How to keep os.execute(...) window open in Lua? - cmd

I have a simple Lua project that runs a NodeJS script every few minutes. The NodeJS script sets a function Interval and makes a request to an API every second or so.
My Lua looks like this:
function Initialize()
Running = false
end
function Update()
if not Running then
Running = true
os.execute(table.concat({"npm", "i"}, " "))
os.execute(table.concat({"npm", "start"}, " "))
end
end
How do I keep the Command Prompt window that opens with os.execute() open? It closes after the command is finished but I want to see the output before it closes. No, I don't want the result in my Lua code, I'd just like to see the window.
Thanks in advance!
EDIT: I'm Running on Windows 10

os.execute([[start "NPM" %ComSpec% /D /E:ON /K "call npm.cmd i & call npm.cmd start"]])
(based on Mofi's code)
Runs npm i and npm start sequentially on the same window
os.execute([[start "npm i" %ComSpec% /D /E:ON /K "call npm.cmd i"]])
os.execute([[start "npm start" %ComSpec% /D /E:ON /K "call npm.cmd start"]])
Runs npm i and npm start sequentially on separate windows.
Explanation: [[ is to escape quotes and lua sequences. start runs command window with some options and executes "npm i".
I am not sure if call and .cmd are necessary (it runs without), but I've kept on Mofi recommendation.

Related

batch windows command written in prompt but no execution

To avoid to repeat a task too often, I am setting up a batch file (in WINDOWS 10). It opens several CMD PROMPT to a specific Directory and launch a command.
For one case, I want the CMD PROMPT to open, to go to the specific directory and to set the COMMAND in the PROMPT without launching it. Then I'd just have to click on ENTER to launch that command whenever I want later on.
Here is my code:
setlocal ENABLEEXTENSIONS
set CordovaProjPath="C:\MyPath\"
start cmd /k "cd /d %CordovaProjPath% && cordova build android"
With this code it launches the command "cordova build android".
If I go with start cmd /k "cd /d %JCACordovaProjPath% instead of start cmd /k "cd /d %JCACordovaProjPath% && cordova build android" it gives me the PROMPT with: "C:\MyPath>", I'd like to write: "cordova build android" behind it without launching the command.
Any idea?
To provide repeatable execution (as mentioned in comments) you can put the relevant commands in a loop with a "quit" option:
#Echo Off
setlocal
Set "CordovaProjPath=C:\MyPath"
Set "CommandToRun=cordova build android"
:loop
Cd /D %CordovaProjPath%
Echo %CommandToRun%
set QUIT=
set /p QUIT=Press ENTER to run command or 'Q' to quit:
if /i "%QUIT%" == "Q" goto :eof
%CommandToRun%
goto :loop
Unlike the original, this runs the target command in the same command-window as the repeating loop. Depending on what the command in question does, this may be more attractive (less windows popping-up). However, some commands may cause the main window to close; if this is the case, you can revert to running the command in its own window in one of two different ways. In each case, replace the line:
...
%CommandToRun%
...
Run in own window and remain open
...
start "%CommandToRun%" /wait cmd /k %CommandToRun%
...
Using /k will leave the command-prompt window open after the target command has run -- this may be appropriate if you need to see the output of the command and it does not have its own pause.
Run in own window then close
...
start "%CommandToRun%" /wait cmd /c %CommandToRun%
...
Using /c will mean the command-prompt will close after the target command has run. This may be appropriate if you do not need to see the output of the command, or if it has its own pause.
Would something like this do you:
#Echo Off
Set "CordovaProjPath=C:\MyPath"
Set "CommandToRun=cordova build android"
Start "%CommandToRun%" Cmd /K "Cd /D %CordovaProjPath%&Echo %CommandToRun%&Pause>Nul&%CommandToRun%"
Below is an alternative which may allow for your alternative double-quoting method:
#Echo Off
Set CordovaProjPath="C:\MyPath"
Set CommandToRun="cordova build android"
Start %CommandToRun% Cmd /K "(Cd /D %CordovaProjPath%)&(Echo %CommandToRun%)&(Pause>Nul)&(%CommandToRun%)"

