Currently have 1,376 lines of batchscript in this one file. Kinda built myself a little state machine at this point. Memes aside, is there a particular reason huge batchscript files would be a bad idea? I usually only ever see very small ones, and I'm not entirely sure why

(Not too serious a question, so not tagged as one)

Long story short, I built a custom structure engine so you don't have to deal with total anarchy in your Batch scripts anymore.

Let's be real here: vanilla Batch is slow and painful. Variables constantly get mixed up, clashing with each other, leaking into the global scope, and just making your life a living hell.

Obviously, this framework won’t magically fix CMD's execution speed (since Batch is an interpreted language after all). BUT!! It completely obliterates variable chaos and turns your messy spaghetti code into a clean, beautiful masterpiece.

Check it out under the hood on GitHub: https://github.com/15eyk-45Hy/Struct-Utility

^{This photo provides a clean visual breakdown of the framework's nested namespace and structure hierarchy.}

I have a bit of a mess on my video editing hard drives....a lot of files that need to be sorted and placed in folders. I would like to automate it.

I have many files, all labeled in this format: "groupname--date-extraInfo.mp4"

I'm over simplifying, but the file structure looks something like this, with many more groups:

group1/ highlights
group2/ highlights
group3/ highlights

here is some sudo code on what I want to do:

extract 'groupname' from filename
search for folder with groupname
if(folder exists)
  move file to folder
else
  create new folder with file name
  move file to folder

My first attempt was writing a .bat file, it got me partway there, but I couldn't figure out how to extract the groupname to make a new folder with that name.

I'm looking for guidance on what the best approach to doing this is. Most of my programming experience is writing C & C++ for embedded systems (arduino, esp32, ect). I would consider my abilities "advanced hobbyist". I'm open to to learning a new language if thats what it takes, I think I've heard python is good for this sort of thing?

So let me know how you would approach it and what I need to learn.

Thanks!

ps--I'm not interested in an AI solutions here, I want to actually learn how to do it myself.

Also, if there is a better sub to post this in, please let me know.

Long story short: Python and Java programming seemed too tedious, but I had enough brain cells to test the absolute limits of the Windows command line. My "Service v1.0" utility will literally run "on a single drop of water" if that drop is running Windows. Note: most of the script is in Russian, but the underlying code architecture, commands, and logic are completely open, standard, and easy to read. What makes it great: Super fast and lightweight. A huge set of administrative tools packed into a single script. A clean, retro interface with customizable ASCII frames and borders (I don't know about you, but I personally really like the look of it!). Built-in features: Temporary folder cleaner: instantly removes temporary junk. Log cleaner: removes log files from any path you specify. Digital stopwatch: a standard timer in 00:00 format. Speed ​​Converter: Converts km/h to m/s and vice versa. TWR Calculator: A thrust-to-weight ratio calculator that bypasses batch processing limitations and works with decimal places down to 0.00. Weather Station: Real-time local weather forecasts, powered by the excellent wttr.in. Ping Tester: Custom ping tests against target URLs with packet counters (1 to 3). File Mover: Automatically filters and moves files by extension and path. Update Checker: Built-in function for checking for the latest versions of services. The entire script is only 12 KB in plain text (and compresses to 4.25 KB in a zip archive). It literally does more useful system maintenance than some modern bloated 50 MB "cleaner" programs. There's also an "About the Author" section where you can browse my root GitHub repository and see my other scripts.

The GitHub post is here: https://github.com/LoMeR-933/LoMeR-batch-tools/releases/tag/service

