We have a vbs script that runs once a month. The script ran well for the most part but as a couple months ago one command stop working
The vbs script is executed by Windows Scheduler
Inside this script we set a variable called "launch"
Set launch = WScript.CreateObject( "WScript.Shell" )
and later in the program we use this command
launch.run("runthis.BAT")
We do not specify the full path in the command and to my knowledge we never have. This bat file resides in the same directory that the vbs script does. I guess this is why it was setup to run that way.
We are not sure what happened and the sys admins are not sure what could have changed to cause it to no longer work.
Please keep in mind we are not VBS specialists and this is something that has been in place for several years.
Any suggestions or resources to look at would be appreciated.
In order for us to provide a better answer, please update your question with the script you are having trouble with. We don't know what the launch object is - hopefully something other than WScript.Shell. Nevertheless you should be able to run a batch file this way:
Dim objShell
Set objShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
objShell.Run "C:\your_folder\your_batch_file.bat"
Replace the launch.run part of your script with this code and update it with the correct path and name of your batch file (update "C:\your_folder\your_batch_file.bat" part).
Okay I created a small script to call "net file" and pump the output to a file. There are no spaces in the filenames, and everything seems okay when I run it interactively. So I run the following and I get no results and no errors:
set oWShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
owshell.run "net file > C:\openfiles.txt"
Set owShell = nothing
Now if modify this just slightly to show execute the same command (and keep my command window open) it works just as expected (except it keeps the cmd window open which I can't have)
set oWShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
owshell.run "%comspec% /k net file > C:\openfiles.txt"
Set owShell = nothing
It must be something obvious that I'm just missing. I only touch vbs once in a blue moon so it isn't something that I'm that used to using.
Any help would be appreciated! Thanks in advance!
You need a shell (i.e. %comspec%) to get shell features like redirection; the persisten window is what you asked for: the /k lets the shell stay open (try /c instead) and you should use the second and third parameter of the .Run method to get a hidden window (and possibly wait for the process before you zap the owShell).
Have a look at Run. Changing
owshell.run "%comspec% /k net file > C:\openfiles.txt"
to
owshell.run "%comspec% /c net file > C:\openfiles.txt", 0, FALSE
This will hide the cmd and carry on with the rest of the script... If you want to wait for the command to finish, change FALSE to TRUE.
Also keep in mind that some machines are funny about letting you write files directly to C:\. Possibly create a test folder and write to there instead!
I've created a simple batch file that kicks off my *.msi installer within our company, creating a log file of the process, then displays the log file after the installer has completed.
installAndLog.bat:
msiexec.exe /i "\\FileServer2\setup.msi" /l*v "C:\setupLog.txt"
"C:\setupLog.txt"
It works, but there are two (2) glitches that annoy me:
The black console box shows in the background the whole time the installer is running and the log file is being displayed. Q1: How do I hide that?
and
The console box will not close until the log file is no longer being viewed (i.e. notepad.exe is closed). Q2: Can I call the text file in a new process and simply exit?
I was a DOS lover back in the day, but that was too many years ago.
I don't think you can hide the console window when running a batch file. However you can use vbscript instead which will by default not create a console window.
Take the below and put it in a file with a .vbs extension:
Dim wshShell
Set wshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
wshShell.Run "msiexec.exe /i ""\\FileServer2\setup.msi"" /l*v ""C:\setupLog.txt""", 1, true
wshShell.Run "C:\setupLog.txt"
All the double double quotes are there because the entire command must be surrounded by "'s and doubling them escapes them. The the documentation for WshShell.Run for more info.
Q1 - AFAIK you can't really hide the console window.
Q2 - Use the start command. This will launch the specified program (notepad) outside of the shell. It will also prevent the shell from waiting until the application closes to continue processing the batch script.
You might be better off changing the batch script to launch the MSI installer using the start command and having the installer launch notepad to view the log file once installation is complete.
If you really want to get these batch windows away, you'll have to switch over to something else. One simple alternative could be one of the scripting languages supported by the windows scripting host.
Or you try HTA (HTML applications) see here and here.
