Batch (Windows) execute script wait for request and input the answer

Question

the problem: I want to create a batchfile that executes other scripts. Then only problem is, you can not give the necessary input by parameters. The scripts ask for some data along the way. Is there any way to wait for a specific kind of string and answer based on this string?

kinda like VBS in secureCRT: crt.screen.WaitForString("question")

ex output: 'do you want to proceed?'

waitForString("proceed?")
echo "yes"

Greetz, Bulki

Edit: this is not the same as asking input from the user via the console. The batch has to give an answer automatically to the output generated by te launched script.

Answer 1

Can't be done? Dingo's kidneys!

If batch can be used to create the universe as we know it, there's not much that it can't do - if you're flexible.

For instance, here's a demo that will have a batch wait on the output of two processes - all it needs is a little co-operation.

@ECHO OFF
SETLOCAL
FOR %%i IN (1 2) DO DEL proc%%i.finished 2>nul&SET proc%%i=&START proc%%i
:loop
FOR %%i IN (1 2) DO IF EXIST proc%%i.finished CALL :getdata %%i
FOR %%i IN (1 2) DO IF NOT DEFINED proc%%i timeout /t 1 >NUL &GOTO loop
SET proc
GOTO :eof

:getdata
DEL proc%1.finished
FOR /f "delims=" %%o IN (proc%1.output) DO SET proc%1=%%o
DEL proc%1.output
GOTO :eof

This sends off two processes, proc1 and proc2 (I'm good at creating imaginative tasknames...) It then waits until a file procN.finished is created and processes the corresponding procN.output (just puts the output line into envvar PROCn)

When both subsidiary procs are complete, it proceeds - well, to EOF in this case...

Here's an example of a subsidiary proc I used for testing:

@echo off
setlocal enabledelayedexpansion
set /a delay=2+(%random% %% 3)
timeout /t %delay%
>proc2.output ECHO Finished AT %DATE% %TIME%
ECHO.>proc2.finished
EXIT

proc1.bat was the same, with a few numbers changed.

Works fine - with the SET displaying the end time of the two subsidiary processses as expected.

All it takes is to poke the appropriate output string into a file and use flag files to notify the controlling batch that the subsidiary processes have finished doing their work.

Of course, the original question is a litle hazy, and I may have it all completely confused...

Answer 2

You can pipe or redirect a character or string to a bach script, but it is not possible for the script to wait for a question (input) and give an answer dependent on this. This belongs on the missing multitasking modus of the windows command line.

Answer 3

Let's analyze your request a little. As I understand it, you want something similar to this:

scriptA.bat | output.bat

This way, when output.bat read "do you want to proceed?" from its STDIN, then gives a "yes" answer into scriptA.bat, right? However, there is no way that output.bat could provide any input to scriptA.bat! In order to do that, you must assemble something similar to this:

input.bat | scriptA.bat | output.bat

In this case, when output.bat detects "do you want to proceed?", it must send a signal of some type to input.bat so it answer "yes" into scriptA.bat's STDIN! Of course, the signal sent from output.bat to input.bat can NOT be carried via a normal data stream, it must be of other type: the existence of a disk file, for example. Although previous scheme theoretically should work, there is another problem here.

When a Batch file executes, it continually polls the keyboard to detect a possible Ctrl-C key in order to cancel the execution. This behavior "eats" the characters that another process may sent via a pipeline. However, this behavior can be bypassed via another signal system so the right side of the pipe read an input as soon as the left side had output to it. At this post there is a Batch file that use this technique to create a Tee.bat program that duplicate its piped input in the screen and in a disk file.

Continuing with our topic, there is no way to solve your problem via a Batch file. However, it is relatively easy to do that in JScript, for example:

var WshShell = new ActiveXObject("WScript.Shell");
var oExec = WshShell.Exec("scriptA.bat");
var line = oExec.StdOut.ReadLine();
if (line == "do you want to proceed?") oExec.StdIn.WriteLine("yes");

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ateytk4a(v=vs.84).aspx

Answer 4

You will need to change the secondary set of batch files so that the input questions are REMmed out and you then supply the data that it needs in environment variables in the batch file that runs the rest of the batch files.

EG: change this in every batch file that requires input:

set /p "answerone=input your data: "

to this

REM set /p "answerone=input your data: "

and in the calling batch file you would add lines with environment variables and data that replaces the data in the secondary batch files:

set "answerone=%~1"
"call mybatch1.bat"
rem repeat for more input on other batch files

and launch the first batch file like this so that the variable propagates to the called batch files - and %answerone% will be set to yes

`mybatch "yes"