A. Windows NT 4.0 introduced several extensions to cmd.exe. Use these extensions to ensure that the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor\EnableExtensions registry entry is set to 1. The following table lists the most commonly used commands.
| call <batch file> |
Calls one batch file from inside another. The current batch file’s execution is suspended until the called batch file completes. |
| exit |
Stops a batch file from running. If one batch file calls another, exit stops both batch files. |
| findstr <string> <filename(s)> |
Finds a string in a file. This powerful command has several parameters. |
| for |
Standard for loop. The command
for /L %n IN (1,1,10) DO @ECHO %n
Would print 1 to 10. |
| goto <label> |
Causes a program’s execution to skip to a given point. A colon must precede the label name. For example,
goto label1<br>
...<br>
:label1<br>
... |
| if <condition> .. |
The if statement has a lot of functionality. Common uses include the following.
if /i <string1> <compare> <string2> <command>
The /i parameter makes the comparison case-insensitive. The comparison can be one of the following.
EQU—equal
NEQ—not equal
LSS—less than
LEQ—less than or equal
GTR—greater than
GEQ—greater than or equal
if errorlevel<br>
if exist <file name> |
| rem <string> |
A comment. |
| start <window title> <command> |
Starts a new command session and runs a given command. Unlike with the call command, the current batch file’s execution continues. |
The Microsoft Windows NT Resource Kit includes some additional utilities that you might find useful.