Batch File Examples

Password Example

The following batch file can be used to establish a password for running a program. The batch file is named START.BAT and calls the program named CALC.EXE.

@ECHO OFF
IF %1==ExeScript GOTO OK
ECHO WRONG PASSWORD
GOTO END
:OK
ECHO PASSWORD IS ACCEPTED...STARTING
CALC.EXE
:END

Below you'll see the response of the computer to various commands.

First the bad password. At the prompt type START 123.
C:/>
C:/>START 123
C:/>BAD PASSWORD

Now use the correct password. Type the correct command at the prompt.
C:/>
C:/>START ExeScript
C:/>PASSWORD IS ACCEPTED...STARTING

At this point the CALC.EXE program starts.

Backup your .doc files (Windows NT/2000/XP version)

usage: backbat backupdir
where: backupdir is the directory to copy your .doc files

@echo off
if not "%1"=="" goto argsok
echo usage:  %0 backupdir
echo where: backupdir is the directory to copy your .doc files
goto end

:argsok
  setlocal
  set backupdir=%1
  if not exist %backupdir% goto notfile
  echo %backupdir% is a file
  goto end
:notfile
  rem  If the directory does not exist, create it.
  if exist %backupdir%\nul goto skipdir
  md %backupdir%
  if "%errorlevel%"=="0" goto skipdir
  echo Error creating backup directory
  goto end
:skipdir
  rem  Copy each .doc file one at a time.
  rem  Note:  the for loop variable (%%b) must be contain only one letter.
  for %%b in ( *.doc ) do copy %%b %backupdir% > nul
  rem  Use the for loop again to check if each file was copied (since it is
  rem  difficult to run multiple commands in a for loop).
  for %%b in ( *.doc ) do if not exist %backupdir%\%%b echo %%b was not copied
:end
rem  Clean up
endlocal

How to make a time log

In the following example, you can create a time log of when the batch file is loaded or, for example, in the autoexec.bat file when someone logs into a computer.

ECHO. |TIME > TIME
COPY LOG +TIME

An alternate slightly more complicated method that, to our knowledge, cannot be used in Windows NT, Windows 2000 or Windows ME would be the following:

echo @prompt set date=$d$_set time=$t$h$h$h > {a}.bat
%comspec% /e:2048 /c {a}.bat > {b}.bat
for %%v in ({b}.bat del) do call %%v {?}.bat
echo %date% %time% >> log

Another alternative is:

echo. |time |find "current" >> log

For the above batch file to work properly, you must create a file called log by typing "edit log" (without the quotes) and then save and exit the file which will create the file at 0 bytes. If this file is not created or not created properly, you will receive the error message, "Content of destination lost before copy".

Batch File Examples

Password Example

Backup your .doc files (Windows NT/2000/XP version)

How to make a time log

See also: