Putting %appdata% into the run window will open up the Appdata folder, but what is the command to open the User's Documents folder, even when someone else logs in? I thought it was something like %userdir%, but I can not find out what it is. Not sure what to search for in Google either so I am at a loss.
There is no environment variable for this. You'll need to set one. Here's a list of all Windows default environment variables:
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/ntcmds_shelloverview.mspx?mfr=true
*This is for XP, but should be the same for newer versions of Windows
For a single terminal session, you can just use
set USERDOCS=%USERPROFILE%\Documents
For all terminal sessions, you'll need to set a system environment variable. You can do this using the GUI or using setx -m USERDOCS %USERPROFILE\Documents, as described here.
The command to make this happen would be
explorer %USERDOCS%
But if you wanted to make an alias to that (i.e. a openuserdocs command), I can update and explain.
How can you make a .exe file accessible from any location in the Windows command window? Is there some registry entry that has to be entered?
You need to make sure that the exe is in a folder that's on the PATH environment variable.
You can do this by either installing it into a folder that's already on the PATH or by adding your folder to the PATH.
You can have your installer do this - but you may need to restart the machine to make sure it gets picked up.
Windows 10, 8.1, 8
Open start menu,
Type Edit environment variables
Open the option Edit the system environment variables
Click Environment variables... button
There you see two boxes, in System Variables box find path variable
Click Edit
a window pops up, click New
Type the Directory path of your .exe or batch file ( Directory means exclude the file name from path)
Click Ok on all open windows and restart your system restart the command prompt.
You can add the following registry key:
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\myexe.exe
In this key, add the default string value containing the path to the exe file.
You have to put your .exe file's path into enviroment variable path. Go to "My computer -> properties -> advanced -> environment variables -> Path" and edit path by adding .exe's directory into path.
Another solution I personally prefer is using RapidEE for a smoother variable editing.
Rather than putting the executable into a directory on the path, you should create a batch file in a directory on the path that launches the program. This way you don't separate the executable from its supporting files, and you don't add other stuff in the same directory to the path unintentionally.
Such batch file can look like this:
#echo off
start "" "C:\Program Files (x86)\Software\software.exe" %*
Let's say my exe is C:\Program Files\AzCopy\azcopy.exe
Command/CMD/Batch
SET "PATH=C:\Program Files\AzCopy;%PATH%"
PowerShell
$env:path = $env:path + ";C:\Program Files\AzCopy"
I can now simply type and use azcopy from any location from any shell inc command prompt, powershell, git bash etc
It is very simple and it won't take more than 30 seconds.
For example the software called abc located in D:/Softwares/vlc/abc.exe
Add the folder path of abc.exe to system environment variables.
My Computer -> Click Properties -> Click Advanced system settings -> Click Environment Variables
Click on Ok.
now you can just open cmd prompt and you can launch the software from anywhere.
to use abc.exe just type abc in the command line.
it's amazing there's no simple solution for such a simple task on windows,
I created this little cmd script that you can use to define aliases on windows (instructions are at the file header itself):
https://gist.github.com/benjamine/5992592
this is pretty much the same approach used by tools like NPM or ruby gems to register global commands.
Simple Bash-like aliases in Windows
To get global bash-like aliases in Windows for applications not added to the path automatically without manually adding each one to the path, here's the cleanest solution I've come up with that does the least amount of changes to the system and has the most flexibility for later customization:
"Install" Your Aliases Path
mkdir c:\aliases
setx PATH "c:\aliases;%PATH%"
Add Your Alias
Open in New Shell Window
To start C:\path to\my program.exe, passing in all arguments, opening it in a new window, create c:\aliases\my program.bat file with the following contents(see NT Start Command for details on the start commmand):
#echo off
start "myprogram" /D "C:\path to\" /W "myprogram.exe" %*
Execute in Current Shell Window
To start C:\path to\my program.exe, passing in all arguments, but running it in the same window (more like how bash operates) create c:\aliases\my program.bat file with the following contents:
#echo off
pushd "C:\path to\"
"my program.exe" %*
popd
Execute in Current Shell Window 2
If you don't need the application to change the current working directory at all in order to operate, you can just add a symlink to the executable inside your aliases folder:
cd c:\aliases\
mklink "my program.exe" "c:\path to\my program.exe"
Add to the PATH, steps below (Windows 10):
Type in search bar "environment..." and choose Edit the system environment variables which opens up the System Properties window
Click the Environment Variables... button
In the Environment Variables tab, double click the Path variable in the System variables section
Add the path to the folder containing the .exe to the Path by double clicking on the empty line and paste the path.
Click ok and exit. Open a new cmd prompt and hit the command from any folder and it should work.
If you want to be able to run it inside cmd.exe or batch files you need to add the directory the .exe is in to the %path% variable (System or User)
If you want to be able to run it in the Run dialog (Win+R) or any application that calls ShellExecute, adding your exe to the app paths key is enough (This is less error prone during install/uninstall and also does not clutter up the path variable)
You may also permanently (after reboots) add to the Path variable this way:
Right click My Computer -> Click Properties -> Click Advanced system settings -> Click Environment Variables
Reference: Change System/User Variables
Put it in the c:\windows directory or add your directory to the "path" in the environment-settings (windows-break - tab advanced)
regards,
//t
In order to make it work
You need to modify the value of the environment variable with the name key Path, you can add as many paths as you want separating them with ;. The paths you give to it can't include the name of the executable file.
If you add a path to the variable Path all the excecutable files inside it can be called from cmd or porweshell by writing their name without .exe and these names are not case sensitive.
Here is how to create a system environment variable from a python script:
It is important to run it with administrator privileges in order to make it work. To better understand the code, just read the comments on it.
Tested on Windows 10
import winreg
# Create environment variable for call the program from shell, only works with compiled version
def environment_var(AppPath):
# Point to the registry key of the system environment variables
key = winreg.CreateKey(winreg.HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, r'System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment')
def add_var(path):
# Add the variable
winreg.SetValueEx(key, 'Path', 0, winreg.REG_SZ, path)
winreg.CloseKey(key)
try:
# Try to get the value of the Path variable
allPaths = winreg.QueryValueEx(key, 'Path')[0]
except Exception:
# Create the Path variable if it doesn't exist
add_var(path=AppPath)
return
# Get all the values of the existing paths
Path=allPaths.split(';')
# If the Path is empty, add the application path
if Path == ['']:
add_var(path=AppPath)
return
# Check if the application path is in the Path variable
if AppPath not in Path:
# Add the application path to the Path environment variable and add keep the others existing paths
add_var(path=AppPath+';'+allPaths)
# Only run this if the module is not imported by another
if __name__ == "__main__":
# Run the function
environment_var(AppPath=".")
You can find more information in the winreg documentation
You can also move your files to C:\Windows, but you need to use Administrator privileges and pay attention.
What did I mean with pay attention?
You need pay attention because you can also do some messes with Windows system files (Windows may not even work anymore) if you modify, delete, and do some changes incorrectly and accidentally in this folder...
Example: Don't add a file that have the same name of a Windows file
This worked for me:
put a .bat file with the commands you need (I use to run .py script into this) into a FOLDER,
go in the variable environment setting (type var in the search bar and it will show up)
in the global settings
choose path,
then modify,
then add the path to your .bat file (without the .bat file)
close everything: done.
Open the cmd, write the name of the .bat file and it will work
Example
Want to open chrome on a specific link
create a .bat file with this (save it as blog.bat for example)
start "" "https://pythonprogramming.altervista.org/"
go in enviromental variable settings from the search bar in the bottom left of the window desktop
go in enviromental variables (bottom button) then in path (bottom)
add the path, for example G:\myapp_launcher
click apply or ok
Now open cmd and write blog: chrome will open on that page
Do the same to open a file... create a .bat in the folder G:\myapp_launcher (or whatever you called the folder where you put the batch file), call it run.bat or myapp.bat or whatever (write inside of it start filemane.pdf or whatever file you want to open) and after you saved it, you can run that file from cmd with run or myapp or whatever you called your batch file.
Use a 1 line batch file in your install:
SETX PATH "C:\Windows"
run the bat file
Now place your .exe in c:\windows, and you're done.
you may type the 'exename' in command-line and it'll run it.
Another way could be through adding .LNK to your $PATHEX.
Then just create a shortcut to your executable (ie: yourshortcut.lnk) and put it into any of the directories listed within $PATH.
WARNING NOTE:
Know that any .lnk files located in any directories listed in your $PATH are now "PATH'ed" as well. For this reason, I would favor the batch file method mentionned earlier to this method.