Run the dos script as a different user by scheduled task or as a service.
on start up i have a bat file run routine things for me
however, the black console pops up and stays open until everything is finished....
anyway to hide it and run it in background ? so it shouldn't appear minimized or system tray.
You can use a VBS script to achieve this. Either write all your code as VBS, or call your batch file like this:
'launch.vbs
Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
WshShell.Run "mybatch.bat", 0
WshShell = Null
Create a shortcut to the file. On the new shortcut: Right click -> Properties. Go to the Shortcut tab, and choose "Run: Minimized." (This is assuming you're on WinXP).
This link should help you as helped me. I used the second solution that uses a program named quiet.exe
To use, just call quiet.exe program params_if_has.
My use example: quiet.exe php script.php
You can't really do that but if you are using the scheduler to run the batch file you can select "don't interact with desktop" when creating the job.
I once had a little program which could hide windows based on their title. So my startup batch first set a unique title with title and then called the other program to hide the window with said title. Worked fine but involves a little programming.
If you don't want to go that way, then you should use the Task Scheduler as tr4656 noted.
Try renaming your file to .cmd instead of .bat.
Or, if you're executing a .exe try:
start "" "C:\Program Files\SomeProg\someprog.exe"
Note: When using "start" you have to be at a command prompt.
This is a batch file in Windows.
Here is my .bat file
#echo off
copy "C:\Remoting.config-Training" "C:\Remoting.config"
"C:\ThirdParty.exe"
This works fine except the .bat file leaves the command window open the whole time the "ThirdParty" application is running.
I need the command window to close.
I would use the short-cut for the application but I must be able to run this copy command first (it actually changes which data base and server to use for the application).
The ThirdParty application does not allow the user to change the source of the db or the application server.
We're doing this to allow users to change from a test environment to the production environment.
Using start works for me:
#echo off
copy "C:\Remoting.config-Training" "C:\Remoting.config"
start C:\ThirdParty.exe
EDIT: Ok, looking more closely, start seems to interpret the first parameter as the new window title if quoted. So, if you need to quote the path to your ThirdParty.exe you must supply a title string as well.
Examples:
:: Title not needed:
start C:\ThirdParty.exe
:: Title needed
start "Third Party App" "C:\Program Files\Vendor\ThirdParty.exe"
Create a .vbs file with this code:
CreateObject("Wscript.Shell").Run "your_batch.bat",0,True
This .vbs will run your_batch.bat hidden.
Works fine for me.
Using start works fine, unless you are using a scripting language. Fortunately, there's a way out for Python - just use pythonw.exe instead of python.exe:
:: Title not needed:
start pythonw.exe application.py
In case you need quotes, do this:
:: Title needed
start "Great Python App" pythonw.exe "C:\Program Files\Vendor\App\application.py"
Try this:
#echo off
copy "C:\Remoting.config-Training" "C:\Remoting.config"
start C:\ThirdParty.exe
exit
Great tip. It works with batch files that are running a java program also.
start javaw -classpath "%CP%" main.Main
You might be interested in trying my silentbatch program, which will run a .bat/.cmd script, suppress creation of the Command Prompt window entirely (so you won't see it appear and then disappear), and optionally log the output to a specified file.
Or you can use:
Start /d "the directory of the executable" /b "the name of the executable" "parameters of the executable" %1
If %1 is a file then it is passed to your executable. For example in notepad.exe foo.txt %1 is "foo.txt".
The /b parameter of the start command does this:
Starts an application without opening a new Command Prompt window. CTRL+C handling is ignored unless the application enables CTRL+C processing. Use CTRL+BREAK to interrupt the application.
Which is exactly what we want.
I haven't really found a good way to do that natively, so I just use a utility called hstart which does it for me. If there's a neater way to do it, that would be nice.
Using Windows API we can start new process, a console application, and hide its "black" window. This can be done at process creation and avoid showing "black" window at all.
In CreateProcess function the dwCreationFlags parameter can have CREATE_NO_WINDOW flag:
The process is a console application that is being run
without a console window. Therefore, the console handle
for the application is not set. This flag is ignored if
the application is not a console application
Here is a link to hide-win32-console-window executable using this method and source code.
hide-win32-console-window is similar to Jamesdlin's silentbatch program.
