Windows Scripting

directory of current script

change to the directory of the executed script:

chdir /D %~dp0

The /D allows to change drives too.

functions

@echo off
echo 1
call :func_1 2
call :func_1 3
echo 4
exit /B

:func_1
echo %1 (called in a function)
exit /B 0

Output:

>test
1
2 (called in a function)
3 (called in a function)
4

parameters

• Parameters to a script are %1 to %9
• %0 is the call and should contain the script name
• %10 does not exist
• %* "is" all parameters, even if there are 15
• if you want to have more than 9 parameters, google for shift or use something like

FOR %%A IN (%*) DO (
  echo xxx %%A xxx
)

Output:

>test 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
x 1 x
x 2 x
x 3 x
x 4 x
x 5 x
x 6 x
x 7 x
x 8 x
x 9 x
x 10 x
x 11 x
x 12 x
x 13 x

test for parameters

@echo off

if [%1]==[] (
  echo Parameter 1 missing!
) else (
  echo Paramater 1 found: %1
)

• '[' and ']' around "%1" are just for the case it is empty. You can use anything you want:

 if xx%1xx==xxxx (

• you need a space between "[]" and '(' in the if condition
• the "(" must be on the same line as the if
• the ") else (" can not be on different lines

text color

The documentation from MS is here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/console/console-virtual-terminal-sequences?redirectedfrom=MSDN

You will need to output a certain character which is just called ESC. It is the "character" with the number 27 in the ASCII table, so you can create it on the console if you hold ALT and enter with the numlock digits "027". When you release ALT afterwards you should get "^[". You can try it but it will be of not much use. It would be:

• ALT + 027
• [92m
• <return>

Now your prompt should be green. To get back to normal:

• ALT + 027
• [0m
• <return>

Try the following script:

@echo off

for /F %%a in ('echo prompt $E ^| cmd') do set "ESC=%%a"
set GREEN=%ESC%[92m
set DEFAULT=%ESC%[0m
set ERROR=%ESC%[101;93m

call :out Dies ist ein erster Test.
call :out Dies ist ein zweiter Test.
call :outError This is not a test, please leave this script immediately!

exit /B
:out
  echo %GREEN% %* %DEFAULT%
  exit /B
  
:outError
  echo %ERROR% %* %DEFAULT%
  exit /B