of d to NULL, the macro d will deleted.
Replacing an Alias
An alias or macro can be replaced by setting the value of the macro to the new desired value.
Example
@echo off
doskey cd=cd/test
doskey d=dir
d=dir /w
In the above example, we are first setting the macro d to d = dir. After which we are setting it to dir /w. Since we
have set the value of d to a new value, the alias ‘d’ will now take on the new value.
Windows driver developers and testers can use DevCon to verify that a driver is installed and configured
correctly, including the proper INF files, driver stack, driver files, and driver package. You can also use the
DevCon commands (enable, disable, install, start, stop, and continue) in scripts to test the driver. DevCon is a
command-line tool that performs device management functions on local computers and remote computers.
Display driver and device info DevCon can display the following properties of drivers and devices on local
computers, and remote computers (running Windows XP and earlier) −
Hardware IDs, compatible IDs, and device instance IDs. These identifiers are described in detail in
device identification strings.
Hardware resources.
Device status.
Search for devices DevCon can search for installed and uninstalled devices on a local or remote
computer by hardware ID, device instance ID, or device setup class.
Change device settings DevCon can change the status or configuration of Plug and Play (PnP) devices
on the local computer in the following ways −
Enable a device.
Disable a device.
Change the upper and lower filter drivers for a device setup class.
Add and delete third-party driver packages from the driver store.
DevCon (DevCon.exe) is included when you install the WDK, Visual Studio, and the Windows SDK for desktop
apps. DevCon.exe kit is available in the following locations when installed.
%WindowsSdkDir%\tools\x64\devcon.exe
%WindowsSdkDir%\tools\x86\devcon.exe
%WindowsSdkDir%\tools\arm\devcon.exe
Syntax
devcon [/m:\\computer] [/r] command [arguments]
wherein
/m:\\computer − Runs the command on the specified remote computer. The backslashes are required.
/r − Conditional reboot. Reboots the system after completing an operation only if a reboot is required to
make a change effective.
To list and display information about devices on the computer, use the following commands −
DevCon HwIDs
DevCon Classes
DevCon ListClass
DevCon DriverFiles
DevCon DriverNodes
DevCon Resources
DevCon Stack
DevCon Status
DevCon Dp_enum
To search for information about devices on the computer, use the following commands −
DevCon Find
DevCon FindAll
To manipulate the device or change its configuration, use the following commands −
DevCon Enable
DevCon Disable
DevCon Update
DevCon UpdateNI
DevCon Install
DevCon Remove
DevCon Rescan
DevCon Restart
DevCon Reboot
DevCon SetHwID
DevCon ClassFilter
DevCon Dp_add
DevCon Dp_delete
Examples
Following are some examples on how the DevCon command is used.
The following command uses the DevCon DriverFiles operation to list the file names of drivers that devices on the
system use. The command uses the wildcard character (*) to indicate all devices on the system. Because the
output is extensive, the command uses the redirection character (>) to redirect the output to a reference file,
driverfiles.txt.
The following command uses the DevCon status operation to find the status of all devices on the local computer.
It then saves the status in the status.txt file for logging or later review. The command uses the wildcard character
(*) to represent all devices and the redirection character (>) to redirect the output to the status.txt file.
The following command enables all printer devices on the computer by specifying the Printer setup class in a
DevCon Enable command. The command includes the /r parameter, which reboots the system if it is necessary
to make the enabling effective.
devcon /r enable=Printer
The following command uses the DevCon Install operation to install a keyboard device on the local computer.
The command includes the full path to the INF file for the device (keyboard.inf) and a hardware ID (*PNP030b).
The following command will scan the computer for new devices.
devcon scan
The following command will rescan the computer for new devices.
devcon rescan
The Registry contains two basic elements: keys and values. Registry keys are container objects similar to
folders. Registry values are non-container objects similar to files. Keys may contain values or further keys. Keys
are referenced with a syntax similar to Windows' path names, using backslashes to indicate levels of hierarchy.
This chapter looks at various functions such as querying values, adding, deleting and editing values from the
registry.
