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Need help regarding DOS and BAT files.

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hulkbuster:

Hello folks, i need some advise. u see i really want to learn more about making Batch file n DOS. Although i had some training in DOS in my formative years; but  that was only basics.
         I serched through web and couldn't find any decent materials, only some examples. Although making BAT file to run some appli isn't new or hard for me. Its because i want to advance to learn C++ (i did learn C++, but it was on unusual time, back then i wasn't interested and uncooperative with teachers). I heard that making/learning BATCH file is the basic to learn any programming language.
          Could someone help me here regarding my query i.e.,( understanding ONLY BATCH FILE AND DOS). Any suggestion welcomed.

Many regards. :D

MilesAhead:
As good a place to start as any:

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/ntcmds.mspx?mfr=true


For easy to learn scripting language try AutoIt3.  It's free and has a simple syntax.
http://www.autoitscript.com/autoit3/index.shtml

f0dder:
I heard that making/learning BATCH file is the basic to learn any programming language.
-hulkbuster (April 14, 2010, 05:29 PM)
--- End quote ---
:o :o :o

I wouldn't advise anyone to mess with batch files to learn programming. It's very limited in functionality, you have to work around instead of with the language to get things done, and it's not easy to structure things for easy readability.

If you want to start with a scripting language, something like Python would be a much better choice. And for an OOP language, I'd suggest Java (yes, Java and not C++... C++ is a big mouthful and it's easy to get lost in language technicalities instead of actually learning programming). C# is also pretty nice, but I'd consider Java easier "getting into".

daddydave:
Although I don't really call myself a programmer, I do tend to have pretty strong opinions on programmery things. :o

1. I share f0dder's skepticism that batch is a gateway language to C++ and also his statement that "you have to work around instead of with the language to get things done." However, I think it is still worth learning batch in itself, it is becoming kind of a lost art and there is still value in it as a Windows user. No comment on Java.

2. I have a few links related to creating advanced batch files.

<a href="http://www.macalester.edu/~fines/batch_tricks.htm">Timo Salmi's Assorted Batch Tricks</a>
<a href="http://www.commandline.co.uk/">Ritchie Lawrence's Batch Function Library</a>
<a href="http://hfslip.org/">HFSlip - a complete slipstreaming tool for Windows 2000/XP written as a 30+ page batch file</a>

3. I agree with MilesAhead's recommendation of AutoIt3 for a nice scripting, get-things-done type language, especially in conjunction with Scite4Autoit3 and the Koda Form Designer. Autoit3 is much like Autohotkey, with a little more humane syntax, I think. The help file is very good too, every function has a nice short example.

rjbull:
More useful batch stuff here: Getting started with batch files

f0dder's right about having to work around batch file limitations.  In which case, don't overlook Horst Schaeffer's Batch tools & utilities for the MS-DOS operating system, where you can many word-around aids.

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