I want to create a batch file to do the following:
Start selenium server(webdriver-manager start)
Run Protractor tests(protractor conf.js)
Stop Selenium server()
This needs 2 different command prompts since webdriver-manager start will keep running and simultaneously the tests need to be executed
I have achieved the following so far. I have created a .bat file with the following contents:
start runTests.cmd
webdriver-manager start
Ctrl-C(**DOES NOT WORK**)
However, I am not able to figure out a way to shutdown the Selenium server(which is achieved by pressing Ctrl+C on the same window on which the webdriver-manager start command is executed)
You can generate keystrokes using VB Script, which can be called from a batch file.
I followed this post: http://www.w7forums.com/threads/f5-key-via-batch-file.18046/, substituting {F5} with ^{C} for Ctrl+C. So my file looks like:
Set objShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
objShell.SendKeys "^{C}"
You need to save this file with a ".vbs" extension.
I also found from this answer VBScript - switching focus to window using AppActivate how to set the focus to another window (which you know the title of). Doing this first, you can direct your keystroke to the appropriate window, so:
Set objShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
objShell.AppActivate "Untitled - Notepad"
objShell.SendKeys "^{C}"
I experimented with an empty instance of Notepad, so you'll need to change the window title string appropriately. (Ctrl+C doesn't do anything in Notepad, but Alt+F4 closes it, so I used "%{F4}" to test it.)
Then you can simply call the VBS file from your batch file to run it.
Related
I am a new programmer, i have created a batch file to open a website but i want that batch file to run when the computer starts.
Here's the code:
#echo off
:top
start iexplore.exe http://www.website.com
timeout 3
goto top
While i do think Arescet's answer will work, i am more in favor of using Windows' Task Scheduler.
Simply create a new task :
Assign it's trigger to be At Startup :
and add a new action to Start a program giving it the path to your batch file:
I believe this is a cleaner approach which also provides you with logging and history should you decide to do more things in your batch file later on
Type run into windows search, type shell:startup in the prompt, press enter, Then, create a shortcut of your program, and move the shortcut into the startUp folder.
On note of your code, the start command should have a blank title as "", and quotes around the application name and parameters passed, like:
start "" "iexplore.exe" "http://www.website.com"
I have a simple batch file in windows that I run on startup that presents the user with a menu to start certain applications. However by default, whenever I open one of these applications the focus goes to that window and off of the batch file. Is there a way to maintain, or re-divert focus onto the batch window?
Thanks
EDIT: Got it to do what I wanted. Used foxidrives suggestion to start them minimized but they were still taking focus. So I made a short VBScript to make the cmd window the active window after each call and the combination of the two worked. Thanks!
There is no command to steal the focus. As Bill_Stewart posted, that would be a dangerous feature that grants the program too much power over the user. You can however start the applications minimized (they will still be the active window), and then build and call a VBScript to make your batch window the active window:
start "" /MIN "application.exe"
cscript /nologo myVBScript.vbs
myVBScript.vbs
Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
WshShell.AppActivate "myBatchFile"
WScript.Sleep 2000
WshShell.AppActiavte "myBatchFile"
I've read that several people have had trouble with AppActivate on Windows 7. It was not functioning for me, and instead of bringing my target window to the foreground it just blinked in the task bar. Calling it a second time however, for some reason, brought it to the foreground and made it the active window, which is what I wanted. Hope this helps anybody else with a similar issue.
you can't lock the focus to your command prompt window. But what you could do is to set the TopMost flag of the command prompt window. There is a Win32 function called SetWindowPos which does that. Maybe there are some ready to use command line tools around which are doing this for you. Or, if you have visual studio installed, try to compile this one here: How to set a console application window to be the top most window (C#)?
If you use the start command with the /min switch then the application will be minimised and the batch file should remain visible:
#echo off
pause
echo launching notepad
start "" /min notepad
echo notepad is active
pause
I want to make a automated program in .bat. The program needs to run a command. However, the command must be run from a custom CMD.