I'm not a programmer or anything of the sort, but here's my simple solution:
Create a folder in which you'll be putting SHORTCUTS for all the programs you want to register;
Add that folder to the PATH;
Put all the shortcuts you want in the folder you created in the first step (context menu, New, Shortcut...) The SHORTCUT NAME will have be the be summoned when calling the program or function... NOT THE TARGET FILE NAME.
This will keep you from unintentionally putting files you don't want in the PATH.
Feel free to drop a comment if you think this answer needs to be improved. Cheers 🍻.
P.S. No system or File Explorer restart needed. 😀
Best way is to add the folder path for the .EXE file to Path values in the environment variable.
I'm not sure what versions of Windows this works with, but I put some useful .bat and .exe files into:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\WindowsApps
(equivalent to %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps)
which seems to be on my default PATH. I'd be interested to see if this were the general case.
DOSKEY is a Microsoft version of 'alias'. That function is already built into all versions of Windows (and most versions of DOS)
doskey fred=c:\myApps\myprog.exe
You'll want to load that every time you open a command prompt. Which you can do by any number of different methods. One way is to
Make a file containing all the doskey macros you want:
doskey fred=c:\whatever.exe
doskey alan=c:\whateverelse.exe
Change the file type / file name / file extension to .CMD or .BAT
ren myfile.txt myfile.CMD
Add the CMD/BAT file to your command processor autoruns key:
reg ADD \\HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor /v autorun /t REG_SZ /d myfile.CMD
For more information see
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/doskey
and
https://serverfault.com/a/1049766/142882
(serverfault.com/questions/95404/is-there-a-global-persistent-cmd-history)
Should anyone be looking for this after me
here's a really easy way to add your Path.
Send the path to a file like the image shows,
copy and paste it from the file and add the
specific path on the end with a preceding semicolon
to the new path. It may be needed to be adapted prior
to windows 7, but at least it is an easy starting point.
Command Prompt Image to Export PATH to text file
The best way to do this is just install the .EXE file into the windows/system32 folder. that way you can run it from any location. This is the same place where .exe's like ping can be found
I'm writing a dos-batch in which I need to change the PATH.
I'm using the SET command.
The batch is run from the command line (cmd.exe).
The problem : the changes are only available for the cmd window, and I soon as this window is closed, the changes are dismissed.
How can I change the PATH from a batch and make sure the change will affect the whole system ?
There is a tool setx.exe provided in the Windows XP Service Pack 2 Support Tools that can be used to permanently change an environment variable from the command line:
setx path "%PATH%;C:\New Folder"
Source: http://vlaurie.com/computers2/Articles/environment.htm
The above link also gives the location of the registry keys that store the system / user environment variables - if you are feeling adventurous you could also try setting those.
User environment variables:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Environment
System environment variables:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment
I am using a machine where I do not have administrator privileges and I need to set the e.g. JAVA_HOME each time I boot.
Thus, I'd like to write a script that sets the desired classpath automatically.
How do I do this?
You surely can set the environment variables with a batch file each time you need them, but bear in mind that this will only work for the current process (i. e. the cmd instance you're invoking the batch from) and processes spawned from there. I think you'd rather want persistent environment variables.
Now, in the UNIX world you'd just put them into your shell startup script. In Windows ... not exactly that way.
Right click on "My Computer", select "Properties".
There, go to the "Advanced" tab
Click the button labeled "Environment variables"
You can set JAVA_HOME and GRAILS_HOME under "User variables" there.
You would only need administrator access for changing the system environment variables.
You would want a file with .bat extension for Windows.
SET JAVA_HOME=path
SET GRAILS_HOME=path
On Windows, you could write a .BAT file (BATch), and then simply double-click it each time you log in. a .BAT file is simply a plain text file filled with any commands you would normally issue at the command prompt, e.g.:
cd c:\Temp
c:
set PATH=%PATH%;c:\Program Files\Some Directory\Some Subdirectory
You can optionally precede each line with the # symbol to stop it being echoed to the command window when it executes.
Try calling the following :
SETX JAVA_HOME path
SETX GRAILS_HOME path
If you're allowed they will be set in your profile and you won't need to run them again hopefully. Other wise you'll need to follow #Android's answer