How to run batch script without using *.bat extension

Question

Is there any method in Windows through which we can execute a batch script without *.bat extension?

Answer 1

This is an interesting topic to me! I want to do some observations about it.

The important point first: A Batch file is a file with .BAT or .CMD extension. Period. Batch files can achieve, besides the execution of usual DOS commands, certain specific Batch-file facilities, in particular:

• Access to Batch file parameters via %1 %2 ... and execution of SHIFT command.
• Execution of GOTO command.
• Execution of CALL :NAME command (internal subroutine).
• Execution of SETLOCAL/ENDLOCAL commands.

Now the funny part: Any file can be redirected as input for CMD.exe so the DOS commands contained in it are executed in a similar way of a Batch file, with some differences. The most important one is that previous Batch-file facilities will NOT work. Another differences are illustrated in the NOT-Batch file below (I called it BATCH.TXT):

@echo off
rem Echo off just suppress echoing of the prompt and each loop of FOR command
rem but it does NOT suppress the listing of these commands!

rem Pause command does NOT pause, because it takes the character that follows it
pause
X

rem This behavior allows to put data for a SET /P command after it
set /P var=Enter data: 
This is the data for previous command!
echo Data read: "%var%"

rem Complex FOR/IF commands may be assembled and they execute in the usual way:
for /L %i in (1,1,5) do (
   set /P line=
   if "!line:~0,6!" equ "SHOW: " echo Line read: !line:~6!
)
NOSHOW: First line read
SHOW: Second line
NOSHOW: This is third line
SHOW: The line number 4
NOSHOW: Final line, number five

rem You may suppress the tracing of the execution redirecting CMD output to NUL
rem In this case, redirect output to STDERR to display messages in the screen
echo This is a message redirected to STDERR >&2

rem GOTO command doesn't work:
goto label
goto :EOF
rem but both EXIT and EXIT /B commands works:
exit /B

:label
echo Never reach this point...

To execute previous file, type: CMD /V:ON < BATCH.TXT The /V switch is needed to enable delayed expansion.

More specialized differences are related to the fact that commands in the NOT-Batch file are executed in the command-line context, NOT the Batch-file context. Perhaps Dave or jeb could elaborate on this point.

EDIT: Additional observations (batch2.txt):

@echo off
rem You may force SET /P command to read the line from keyboard instead of
rem from following lines by redirecting its input to CON device.

rem You may also use CON device to force commands output to console (screen),
rem this is easier to write and read than >&2

echo Standard input/output operations> CON
echo/> CON
< CON set /P var=Enter value: > CON
echo/> CON
echo The value read is: "%var%"> CON

Execute previous file this way: CMD < BATCH2.TXT > NUL

EDIT: More additional observations (batch3.txt)

@echo off

rem Dynamic access to variables that usually requires DelayedExpansion via "call" trick

rem Read the next four lines; "next" means placed after the FOR command
rem (this may be used to simulate a Unix "here doc")

for /L %i in (1,1,4) do (
   set /P line[%i]=
)
Line one of immediate data
This is second line
The third one
And the fourth and last one...

(
echo Show the elements of the array read:
echo/
for /L %i in (1,1,4) do call echo Line %i- %line[%i]%
) > CON

Execute this file in the usual way: CMD < BATCH3.TXT > NUL

Interesting! Isn't it?

EDIT: Now, GOTO and CALL commands may be simulated in the NotBatch.txt file!!! See this post.

Antonio

Answer 2

Just use:

type mybat.txt | cmd

Breaking it down...

type mybat.txt reads mybat.txt as a text file and prints the contents. The | says capture anything getting printed by the command on its left and pass it as an input to the command on its right. Then cmd (as you can probably guess) interprets any input it receives as commands and executes them.

In case you were wondering... you can replace cmd with bash to run on Linux.

Answer 3

in my case, to make windows run files without extension (only for *.cmd, *.exe) observed, i have missed pathext variable (in system varailbles) to include .cmd. Once added i have no more to run file.cmd than simply file.

environment variables --> add/edit system variable to include .cmd;.exe (ofcourse your file should be in path)

Answer 4

It could be possible yes, but probably nor in an easy way =) cause first of all.. security. I try to do the same thing some year ago, and some month ago, but i found no solution about it.. you could try to do

execu.cmd

type toLaunch.txt >> bin.cmd
call bin.cmd
pause > nul
exit

then in toLaunch.txt put

@echo off
echo Hello!
pause > nul
exit

just as example, it will "compile" the code, then it will execute the "output" file, that is just "parse"

instead of parsed you could also just rename use and maybe put an auto rename inside the script using inside toLaunch.txt

ren %0 %0.txt

hope it helped!

Answer 5

It is possible at some degree. You'll need an admin permissions to run assoc and ftype commands. Also a 'caller' script that will use your code:

Lets say the extension you want is called .scr. Then execute this script as admin:

   @echo off
   :: requires Admin permissions
   :: allows a files with .scr (in this case ) extension to act like .bat/.cmd files.
   :: Will create a 'caller.bat' associated with the extension
   :: which will create a temp .bat file on each call (you can consider this as cheating)
   :: and will call it.
   :: Have on mind that the %0 argument will be lost.


    rem :: "installing" a caller.
    if not exist "c:\scrCaller.bat" (
       echo @echo off
       echo copy "%%~nx1"  "%%temp%%\%%~nx1.bat" /Y ^>nul
       echo "%%temp%%\%%~nx1.bat"  %%*
    ) > c:\scrCaller.bat

    rem :: associating file extension
    assoc .scr=scrfile
    ftype scrfile=c:\scrCaller "%%1" %%*

You even will be able to use GOTO and CALL and the other tricks you know. The only limitation is that the the %0 argument will be lost ,tough it can be hardcoded while creating the temp file. As a lot of languages compile an .exe file for example I think this a legit approach.

Answer 6

There is not reason or workflow described in the original post. But in case you just want to type myscript instead of myscript.bat you can create an alias of your script and rename the alias to myscript.

My use case: I work in parallel in wsl and batch shell and want to type ls instead of dir or mv instead of move. So I created some one-line-scripts, e.g. ls.bat with contant dir %1 and create the link ls

Answer 7

If you want variables to be exported to the calling batch file, you could use

for /F "tokens=*" %%g in (file.txt) do (%%g)

This metod has several limitations (don't use :: for comments), but its perfect for configuration files.

Example:

rem Filename: "foo.conf"
rem 
set option1=true
set option2=false
set option3=true

@echo off
for /F "tokens=*" %%g in (foo.conf) do (%%g)
echo %option1%
echo %option2%
echo %option3%
pause