I am using Windows 10 and have added 'BRANCH_OUTPUT" user-defined variable using 'Edit environment variables for your account'
I've created a little 'groovy script' from 'Jenkins' and trying to print the 'USER DEFINED VARIABLE". However, script prints 'null' instead of the value
Script
println "PATH=" + System.getenv("PATH")
println "TMP=" + System.getenv("TMP")
println "User Var=" + System.getenv("BRANCH_OUTPUT")
Script Output
Building in workspace C:\Program Files (x86)\Jenkins\workspace\printEnvVar
PATH=C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Oracle\Java\javapath;
TMP=C:\windows\TEMP
User Var=null
Output of 'SET"
C:\Users>set
ALLUSERSPROFILE=C:\ProgramData
BRANCH_OUTPUT=C:\Temp
(1) It prints System-defined variable
(2) It prints user-defined variable which 'already exists'
It does NOT print only 'what I added'. I restarted Jenkins and Windows but nothing worked. User-defined variable is not getting printed
What should I change in Windows (or) am I doing something wrong ?
I guess that you started jenkins and then tried to set the user defined variable in another shell. This does not work because the shell and jenkins are running in different context.
Press the windows-key and search for "environment". You will find a tool with which you can set user environment variables. These variables are available in all contexts, after the context has been restarted. So you need to restart your jenkins afterwards.
Hope this helps
How is the "user defined variable" defined? My guess is you defined it in the Windows environment variables applet, as described in the comments for the previous answer. In your original comment, you mention that it printed the value for a user-defined variable that already exists, but it's not clear what that is. TMP is displayed as C:\Windows\TEMP, and it is uncommon for TMP to be set to that folder for users - even for a system administrator. Only the service accounts get that value. You didn't include TMP in the output of the "set" command, but set typically shows about 50 variables; since only 2 are shown I assume the output was trimmed.
To have user-defined environment variables for your username show up in Jenkins, you would have to run Jenkins as a service using your username. Open the services applet, select Jenkins service and right-click on Properties, go to the Log On tab, choose the 'This account' radio button and enter your username and password.
If Jenkins has already run under the system's Local Service account (even for a moment), there MIGHT be permissions issues because your account certainly does not have the same permissions and Jenkins MIGHT have created files that it can not access under your account. You might have to do a clean install, making sure to change the service configuration before you start Jenkins for the first time. I don't know that this is necessary (I think it is unlikely, unless you have configured security), but I can imagine it is possible.
This is probably not what you want to do for an instance of Jenkins used by others; for that, you would leave Jenkins running as a service under the local system account, and work with your IT/InfoSecurity department to get the variable defined as a system variable as you did working with the people who responded to an earlier answer. If the variable only needs to be known within Jenkins, you could define it globally within Jenkins (will apply to all jobs: go to "Manage Jenkins", "Configure System", scroll to "Global properties", check "Environement Variables" and add "BUILD_OUTPUT" with the value you want to assign to it) or within the job (will only apply to this job: add a parameter in the job configuration, which is passed to the job as an environment variable. If you don't want users to be able to change it when they request a build, the "Hidden Parameter Plugin" - not included in Jenkins by default but very easily added - could be used.)
Your Jenkins Service is running with the System User, but you set the Environment Variable for your Windows User. The easiest solution is to change the Jenkins Service to run with the WIndows Account you set the variable for.
The debug tab of the project properties for a console application in VS2010 allows me to set command-line parameters to pass to the project whilst debugging.
I would like to set a parameter which is a path and the path is specific to each developer/machine, as it is a path which resides in the solution folder and each environment is different.
For pre- and post-build events, I can use macros such as $(ProjectDir), but I can't find a way to do this for command-line parameters - is there a way? A hack is fine, as long as it's not too awful!
Thanks
I haven't found a way to use $(ProjectDir) in the command line arguments, but you can access files contained within the project by:
Tell Visual Studio to copy specific files to the output directory by changing their "Copy to Output Directory" property.
Change your command line arguments from $(ProjectDir)/FileNeededDuringRuntime to FileNeededDuringRuntime.
This is more of a hack since it probably doesn't cover all the cases of using the variable, but it may get you by if you're just referencing a few files.
Macros can be used in command line arguments for C++ projects, see:
How to pass solution folder as parameter in command line arguments (for debug)?
You could have an empty C++ project "Set as StartUp Project" and change its "Configuration Properties -> Debugging -> Command" from "$(TargetPath)" (default for new projects) to "$(ProjectDir)..\OtherProjectRelativeDebugFolder\OtherProjectsOutputFileName.exe".
