How to fire a command at HH:29:55 and HH:59:55 in a windows batch file

Question

In a windows batch file (x.bat), how can I fire a command once every 30 minutes, when the second component of the time is greater than 55?

What I have now is:

:loop
    program.exe
    PING localhost -n 1800 >NUL
goto loop

The problem is that the timing is not precise enough, ie. sec>55 at min%30==29.

I am not very proficient in coding windows batch commands. How do I use the scheduler? — Chong Lip Phang, Sep 17 '19 at 07:19
ok...I think I got it. Don't you want to post a proper answer? ;) — Chong Lip Phang, Sep 17 '19 at 07:26
Well, if I post an answer for task scheduler, then my answer will be off topic. :) — Gerhard, Sep 17 '19 at 07:28
Wait a minute... I don't think the task scheduler provides that level of control, ie. every 30 minutes. The options are merely: Daily, Weekly, Monthly.... — Chong Lip Phang, Sep 17 '19 at 07:30
No, you will set it up daily, and under advanced settings set rpeat task every 30 minutes, the give a start time of the next hour:29:55 — Gerhard, Sep 17 '19 at 07:33
ok, well let me know, it is only in a few minutes. I will create a scripting related answer for you anyway, even though scheduler is perfect for this task. — Gerhard, Sep 17 '19 at 07:39

score 1 · Accepted Answer · edited Sep 17 '19 at 15:19

1

As mentioned, Task Scheduler is more than capable for this task. It can be run daily, every 30 minutes starting at next hour:59:55

That said, there are ways to script these things. This is not the most robust solution, but it works.

@echo off
:start
for /f %%i in ('powershell Get-Date -Format mm:ss') do (
    if "%%i"=="29:55" program.exe
    if "%%i"=="59:55" program.exe
timeout 1 /nobreak>nul
)
goto start

edited Sep 17 '19 at 15:19

SomethingDark

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answered Sep 17 '19 at 07:53

Gerhard

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Apparently a problem with the Task Scheduler is that if the PC restarts, I have to launch the task again. Is there a workaround? Currently, I am placing my batch scripts in shell:startup. – Chong Lip Phang Sep 17 '19 at 07:56
well, there is the option of the script I posted if you want to retain the exact 29:55 and 59:55 rule. – Gerhard Sep 17 '19 at 07:58

How to fire a command at HH:29:55 and HH:59:55 in a windows batch file

1 Answers1