1 NET ACCOUNTS
View the current password & logon restrictions for the computer.
2 NET CONFIG
Displays your current server or workgroup settings.
3 NET COMPUTER
Adds or removes a computer attached to the windows domain controller.
4 NET USER
This command can be used for the following
5 NET STOP/START
This command is used to stop and start a particular service.
6 NET STATISTICS
Display network statistics of the workstation or server.
7 NET USE
Connects or disconnects your computer from a shared resource or displays information about your
connections.
Syntax
PRINT [/D:device] [[drive:][path]filename[...]]
Example
The above command will print the example.txt file to the parallel port lpt1.
Syntax
RUNDLL32.EXE PRINTUI.DLL,PrintUIEntry [ options ] [ @commandfile ]
/F[file] − Location of an INF file that the INF file specified with /f may depend on.
/ia − Install printer driver using inf file.
/ii − Install printer using add printer wizard with an inf file.
/k − Print test page to specified printer, cannot be combined with command when installing a printer.
The existence of a printer can be evaluated with the help of the RUNDLL32.EXE PRINTUI.DLL which is used to
control most of the printer settings.
Example
IF EXIST "%file%" (
ECHO %PrinterName% printer exists
) ELSE (
ECHO %PrinterName% printer does NOT exists
)
It will first set the printer name and set a file name which will hold the settings of the printer.
The RUNDLL32.EXE PRINTUI.DLL commands will be used to check if the printer actually exists by
sending the configuration settings of the file to the file Prt.txt
Error Messages
To discover the source of the message, follow these steps −
Step 1 − REM out the @ECHO OFF line, i.e. REM @ECHO OFF or :: @ECHO OFF.
Step 2 − Run the batch file with the required command line parameters, redirecting all output to a log file for later
comparison.
Step 4 − Check the previous line for any unexpected or invalid command, command line switch(es) or value(s);
pay special attention to the values of any environment variables used in the command.
Step 5 − Correct the error and repeat this process until all error messages have disappeared.
Step 1 − Insert "command check lines" just before a line which uses the complex command set.
Following is an example wherein the ECHO command is inserted to mark where the output of the first TYPE
command ends and the next one starts.
TYPE %Temp%.\apipaorg.reg
ECHO.================================================ TYPE %Temp%.\apipaorg.reg
| FIND
"[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\TCPIP\Parameters\Interfaces\"
Step 2 − Follow the procedure to find error message sources described above.
Step 3 − Pay special attention to the output of the "simplified" command lines: Is the output of the expected
format? Is the "token" value or position as expected?
Subroutines
Subroutines generating error messages pose an extra "challenge" in finding the cause of the error, as they may
be called multiple times in the same batch file.
To help find out what causes the incorrect call to the subroutine, follow these steps −
Step 1 − Add and reset a counter variable at the beginning of the script −
SET Counter=0
Step 2 − Increment the counter each time the subroutine is called, by inserting the following line at the beginning
of the subroutine
SET /A Counter+=1
Step 3 − Insert another line right after the counter increment, containing only the SET command; this will list all
environment variables and their values.
Step 4 − Follow the procedure to find error message sources described above.
Windows Versions
If you intend to distribute your batch files to other computers that may or may not run the same Windows version,
you will need to test your batch files in as many Windows versions as possible.
The following example shows how to check for various operating system versions to check the relevant windows
versions.
@ECHO OFF
:: Check for Windows NT 4 and later
:DontRun
ECHO Sorry, this batch file was written for Windows XP and later versions only
Syntax
test.bat > testlog.txt 2> testerrors.txt
Example
Create a file called test.bat and enter the following command in the file.
The above command has an error because the option to the net statistics command is given in the wrong way.
Output
If the command with the above test.bat file is run as
test.bat > testlog.txt 2> testerrors.txt
And you open the file testerrors.txt, you will see the following error.
NET STATISTICS
[WORKSTATION | SERVER]
If you open the file called testlog.txt, it will show you a log of what commands were executed.
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