Since OtherProjectRelativeDebugFolder and OtherProjectsOutputFileName are relative and thus location independent you should be fine with that.
You said:
A hack is fine, as long as it's not too awful!
Is an empty project that produces an empty dll (unless you find a way to stop it, e.g. delete on post-build) too awful?
BTW. Environment variables aren't resolved in "Debug -> command line arguments" for C# either. I'll be experimenting on setting an environment variable, passing its name (because it isn't resolved) and reading it in the program. Passing the name is intended to show where the environment variable comes from, i.e. project settings.
Edit:
I hoped to find a way to set the environment variable to the value of a macro, e.g. in a build event. A simple shell "set" command is not persistent, so it didn't work out. Instead I was able to use a relative path as working folder to get things work for me. I also found a workaround that uses a file for persistent storage:
VS2010 - Project Macro Variables in Start Options Command Line Arguments
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
Following the guide from Microsoft,
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee872121(VS.85).aspx , I am able to get my program to be able to make a program resolve the dynamic libraries that are required in order for it to work.
So I add a value with the full name and path to my executable, and add subkey to this entry (named path) with the full path the directory of the DLL files.
And magic. It works. I go the start menu, and types myprogram.exe and it starts up and is now able to locate the dll files correctly.
However, if I start the command prompt using the command cmd.exe, and then try to run myprogram.exe is not able to resolve the DLL's anymore. For some reason the command prompt do not seems to respect/read the values of the registry when it is set under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths
Any suggestion to how I can get this behavior to work from within the command prompt as well as from the start menu?
It is correct. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths is used by ShellExecuteEx and not by CreateProcess. So not all programs will use the settings from App Paths of your application. If you want to define PATH for cmd.exe you can either use subkey of App Paths with the name cmd.exe or use an old %SystemRoot%\System32\autoexec.nt file to modify PATH environment variable.
It's also possible to use "START /WAIT app.exe" from command line which uses ShellExecuteEx.
I'll give it my best shot.
First, notice that both the cmd & the run\start menu options are running everything in C:\WINDOWS\system32.
If you're dll was there then it would work.
if you don't want to put it there, you can change the "environmental variables" by clicking right mouse button on "my computer"-> "properties" -> "Advanced" -> "environmental variables".
good luck.
Does anyone know how you setup new commands to launch an application from the Start->Run box?
ie. you can type "firefox", "winword" or "excel" into the Run box and those applications will open even though they're not in the system path, but others won't. For example, with Firefox, there's no files named firefox.* in any of my system path directories:
Path=C:\WINDOWS\system32;C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\System32\Wbem;C:\Program Files\Subversion\bin;c:\Program Files\Microsoft
SQL Server\90\Tools\binn\
So there must be some way of linking applications with this path to create a shortcut command, maybe in the registry?
For example, I want to be able to launch Google Talk from the Run command, but typing the executable's name "googletalk.exe" doesn't do anything, which makes sense because it's not in the system path, but neither is firefox.exe, and typing "firefox" works.
Does anyone have any ideas?
From http://commandwindows.com/runline.htm:
Adding applications to the Path
Alternatively, the Registry can be
edited to explicitly contain the path
to the desired executable file or
files. The Registry key involved
isHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App
Paths
Create a new sub-key with the name of the executable file that you
wish to add to the path. e .g.,
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App
Paths\somefile.exe
In this new key, add a string variable named "Path" containing the
value of the the path to your new
executable file, e.g., C:\Program
files\newprogramfolder\
The new key will already have an empty variable (Default). Edit it to
have the string value of entire
address of the new program executable , e.g., C:\Program files\newprogramfolder\somefile.exe
3 steps.
Create a shortcut to the foo.exe you want to run (foo.lnk)
Copy the foo.lnk to your C:\windows directory.
Run foo.exe by simply typing "foo" in your run dialog. ("start foo" in cmd prompt works too)
You could also use an application launcher like Launchy, Slickrun or Executor. That way you wouldn't have to mess with the registry. I use Executor and I can just select "send to -> executor" to create a shortcut for any app (or folder or whatever).
Run works with search paths, which include the Path environment variable and some others. There might be more information in the MSDN, give me a moment and I'll look it up.
I put a link to the application I want to launch in the "c:\windows" folder, and I use it all the time. You can also rename the link file, of course, to speed up things: for example, I type w, x or pp to launc Word, eXcel or PowerPoint.