CreateProcess for batchfile with command-line args fails

Vishwanath Nukal

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Apr 9, 2001, 11:49:55 PM4/9/01

to

Hi

Using NT 4.0 SP5

From a Windows Service program I want to launch a batch file in a separate
process. I used CreateProcess in the following manner

CreateProcess(lpszCommand,
lpszCommandLine,
NULL,
NULL, FALSE,
CREATE_NO_WINDOW|CREATE_NEW_PROCESS_GROUP,
NULL,/* Environment of calling process */
NULL,
&si,
&pi);

This succeeds as long as lpszCommandLine is an empty string. But when
non-empty it fails with GetLastError returning 2. This does not happen when
lpszCommand is an .exe file.

From the newsgroups I found a workaround to route the batch file thro
CMD.EXE
i.e. Making the batch file and its command-line arguments(CLA) as
the CLA to CMD.exe. This worked but this has the overhead of an additional
CMD.EXE process which is undesirable this being a long-running program.

Does anybody have any ideas, apart from the above workaround, to launch a
batch-file having CLA using CreateProcess ?

Thanks,
V

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Luc Kumps

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Apr 10, 2001, 1:39:44 AM4/10/01

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A .BAT or .CMD file need to be interpreted by a Command Interpreter. CMD.EXE
is one example of a command interpreter. You could write another one, but
you would always need a .EXE to interpret the commands in the batch file.
Batch = "batch of commands". Some executable is needed to parse and execute
the commands...

Luc

"Vishwanath Nukal" <lak...@MailAndNews.com> wrote in message
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Alex Blekhman

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Apr 10, 2001, 2:36:25 AM4/10/01

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"Vishwanath Nukal" <lak...@MailAndNews.com> wrote in message
news:3AD7...@MailAndNews.com...

Is this also happening if you specify NULL instead of lpszCommand and
in lpszCommandLine give filename and CLA (for instance: "myfile.bat
arg1 arg2")?

Alex Blekhman

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Apr 10, 2001, 2:40:10 AM4/10/01

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"Luc Kumps" <NOkum...@pandora.be> wrote in message
news:A0xA6.28104$ii5.2...@afrodite.telenet-ops.be...

> A .BAT or .CMD file need to be interpreted by a Command Interpreter.
CMD.EXE
> is one example of a command interpreter. You could write another
one, but
> you would always need a .EXE to interpret the commands in the batch
file.
> Batch = "batch of commands". Some executable is needed to parse and
execute
> the commands...

Is it shell functionality to recognise BAT and CMD files and to run
interpreter? Or this is more low level feature implemented by
OS(loader?) itself?

Luc Kumps

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Apr 10, 2001, 2:29:32 AM4/10/01

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"Alex Blekhman" <tkfx....@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:9au6ir$6sgdf$1...@ID-54051.news.dfncis.de...

I *thought* I knew the answer... until I looked up the "cmdfile" and
"batfile" entries under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT!
The Shell\open\command entries specify "%1" "%*", which is also present for
"comfile", "exefile", "piffile"

I expected to find %SYSTEMROOT%\CMD.EXE %* there...

I guess .bat .cmd .com .exe and .pif *are* handled in a "special" way.
Anyway, the result will always be that launching a .bat or cmd needs a
CMD.EXE or COMMAND.COM to handle it...
Or did I still miss something?

Luc

Vishwanath Nukal

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Apr 10, 2001, 2:41:46 PM4/10/01

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This makes sense, except for the fact that I am able to successfully launch a
batch file without a CMD.EXE when I don't pass any command-line arguments to the
batch file.
Why does the command-line arguments change the behaviour ?

Anyway, I continued the trial-and-error work and found that the following method
works.

CreateProcess(NULL,
"batchfile.bat cla1 cla2 cla3",

NULL,
NULL, FALSE,
CREATE_NO_WINDOW|CREATE_NEW_PROCESS_GROUP,
NULL,/* Environment of calling process */
NULL,
&si,
&pi);

Making the command as NULL and putting the batch-file alongwith its CLA into the
CommandLine does the trick. This does not even require the extra do-nothing
CMD.EXE process to be hovering around.

Thanks to all who responded
V

Luc Kumps wrote:

--
Vishwana...@oracle.com
Ph: (650) 633 6349

Michael D. Ober

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Apr 10, 2001, 2:46:17 PM4/10/01

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MSDN recommends that only 32 bit GUI programs be launched with the first
parameter in CreateProcess. You can launch ALL applications using the
second parameter.
--
Mike Ober.

"Vishwanath Nukal" <Vishwana...@Oracle.com> wrote in message
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Luc Kumps

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Apr 10, 2001, 3:17:44 PM4/10/01

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An extra do-nothing CMD.EXE?
Doesn't your CreateProcess() create a CMD.EXE?

Luc

"Vishwanath Nukal" <Vishwana...@Oracle.com> wrote in message
news:3AD353EA...@MailAndNews.com...
>