Starting es.exe from batch file

[arazi8901]

Hello, I have the following lines in a CMD batch file:

Code: Select all

:: Create directory and file counts reporting for Source Path and Destination Path

set "SourceFullPath=H:\Home_P_17M\ABC\"
set "DestinationFullPath=E:\1_Base_18W\Home_P_17M\Home_P_17M\ABC\"

:: Report file counts for the Source and Destination using CMD DIR

start /b /wait cmd.exe /c dir /a:-d /s /b "%%SourceFullPath%%" | find /c ":\" >>  "C:\ABC Big C Folder\RoboCopy with Logs\Logs\Status.txt"
start /b /wait cmd.exe /c dir /a:-d /s /b "%%DestinationFullPath%%" | find /c ":\" >>  "C:\ABC Big C Folder\RoboCopy with Logs\Logs\Status.txt"

:: Report directory and file counts for the Source and Destination using: "C:\Program Files\Everything\Everything.exe" via its command-line interface "C:\Program Files\Everything\Es.exe"

timeout /t 2
start /b /wait "Es.exe > Everything.exe" "C:\Program Files\Everything\Es.exe" -get-result-count "!SourceFullPath!" >> "C:\ABC Big C Folder\RoboCopy with Logs\Logs\Status.txt"
start /b /wait "Es.exe > Everything.exe" "C:\Program Files\Everything\Es.exe" -get-result-count "!DestinationFullPath!" >> "C:\ABC Big C Folder\RoboCopy with Logs\Logs\Status.txt"

If I run the batch file by itself, from the CMD prompt, everything works great. Both the CMD DIR and the ES.EXE reports are great.

However, if I start this batch file from inside another (calling) batch file then the CMD DIR commands are still fine, but there is nothing at all returned by the ES.EXE commands.

The way I call (start) this batch file from within the other is with the command:
start /wait "Robo_020.bat" "C:\ABC Big C Folder\RoboCopy with Logs\Robo_020.bat"

Also, I did try other ways of designating the Source and Destination variables on the ES.EXE line besides "!SourceFullPath!", such as: %SourceFullPath% and "%%SourceFullPath%%". But, "!SourceFullPath!" was the only syntax that I could get working. I do include: setlocal enabledelayedexpansion at the top of batch files.

Any ideas on what is going wrong when the batch file is started/called by another? Is there maybe some environmental variable I am missing?

Thank you!

[therube]

On my end, at least as I've done it...

%source%, correctly returns source=, & correct number of results
%%source%%, returns %source% (literally), & an answer of 0
%%%source%%%, returns source= enclosed in (single) %'s, so %H:\Home\...\%, & an answer of 0
!source! acts as if it were nul (not null nor NotNull), as in as if the source= variable did not even exist, & answer is total number of all your files

Does your window "Title" actually get set when using START /B ?

Does /I make a difference ?

Does CMD /C or similar, or in conjunction with START, CMD /C START..., make a difference?
Should you be using CMD /C rather then START - in some places?

Is /wait necessarily needed, in some places?


gogo.bat:

start /wait go.bat

go.bat:

Code: Select all

echo Now running go.bat :-)

set source=C:\TMP\SEA\palton\cache2

start /b /wait "TITLE: FANCY WINDOW TITLE" "Es.ex2" -get-result-count %source%
PAUSE

[arazi8901]

On my end, at least as I've done it...

%source%, correctly returns source=, & correct number of results
%%source%%, returns %source% (literally), & an answer of 0
%%%source%%%, returns source= enclosed in (single) %'s, so %H:\Home\...\%, & an answer of 0
!source! acts as if it were nul (not null nor NotNull), as in as if the source= variable did not even exist, & answer is total number of all your files

Yes, I apologize for that. I created and shared a snippet of the much larger code that was inadvertently misleading in two regards:

(1) I forgot to include in the snippet the 'setlocal enabledelayedexpansion' environmental setting that goes at the top and would probably allow for your !source! to work

(2) I created example directories that do not include any spaces in their names. In the actual, long, process there are many directories that have long names and spaces, requiring "quotation marks" as part of the name. That alone causes so many problems using variables, I think.

Does your window "Title" actually get set when using START /B ?

Good question. In the most recent batches I include START /B on built-in Windows commands like: start /b /wait cmd.exe /c findstr, start /b /wait cmd.exe /c type, start /b /wait cmd.exe /c del , etc, etc. But the command lines that include a Title I am just using: START /WAIT . Without the /B. And those windows do have their Titles set, but are running in separate windows.

Does /I make a difference ?

That's a good tip. I tried it both ways and there was not any difference. Because of all of the variables being used I definitely want each individual batch to operate in its own sandbox with nothing being carried/held over from the main calling batch -- or anywhere else -- so it doesn't seem that /I is what I would want. But, it didn't make any difference.

Does CMD /C or similar, or in conjunction with START, CMD /C START..., make a difference? Should you be using CMD /C rather then START - in some places?

That's another really good question. All of the batches are mixes of sometimes CMD /C, sometimes start /b /wait cmd.exe /c, just whatever ends up working. Many times there is no difference in what ends up happening. I have not figured out exactly WHY things work with certain syntaxes versus others, I just trial and error.

Is /wait necessarily needed, in some places?

Yeah, definitely. But not in all. Without the ability to chain batches in sequential order and taking turns I would have a mess. That's a good thought though, and I will skip the WAIT wherever I can. The reason I have that on so many lines is just force of habit and copy/paste.

There are other, third-party, programs that I use with internal scripting capabilities that just have run-on scripts that force building in 'wait' and 'pause' times just for things to even work-- so I just include things like that by habit now. Even in these CMD batch files that probably don't even need them.

I still have mysteries in this, but after some tinkering the latest runnings of the batch chain did produce the desired results. I am not sure why. This process normally runs automated at 2:15a.m. Maybe there is something different then that I am not aware of.

Of course all of this is Windows CMD questions now -- I came to this forum just in case there was an obvious known thing about using CS.EXE in batches that could be solved easily. Now that I have run a working chain that is probably not the case and it all just comes down to Windows CMD-- which is a whole different forum.

Thank you SO MUCH for asking questions and looking into this-- I tinkered around in response to your questions and had a successful run. Now the question is to see what happens tomorrow following the 2:15am automated run.

THANK YOU!!

.