autocomplete path in cmd batch - windows

Question

Windows CMD prompt's auto-complete, (similar feature in other terminals), comes very handy sometimes when you are not sure of the right path or file name.
Bottom line is, how to use this feature in batch scripting.
Example: the script "C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.8.0_92\bin\javaw.exe" -jar post.jar
the thing here is that java version is not always the same, so it needed to be something like this
"C:\Program Files\Java\jre*\bin\javaw.exe" -jar post.jar

Answer 1

you can't use wildcards in the middle of a path, but you can at the end (the last element). Because you need it in between, split it up:
for /f "delims=" %%a in ('dir /b /ad /on "C:\Program Files\Java\jre*"') do set ver=%%a
set "exec=C:\Program Files\Java\%ver%\javaw.exe"
"%exec%" -jar post.jar
This will get you the path with the highest version number, if there are more than one.

Answer 2

Wildcards are supported by only some commands. Moreover, cmd restricts wildcards in a file path only in a path leaf i.e. in token behind last backslash…
On an unknown Windows system: if you do not have control on environment variables then you need to find a file path e.g. as follows (note the _checkPath variable assignment is changed to get reasonable output as I do not have java installed):
#ECHO OFF
SETLOCAL EnableExtensions DisableDelayedExpansion
rem assign path with a wildcard * not in path leaf
set "_checkPath=C:\Program Files\Java\jre*\bin\javaw.exe"
rem delete or comment-up next line i.e. my test data set "_checkPath=..."
set "_checkPath=%ProgramFiles%*\Microsoft SQL Server\1*\LocalDB\Binn\sqlservr%1.exe"
set "_itemFirst="
rem previous line: delete variable; next line: show setting
set _checkPath
echo(---
rem next two lines: ensure that a wildcard * not in path leaf is not allowed
echo dir /B /S "%_checkPath%"
dir /B /S "%_checkPath%"
echo(---
rem find all files by parsing powershell output ( note proper escaping ^^^| )
for /F "usebackq tokens= 1* delims=: " %%G in (`
powershell -C Get-ChildItem '"%_checkPath%"' -Recurse ^^^| Format-List -Property FullName
`) do (
rem assign first found item
if not defined _itemFirst set "_itemFirst=%%~H"
rem assign every found item thus last found item
set "_item_Last=%%~H"
rem show every found item
echo .exe found %%~H
)
echo(---
rem show setting found
set _item
echo(---
if defined _itemFirst (
echo success: "%_checkPath%"
rem commands are merely ECHOed and (my test data) commented up
rem use found items (choose any)
rem ECHO "%_itemFirst%" -jar post.jar
rem ECHO "%_item_Last%" -jar post.jar
) else (
echo NOT FOUND "%_checkPath%"
)
Above code snippet is richly commented where necessary for better understanding. Output shows both variants:
==> D:\bat\SO\38281447.bat XXX
_checkPath=C:\Program Files*\Microsoft SQL Server\1*\LocalDB\Binn\sqlservrXXX.exe
---
dir /B /S "C:\Program Files*\Microsoft SQL Server\1*\LocalDB\Binn\sqlservrXXX.exe"
The filename, directory name or volume label syntax is incorrect.
---
---
Environment variable _item not defined
---
NOT FOUND "C:\Program Files*\Microsoft SQL Server\1*\LocalDB\Binn\sqlservrXXX.exe"
==> D:\bat\SO\38281447.bat
_checkPath=C:\Program Files*\Microsoft SQL Server\1*\LocalDB\Binn\sqlservr.exe
---
dir /B /S "C:\Program Files*\Microsoft SQL Server\1*\LocalDB\Binn\sqlservr.exe"
The filename, directory name or volume label syntax is incorrect.
---
.exe found C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\100\LocalDB\Binn\sqlservr.exe
.exe found C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\110\LocalDB\Binn\sqlservr.exe
.exe found C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\120\LocalDB\Binn\sqlservr.exe
---
_itemFirst=C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\100\LocalDB\Binn\sqlservr.exe
_item_Last=C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\120\LocalDB\Binn\sqlservr.exe
---
success: "C:\Program Files*\Microsoft SQL Server\1*\LocalDB\Binn\sqlservr.exe"
==>