Windows 8.1 unable to run batch file without command prompt flashing

I have scheduled a task to run a batch file, and currently every time the task executes, there is a command prompt box that flashes. This is very undesirable. The node.js command prompt window executes minimized correctly, it is the windows command prompt that flashes.
Here is the action that the scheduled task runs:
cmd /min /c "C:\Users\computeruser\Building Intelligence\javadobe\runCheck.bat"
and here is the contents of the batch file, (probably unnecessary to show, but I was originally trying to run these commands straight from the task scheduler. Putting them in this batch file instead has got me closest to what I actually want to happen: run a javascript file with node.js minimized):
cd "C:\Program Files (x86)\BuildingIntelligence\javadobe\" & START /MIN node index.js /exit
A list of the commands I've tried:
cmd.exe /c start /min "C:\Users\computeruser\Building Intelligence\javadobe\runCheck.bat"
cmd.exe /c start /min "C:\Users\computeruser\Building Intelligence\javadobe\runCheck.bat" & /exit
%comspec% /c start "" /min "C:\Users\computeruser\Building Intelligence\javadobe\runCheck.bat"
all of these commands leave the command prompt box open, not closing it but minimizing it after it opens. There is also a notification that says "not enough storage is available to process this command".
I need to run this task with the highest privileges, and while it needs to be invisible most of the time, it needs to be able to show a dialog box occasionally when the task is run.
Thanks in advance for any help!
Basically, if what you have tried doesn't work, you're going to need a third party tool. NirCMD should do it and it's freeware.
NirCMD exec hide "C:\Users\computeruser\Building Intelligence\javadobe\runCheck.bat"
At the bottom of this page there is a link for the download. This page covers what the tool is capable of.

How to end a batch file with an open command window at a certain folder location

This seems like it should be ridiculously simple but I cannot find the answer online or in these forums.
I want to run a command from a batch file, leave the command window open and end at a particular file location.
I can't seem to get both to happen in the same window. This is for a script to run an automated task everytime and leave the window open to run a 2nd task that has a variable input.
start cmd /k c:\users\test\desktop\dmiwtool1.1\win64\dmiwtoolx64.exe & cd c:\users\test\desktop\dmiwtool1.1\win64\
If I run either by itself, they work (runs the exe, ends at /desktop prompt), but in this sequence only the first runs.
this works here:
#ECHO OFF
START /b "" "path\program.exe" "parameter"
CD %UserProfile%\Desktop
Do not use setlocal in your Batch or put endlocal in the line before the CD command.
This should work:
start cmd /k "c:\users\test\desktop\dmiwtool1.1\win64\dmiwtoolx64.exe & cd c:\users\test\desktop\dmiwtool1.1\win64\"
If you leave out the quote marks, the start command and the cd command are run separately.

How to start a batch file minimized with task scheduler in Windows 8? - %comspec% method not working anymore after Windows 7

