%1 argument not expanded in CMD command

[whathim]

Jos



I’m having trouble passing arguments to batch files. Here’s what I’m doing.



In my batch file OpenV.bat (called from Autoexec.txt) that invokes my application, I want to run a batch file under cmd.exe just before I invoke Open.exe. So, for testing purposes, OpenV.bat contains the following commands.



ECHO %1

CMD /k C:\OpenV3_2\Test123.bat %1

C:\OPENV3_2\OPEN.EXE /50 %1 %2 %3 %4



The Test123.bat file contains:



ECHO %1

ECHO “%1”

PAUSE



The argument %1 gets passed from Autoexec.txt and is dully ECHOed correctly in OpenV.bat. Yet in Test123.bat, ECHO prints %1 or “%1”. It’s as if the %1 argument is not being expanded in the CMD statement.



Am I doing something silly?

[Jos]

Trapping/handling CMD is done before eventual variables are expanded/replaced.

See vdos.proboards.com/thread/687/error-using-parameters-bat-files. For now you could use the workaround given by martin.

Jos

[whathim]

Thanks Jos.



Re. Martin’s workaround, I haven’t got command.com on my system – I just get “Bad command or file name”. Am I misunderstanding?

[Jos]

command.com should always appear to be present inside vDos, for instance:



Jos

[whathim]

I’ve just tested “dir command.com” which does indeed show command.com is visible inside vDos, exactly as your screen shot. But when I try to invoke it, I just get “Bad command or file name”. I’ve tried several ways.



Command.com [/c CMD]

C:\command.com [/c CMD]

C:\vDos\command.com [/c CMD]



All give “Bad command or file name”.

[Jos]

Surely there was never attention to start a further command processor by a command line.

I’ll have a look to support that, even as it’s not logical.

Except now for passing on variables.

I managed at first to do command.com… But then noticed an actual command.com file in the directory.
You could also create a dummy command.com file, so it’s found.
Mind, .COM files are just memory images. The actual command.com seems to be executed if a file path is specified.

Jos

[whathim]

I’d be interested to know how Martin’s workaround is working – I can’t get it to work anyway I try.



Never mind – I will await what you come up with regarding passing variables to CMD. Many thanks for the help.

[martin]

As Jos said, my workaround only works, if there's a dummy command.com in (vdos) C:\.

Just create a textfile with windows notepad, mine only contains the word "Dummyfile", copy it to the directory, which is vdos C:\ and rename the copy to command.com.

I had forgotten about that. The file originally was used to make a "Go to DOS Shell" menu option work in a dos program and an older vdos-version. It seems that p.e. FreeEDIT don't need that in the current vdos-Version (for "Go to DOS Shell").

HTH

Martin

[whathim]

Thanks for replying, Martin.



Nope, already tried the dummy file and I get:





In detail, what I do:



1. Create text file in (Windows) C:\vDos\ folder (where vDos.exe resides) and rename it to command.com



2. In my OpenV.bat file (the batch that runs my Open.exe application) I try the following commands:



    C:\command.com /c CMD /k C:\OpenV3_2\Test123.bat %1

    Results in “Bad command or file name”.



    C:\vDos\command.com /c CMD /k C:\OpenV3_2\Test123.bat %1

    Results in vDos exception (see screenshot).



Note that in my Autoexec.txt I have USE C: C:\ which means that (vDos) C:\ is the same as (Windows) C:\ (yes, I know Jos doesn’t like this). So, it is hardly surprising I get “Bad command or file name” when I issue the command starting with “C:\command.com /c …”.



So, the other thing to try would be to place the dummy command.com in my vDos C:\ = Windows C:\ root. I’m a bit wary of doing that so, as I said previously, I’ll await any updates.



Many thanks anyway.

[martin]

There's a second workaround (without command.com) using the ECHO command and a temporary batch file. In your OpenV.bat above, replace the line

CMD /k C:\OpenV3_2\Test123.bat %1

by the two lines

ECHO CMD /k C:\OpenV3_2\Test123.bat %1 > temp.bat
call temp.bat


This creates (in vdos) a temporary batchfile (temp.bat) with a substituted %1 variable and executes temp.bat.

[whathim]

I do believe it’s worked, although I had to specify full path for temp.bat.



That’s brilliant – I can now continue playing.

Many thanks