I just installed scala but I can't call it from the command line. So I dutifully checked my path through the environmental variables of the control panel and saw the scala folder present. If I type scala from cmd within that folder, it works fine.
So I tried echo %PATH% from windows cmd to see any problem. If running a normal command window, I get almost the same path except it's missing the scala path item. If I run the command line (Admin), then the echoed path matches the environment variables version. Under this admin setting, scala works fine.
There is no user path variable defined, it's only a system variable.
I've never seen this before. Why is there a difference between admin path and non-admin path? And how do I access the scala path item from the non-admin command line?
Thanks!
I just had the same problem, it was caused by the environment variables not being refreshed. A reboot would have solved it, however there is a way to refresh the environment variables without a reboot.
Open cmd prompt window
Input set PATH=C
close and restart cmd prompt window
input echo %PATH% to check
This worked for me in Windows 10.
On my Pc, running Windows XP 5.1.2600, following
"My Computer" > "Properties" > "Advanced" > "Environment Variables" > "Path"
I get a string, but in a batch file, or directly typing from prompt, by means of
echo %path%
I get a different one.
Can someone, please, explain what makes them differ and how to fix the issue, setting the "DOS-path" to the same value of "Windows-PATH" ?
Two things:
As others have mentioned, the full value of PATH is the combination of the user's PATH variable and the system's PATH variable.
If you change environment variables (including PATH), any processes already running (including the Command Prompt) will continue using the old environment variable values. You will need to restart those processes to pick up any changes that you've made.
The value of the PATH environment variable you see on the command line (which has nothing to do with "DOS" btw) is the sum of the system wide PATH variable and the user specific PATH variable.
If you open the dialog with the system variables from within the control panel, the upper part contains the user specific environment variables. The lower part contains the system variables.
If you set a PATH variable for your user to e.g. c:\foo, and the system path is be c:\Windows\System32 then you'd see c:\Windows\System32;c:\foo when you do an ECHO %PATH% on the commandline.
Probably the difference you are seeing is that when a new process is made, its default environment contains a PATH variable that is made by merging the system variable with the user variable.
As for how to "fix the issue", there is nothing to fix. The system behaves as designed.
I was getting the same issue where the System Variable that I get through the
"My Computer" > "Properties" > "Advanced" > "Environment Variables" >
"Path"
was different that the one being displayed through the command line interface via
ECHO %PATH%
The fix for this is basically to wait for the change to take place and this can be made faster by restarting the cmd and explorer. To do that you can simply end task for Explorer and CMD and then start a new task or restart it directly.
The same shall be done for the CMD as well.
The Windows registry can hold path entries that do not show up in the Environment Variables version of PATH you see via the control panel. (Why, I do not know).
The difference means that something (likely an install script) made changes to the registry.
To view or change the local user's path variable, look in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Environment key.
To view the system path, look in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment
I am encountering a strange problem about System Property environment variable.
As you know, we can open Computer->Property->Advanced System Settings->Advanced->System Environment Variables->User Variables for admin
I change Variable TEMP' value to C:\mytemp\ and click OK to save it.
However, In command line, when I echo %TEMP%, it still show original path, C:\Users\admin\AppData\Local\Temp.
When I input %TEMP% in explorer, it will go to C:\mytemp
Now I want to user API to get the path, GetEnvironmentVariable() will also return path which is same as echo %TEMP% in command line. how can I get the path as exploer did.
Thanks in advance.
PS. OS is Win7 x86
Changing environment path through Computer->Property->Advanced System Settings->Advanced->System Environment Variables->User Variables will take effect immediately. However, please be noted that those programs which are running will not get the latest environment variable.
So I thought that you simply didn't reopen a new cmd for echo.
Open a new cmd, and echo again, the new path will be shown.
The environment variables are set when the process runs and are not updated.
To verify this, open a command prompt, and type "echo %TEMP%". Keep the command prompt open and change the %TEMP% variable. No matter what, entering "echo %TEMP%" will print the old values.
Now open a new command prompt and "echo %TEMP%", the new command prompt will print the new values.
As a workaround, you can spin up a new thread to check the current setting at that particular time.
i need to set permanently the %username% variable on windows is that possible?
I mean if I do on command prompt set username=UPPERCASE I can see that the variable is changed, however as expected this does work just in that command prompt, If I open another one the username variable is the original.
I tried to find the correspondent registry value but I did not find it.
I need some automatic way to do it.
Thanks!
When each process starts, the process gets a copy of the parent process' environment variables. So, if you used Windows Explorer to start your command prompt. You get a copy of Explorer.exe's environment variables, but when you edit it in cmd.exe, you don't edit the value for the rest of the system.
That said, Windows provides an event that processes can subscribe to so they can be told that there is a new value for environment variables. If you are interested, I can try to dig it up. I've used it before for the Path environment variable and think it may apply to your problem.
Sounds like you should create a bat file. This will prompt the user for their username and put it in the %USERNAME% environment variable.
SET /p USERNAME=What is your UserName?
putty /user:%username%
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