How to evaluate exit code of an application started from within a batch file?

Question

I am trying to execute an application from a batch file by using START command (to hide console when executing) and I need to get errorlevel after execution. For example after System.exit(10) I'd like to restart Java application:

:while
START javaw ...
IF errorlevel 10 GOTO while

But it doesn't work because errorlevel condition is evaluated before the java process has finished.

I've also tested the next code but I get an empty text file because of the same reason:

:while
start javaw ... >exit.txt 2>&1
set /p status=<exit.txt
if "%status%"=="10" goto :while

Then, is there any way to launch a Java application, without console (/WAIT is not an option), and using a loop to restart the app when a problem occurs?

score 1 · Answer 1 · edited May 23 '17 at 10:33

See answer on question How to call a batch file in the parent folder of current batch file? to understand the 4 different methods on running an application or batch file from within a batch file.

And see also Difference between java/javaw/javaws.

The execution of the batch file results already in opening a console window.

Therefore I suggest to use simply

:while
java.exe ... 
IF errorlevel 10 GOTO while

Or use following code if you don't want to see any output by the Java application in console window of the batch file:

:while
java.exe ... 1>nul 2>nul
IF errorlevel 10 GOTO while

1>nul redirects output written to stdout to device NUL and 2>nul redirects the error messages written to stderr also to device NUL.

The only solution I can think of running a Java application without displaying a console window and additionally check successful execution of the Java application would be to write a Windows (GUI) application in C/C++/C# which does not open a window like javaw.exe and which runs javaw.exe with the appropriate parameters as process with evaluating the return code.

But with a batch file it is impossible to avoid opening a console window completely as far as I know. The console window can be opened minimized, but not hidden completely.

score 0 · Answer 2 · edited May 23 '17 at 10:33

0

using this solution: Windows batch assign output of a program to a variable you can do something like this:

@echo off
:loop
application arg0 arg1 > temp.txt
set /p status=<temp.txt
if "%status%"=="10" goto :loop
echo "Done."

edited May 23 '17 at 10:33

Community

1
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answered Jul 18 '14 at 16:33

DTSCode

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I get en empty text file. Even using >temp.txt 2>&1 – acimutal Jul 18 '14 at 17:02
Are you using START to launch your application? – acimutal Jul 18 '14 at 17:16
No. why would you want to use it? – DTSCode Jul 18 '14 at 17:24
START doesn't hide the console though. it just opens it up in a new window. and its not going to work with START since its in a different session – DTSCode Jul 18 '14 at 17:37
START will launch it in a new console so you will have 2 consoles. it doesnt have hide it. and you arent going to be able to get it without writing it to file and then extracting it from the file in the first one – DTSCode Jul 18 '14 at 17:44
no. I know what happens. it opens it in a new console. – DTSCode Jul 18 '14 at 17:53

How to evaluate exit code of an application started from within a batch file?

2 Answers2