There is open question: what to do with program's output when its window does not exist? What if exceptions happen? Not a good solution to throw away the output. hide-win32-console-window uses anonymous pipes to redirect program's output to file created in current directory.
Usage
batchscript_starter.exe full/path/to/application [arguments to pass on]
Example running python script
batchscript_starter.exe c:\Python27\python.exe -c "import time; print('prog start'); time.sleep(3.0); print('prog end');"
The output file is created in working directory named python.2019-05-13-13-32-39.log with output from the python command:
prog start
prog end
Example running command
batchscript_starter.exe C:\WINDOWS\system32\cmd.exe /C dir .
The output file is created in working directory named cmd.2019-05-13-13-37-28.log with output from CMD:
Volume in drive Z is Storage
Volume Serial Number is XXXX-YYYY
Directory of hide_console_project\hide-win32-console-window
2019-05-13 13:37 <DIR> .
2019-05-13 13:37 <DIR> ..
2019-05-13 04:41 17,274 batchscript_starter.cpp
2018-04-10 01:08 46,227 batchscript_starter.ico
2019-05-12 11:27 7,042 batchscript_starter.rc
2019-05-12 11:27 1,451 batchscript_starter.sln
2019-05-12 21:51 8,943 batchscript_starter.vcxproj
2019-05-12 21:51 1,664 batchscript_starter.vcxproj.filters
2019-05-13 03:38 1,736 batchscript_starter.vcxproj.user
2019-05-13 13:37 0 cmd.2019-05-13-13-37-28.log
2019-05-13 04:34 1,518 LICENSE
2019-05-13 13:32 22 python.2019-05-13-13-32-39.log
2019-05-13 04:55 82 README.md
2019-05-13 04:44 1,562 Resource.h
2018-04-10 01:08 46,227 small.ico
2019-05-13 04:44 630 targetver.h
2019-05-13 04:57 <DIR> x64
14 File(s) 134,378 bytes
3 Dir(s) ???,???,692,992 bytes free
Example shortcut for running .bat script
Target field:
C:\batchscript_starter.exe C:\WINDOWS\system32\cmd.exe /C C:\start_wiki.bat
Directory specified in Start in field will hold output files.
You can create a VBS script that will force the window to be hidden.
Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
obj = WshShell.Run("""C:\Program Files (x86)\McKesson\HRS
Distributed\SwE.bat""", 0)
set WshShell = Nothing
Then, rather than executing the batch file, execute the script.
run it under a different user. assuming this is a windows box, create a user account for scheduled tasks. run it as that user. The command prompt will only show for the user currently logged in.
Compile the batch file to an executable using Batch2Exe http://www.f2ko.de/programs.php?lang=en&pid=b2e.
Use the "Invisible Window" option.
To make the command window of a .bat file that executes a .exe file exit out as fast as possible, use the line #start before the file you're trying to execute. Here is an example:
(insert other code here)
#start executable.exe
(insert other code here)
You don't have to use other code with #start executable.exe.
I used this to start a cmd file from C#:
Process proc = new Process();
proc.StartInfo.WorkingDirectory = "myWorkingDirectory";
proc.StartInfo.FileName = "myFileName.cmd";
proc.StartInfo.WindowStyle = ProcessWindowStyle.Hidden;
proc.Start();
proc.WaitForExit();
Please use this one, the above does not work. I have tested in Window server 2003.
#echo off
copy "C:\Remoting.config-Training" "C:\Remoting.config"
Start /I "" "C:\ThirdParty.exe"
exit
So below vbscript will launch the cmd/bat file in hidden mode.
strPath = Wscript.ScriptFullName
Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set objFile = objFSO.GetFile(strPath)
strFolder = objFSO.GetParentFolderName(objFile)
'MsgBox(strFolder)
Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
WshShell.Run chr(34) & strFolder & "\a.bat" & Chr(34), 0
Set WshShell = Nothing
Now, only app window will be visible, not the cmd.exe window
This is an easy work around for those who are fine with a dirty solution. Press win+tab, drag and drop the bat file to a new desktop and forget about it.
I occasionally will make a bat file that I'll rarely use, and it is kind of a drag to have to use tools to make the window hidden. This is no more complicated than it needs to be for me.