After Windows XP, I always use the trick below to start batch files minimized with Windows Task Manager.
From http://www.pcreview.co.uk/forums/running-bat-files-minimized-scheduler-t2125918.html:
"prequisite: all your batch files have an exit-command to finish the actions off. If you do not exit, you will end with a command prompt blinking.
This is what I keep using:
%comspec% /c start /min "C:\Scripts\Destination_inbound_ftp5.bat"
When you save this in the properties, you will get a follow-up dialogue asking you if you meant all this to be parameters or not. Answer NO and the task will be saved as you would expect.
I also read the Stack Overflow question “start %comspec% /c script.cmd” vs “start cmd /C second.cmd script.cmd”, which made me replace the "%comspec%" statement with "C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe", but that did not change anything either.
The problem is that now, instead of a minimized running bat file, I end up with just a command prompt, minimized but without any of the batch commands executed. The task scheduler status remains "running" :(
How do I get this done on Windows 8 (64-bit)? Preferrable with old-school batch commands instead of PowerShell (or worse ;p)
The start command needs the leading "" quotes to disable the title feature. Try scheduling this:
%comspec% /c start "" /min "C:\Scripts\Destination_inbound_ftp5.bat" ^& exit
Assuming Windows 8 is the same as Windows 7, an "exit" is only going to exit the batch file (which it is going to do anyway).
You need to add the exit code like this:
Under "Program/Script":
CMD (or command.exe, or %comspec%)
Under "Arguments:
/c start "Title" /min "C:\Scripts\Destination_inbound_ftp5.bat" ^& exit
I didn't like seeing the command window pop up and then disappear so here is another solution from https://ss64.com/vb/run.html ...
First create invisible.vbs with this single line of text:
CreateObject("Wscript.Shell").Run """" & WScript.Arguments(0) & """", 0, False
Next and finally, launch your cmd or batch file via:
%SystemRoot%\system32\wscript.exe "invisible.vbs" "myscript.cmd" //nologo
Ta da! Scripting of this sort has been built into Windows for a long time. If you're curious, do a web search for "WSH" (windows scripting host). You can even write such scripts in dialect of JavaScript called JScript.
Another possibility: a small freeware program named CMDH, that simply runs the requested orders in background.
For example:
cmdh MyScript.cmd
No need to add "exit" to the script.
Tested working in Windows XP SP3, and there is no reason it should fail on Windows 8.
Here's a solution from https://ss64.com/vb/run.html that will run a batch file in a minimized window. Unlike the other solutions that use the start command with /min, this one will not flash a new window onto your screen or interrupt full-screen activities. It does, however, steal focus. I don't know how to avoid that.
First create a file named run_minimized.vbs with this single line of text:
CreateObject("Wscript.Shell").Run """" & WScript.Arguments(0) & """", 2, False
Next, create your Task Scheduler task with an action to start the program wscript.exe with these arguments:
"c:\path\run_minimized.vbs" "c:\path\my script.bat"
Change the paths as necessary to specify the locations of the two files.
There is no simple way to pass arguments from Task Scheduler to the batch file while also preserving spaces and quotation marks, because wscript strips quotation marks from its arguments. The simplest way to handle arguments with spaces would be to put the entire batch file command into the vbs:
CreateObject("Wscript.Shell").Run """c:\path\my script.bat"" ""arg 1"" arg2", 2, False
Note the use of quotation marks. There's one pair of quotation marks " enclosing the entire command string, and a pair of adjacent quote characters "" every place you'd use a normal quotation mark in a command line.
Maybe it's not the same as you mean but if I simply run a .bat file with the scheduler and tick this "Hidden" box on the General tab of the task properties it starts minified.
As already mentioned in foxidrive's answer, the issue is caused by the missing title parameter, which is taken from the first quoted argument string on the command line of the start command, which is the quoted batch file path in your command line. Since there is nothing left to be taken as the command/program to be started, the default cmd.exe is started.
Providing a dummy title (which may even be empty) solves that issue:
%ComSpec% /C start "" /MIN "C:\Scripts\Destination_inbound_ftp5.bat"
However, as mentioned in the help message of start (type start /? into a command prompt window), when the provided command/program is a batch file, the command processor cmd.exe is run with the /K switch, which keeps the command prompt window open:
command/program
If it is an internal cmd command or a batch file then
the command processor is run with the /K switch to cmd.exe.
This means that the window will remain after the command
has been run.
If it is not an internal cmd command or batch file then
it is a program and will run as either a windowed application
or a console application.
To prevent that, let us explicitly specify the command processor with the /C switch:
%ComSpec% /C start "" /MIN %ComSpec% /C "C:\Scripts\Destination_inbound_ftp5.bat"
So there is no additional exit command necessary.