If I open a regular CMD, the commands that I will do:
C:\Hardware\bin\StartCustomCMD.bat init (This is the first thing I will type. It starts the custom CMD.)
bb autobuild (This is the second thing that I will type. The command goes into the custom CMD)
You can probably tell that I did not write these scripts. I am trying to set this up in Windows Scheduler so that the script gets run automatically every day. Any help on how can I do that?
Thanks.
Make yourself a new batch file, and embed the other things into it, and then run that.
#echo off
call C:\Hardware\bin\StartCustomCMD.bat
bb autobuild
If bb it itself a batch file, then use call on it also. What call does is execute another batch file, and then continue processing. If you don't use call, when you run one batch file from another, the latter 'takes over' and the caller does not continue.
To do this you can use the timeout and goto command. Timeout waits a period of time in seconds but it can be skipped by pressing any key while cmd is open at the top layer. If you can see cmd press its icon on the desktop until you can not see it. Then using the goto command you can go to the top line. So here would be your script:
:start
C:\Hardware\bin\StartCustomCMD.bat init
bb autobuild
timeout 86400
goto start
You already know what the first two commands do, but timeout 86400 waits exactly one day then the goto start command goes to the first command so that gets repeated. If you need to add any more commands then put them above the timeout 86400 command.
I'm new with batch file and the code I'm using I had to find but it always opens cmd but doesn't close it after the program is open. I'm aware that it doesn't close because it's a window process and cmd doesn't close until after the window is closed. I would like to to close after it opens the window. Here is the code:
"C:\Program Files\Java\jre7\bin\javaw.exe" -Xmx1G -Xms1G -jar "Minecraft_Server.exe"
I've used many different ways close it like putting Exit at the end or putting cmd /c in front but that didn't work.
Update
The start command does not seem to work with multiple parameters.
Only solution I could come up with is creating a windowless executable that handles the executing with multiple parameters.
Original answer
I've tested the following and it works because Progra~1 is the a conversion of the Program files folder in oldskool 8 character style:
start c:\Progra~1\Intern~1\iexplore.exe -new -k "http://www.google.com/"
I cannot verify this because I do not have java, but it should work:
start C:\Program~1\Java\jre7\bin\javaw.exe -Xmx1G -Xms1G -jar "Minecraft_Server.exe"
However if more folders start with Progra then it could also be Progra~2, Progra~3 etc. You would have to try what works.
I have a batch file, this batch file will not start automatically, it will only run when i double click on it.
Can I run the batch file in the background when I double click on it.
Well, you can start it minimized with start, if that is enough. Really hiding it is difficult (although I can think of an option right now).
Basically you need to determine whether the batch has been started by double-clicking it. You can do this by defining a special variable and look for it:
#echo off
if not defined FOO (
set FOO=1
start /min "" %~0
exit /b
)
rem here whatever you wanted to do originally in the batch
As long as the FOO variable isn't defined (which is probably the default almost everywhere), this batch will launch itself minimized again, but with the variable defined first. Environments are passed to subprocesses, which is why this works.
you would generally need something else to run the script in that manor
i.e.
Create a shortcut, and set the “Run” field for the shortcut to “Minimized’.
Once you click or tab away from the cmd.exe window that the batch file is running it, it's "in the background" -- I'm not really sure what you want but it sounds like you might be asking how to run the batch file without displaying the cmd.exe window.
If so I can think of two ways: first, you can create a shortcut to the batch file, right click it, and in the properties there set the shortcut to run minimized (should be a drop down option next to Run).
You can also wrap invocation of the batch file in a VBScript file using Windows Script Host's shell object (calling the Run method) to run the batch file invisibly. Passing 0 as the intWindowStyle parameter will suppress display of a window or anything.
#Ghyath Serhal
I have used cmdow to do this on another program, it is an external application that can be used to modify the command prompt. To use it, you will need to either enter this code (see below) into it's own batch file, or into the command prompt, where it will run 'BatchFile.bat' with a hidden terminal window. I haven't found a way to use this in a single batch file, but I only found out about this today.
cmdow /run /hid 'BatchFile.bat'
Hope this helps.