How do I minimize the command prompt from my bat file

I have this bat file and I want to minimize the cmd window when I run it:
#echo off
cd /d C:\leads\ssh
call C:\Ruby192\bin\setrbvars.bat
ruby C:\leads\ssh\put_leads.rb
I want the command window minimized immediately. Any ideas on how to do this?
There is a quite interesting way to execute script minimized by making him restart itself minimised. Here is the code to put in the beginning of your script:
if not DEFINED IS_MINIMIZED set IS_MINIMIZED=1 && start "" /min "%~dpnx0" %* && exit
... script logic here ...
exit
How it works
When the script is being executed IS_MINIMIZED is not defined (if not DEFINED IS_MINIMIZED) so:
IS_MINIMIZED is set to 1: set IS_MINIMIZED=1.
Script starts a copy of itself using start command && start "" /min "%~dpnx0" %* where:
"" - empty title for the window.
/min - switch to run minimized.
"%~dpnx0" - full path to your script.
%* - passing through all your script's parameters.
Then initial script finishes its work: && exit.
For the started copy of the script variable IS_MINIMIZED is set by the original script so it just skips the execution of the first line and goes directly to the script logic.
Remarks
You have to reserve some variable name to use it as a flag.
The script should be ended with exit, otherwise the cmd window wouldn't be closed after the script execution.
If your script doesn't accept arguments you could use argument as a flag instead of variable:
if "%1" == "" start "" /min "%~dpnx0" MY_FLAG && exit
or shorter
if "%1" == "" start "" /min "%~f0" MY_FLAG && exit
Use the start command, with the /min switch to run minimized. For example:
start /min C:\Ruby192\bin\setrbvars.bat
Since you've specified a batch file as the argument, the command processor is run, passing the /k switch. This means that the window will remain on screen after the command has finished. You can alter that behavior by explicitly running cmd.exe yourself and passing the appropriate switches if necessary.
Alternatively, you can create a shortcut to the batch file (are PIF files still around), and then alter its properties so that it starts minimized.
The only way I know is by creating a Windows shortcut to the batch file and then changing its properties to run minimized by default.
Using PowerShell you can minimize from the same file without opening a new instance.
powershell -window minimized -command ""
Also -window hidden and -window normal is available to hide completely or restore.
source: https://stackoverflow.com/a/45061676/1178975
If you want to start the batch for Win-Run / autostart, I found I nice solution here https://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000932.htm & https://superuser.com/questions/364799/how-to-run-the-command-prompt-minimized
cmd.exe /c start /min myfile.bat ^& exit
the cmd.exe is needed as start is no windows command that can be executed outside a batch
/c = exit after the start is finished
the ^& exit part ensures that the window closes even if the batch does not end with exit
However, the initial cmd is still not minimized.
One way to 'minimise' the cmd window is to reduce the size of the console using something like...
echo DO NOT CLOSE THIS WINDOW
MODE CON COLS=30 LINES=2
You can reduce the COLS to about 18 and the LINES to 1 if you wish.
The advantage is that it works under WinPE, 32-bit or 64-bit, and does not require any 3rd party utility.
If you type this text in your bat file:
start /min blah.exe
It will immediately minimize as soon as it opens the program. You will only see a brief flash of it and it will disappear.
You could try running a script as follows
var WindowStyle_Hidden = 0
var objShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
var result = objShell.Run("cmd.exe /c setrbvars.bat", WindowStyle_Hidden)
save the file as filename.js
Yet another free 3rd party tool that is capable of minimizing the console window at any time (not only when starting the script) is Tcl with the TWAPI extension:
echo package require twapi;twapi::minimize_window [twapi::get_console_window] | tclkitsh -
here tclkitsh.exe is in the PATH and is one of the tclkit-cli-*-twapi-*.exe files downloadable from sourceforge.net/projects/twapi/files/Tcl binaries/Tclkits with TWAPI/. I prefer it to the much lighter min.exe mentioned in Bernard Chen's answer because I use TWAPI for countless other purposes already.
You can minimize the command prompt on during the run but you'll need two additional scripts: windowMode and getCmdPid.bat:
#echo off
call getCmdPid
call windowMode -pid %errorlevel% -mode minimized
cd /d C:\leads\ssh
call C:\Ruby192\bin\setrbvars.bat
ruby C:\leads\ssh\put_leads.rb
One option is to find one of the various utilities that can change the window state of the currently running console window and make a call to it from within the batch script.
You can run it as the first thing in your batch script. Here are two such tools:
min.exe
http://www.paulsadowski.com/wsh/cmdprogs.htm
cmdow
http://www.commandline.co.uk/cmdow/index.html
Another option that works fine for me is to use ConEmu, see http://conemu.github.io/en/ConEmuArgs.html
"C:\Program Files\ConEmu\ConEmu64.exe" -min -run myfile.bat
try these
CONSOLESTATE /Min
or:
SETCONSOLE /minimize
or:
TITLE MinimizeMePlease
FOR /F %%A IN ('CMDOW ˆ| FIND "MinimizeMePlease"') DO CMDOW %%A /MIN
http://conemu.github.io/en/ConEmuArgs.html download flagged by Virus Total.
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