@echo off
setlocal enabledelayedexpansion
chcp 65001 >nul
if not exist "temp_batch" (
title Setup...
echo Установка сервиса...
md "Service_BAT"
md "Service_BAT\data"
md "Service_BAT\temp_batch"
(echo 1.0)>"Service_BAT\data\version.dat"
timeout /t 2 >nul
echo Установка почти завершена. Батник закроется при окончании.
echo Запустите его потом в папке "Service_BAT" :^)
timeout /t 2 >nul
move "%~nx0" "Service_BAT"
)
title Authorization...
color 02
set m=goto menu
echo Авторизация...
timeout /t 2 /nobreak >nul
net session >nul 2>&1 || (echo Рекомендую заходить с правами администратора.&timeout /t 1 >nul)
if not exist "%~dp0data\" mkdir "%~dp0data" >nul
if not exist "%~dp0data\name.dat" copy NUL "%~dp0data\name.dat" >nul
if not exist "%~dp0data\city.dat" copy NUL "%~dp0data\city.dat" >nul
set/p n=<%~dp0data\name.dat
set/p w1=<%~dp0data\city.dat
:auth_loop
cls
if [%n%]==[] (
echo Введите своё имя.
set /p n="> "
if "!n!"=="" set "n=Guest"
if "!n!"=="LoMeR-933" echo Зачем ты ввёл ник разработчика? :^) & pause >nul & set "n=" & goto auth_loop
if "!n!"=="LoMeR933" echo Зачем ты ввёл ник разработчика? :^) & pause >nul & set "n=" & goto auth_loop
echo.
echo Ты верно ввел: "!n!"?
echo Y=да, N=нет.
set /p d="[Y/N]> "
if /i "!d!"=="y" goto ok
if /i "!d!"=="n" set "n="&goto auth_loop
goto ok
) else (
echo.
echo Приветствуем вас, %n%^^!
timeout /t 2 /nobreak >nul
%m%
)
:ok
echo Окончание авторизации...
(echo %n%)>%~dp0data\name.dat
timeout /t 1 /nobreak >nul
echo Успешно^^!
timeout /t 2 /nobreak >nul
%m%
:menu
cls
color 02
title Menu
echo Добро пожаловать в меню, %n%.
echo Время: %time:~0,8%.
echo Дата дд.мм.гггг: %date%.
echo Что хотите сделать?
echo.
echo ┌────────────────────────────┐
echo │         Настройки          │
echo └────────────────────────────┘
echo  0. Выход.
echo  1. Сменить имя.
echo  2. Проверить обновления.
echo ┌────────────────────────────┐
echo │          Очистка           │
echo └────────────────────────────┘
echo  3. Очистить папки Temp.
echo  4. Очистить логи/.tmp файлы.
echo ┌────────────────────────────┐
echo │        Инструменты         │
echo └────────────────────────────┘
echo  5. Секундомер.
echo  6. КМ/ч в М/с.
echo  7. М/с в КМ/ч.
echo  8. TWR (до сотых долей 0.00)
echo  9. Погода.
echo  10. Пинг-тестер.
echo  11. Переносчик файлов.
echo ┌────────────────────────────┐
echo │           Другое           │
echo └────────────────────────────┘
echo  12. Скачать другое от автора.
echo ──────────────────────────────
set/p ch="[0-12]> "
set nn=if "%ch%"=="
%nn%0" exit
%nn%1" set "n="&goto auth_loop
%nn%2" goto new
%nn%3" goto temp
%nn%4" goto logs
%nn%5" goto sw
%nn%6" goto km
%nn%7" goto ms
%nn%8" goto twr
%nn%9" goto weather
%nn%10" goto ptest
%nn%11" goto file
%nn%12" goto author
%m%
color 02
title File mover
:file
cls
echo.
echo Задай нужный формат, который надо перенести (например, mp3.)
echo (только один формат. 0 - выход).
echo.
set "form="
set /p form="> "
if "%form%"=="" goto file
echo.
:file1
echo Теперь задай папку "Откуда" будем переносить (целый путь).
echo.
set "fold="
set /p fold="> "
if "%fold%"=="" goto file1
echo.
:file2
echo Наконец, задай папку "Куда" будем переносить (целый путь).
echo.
set "fold1="
set /p fold1="> "
if "%fold1%"=="" goto file2
set "fold=%fold:"=%"
set "fold1=%fold1:"=%"
set "form=%form:"=%"
set "form=%form:.=%"
echo.
echo Точно всё правильно сделал?
echo Путь "Откуда": %fold%
echo Путь "Куда": %fold1%
echo Нужный формат: .%form%
echo.
echo Если сделал что-то не так, напиши 1. Если всё нормально - ничего не пиши.
echo.
set "gfg="
set /p gfg="> "
if "%gfg%"=="1" goto file
cls
echo.
echo Путь "Откуда": %fold%
echo Путь "Куда": %fold1%
echo Нужный формат: .%form%
if not exist "%fold1%\" mkdir "%fold1%"
dir /b /a-d "%fold%\*.%form%" >nul 2>nul
if errorlevel 1 (
echo Ошибка! Файлы .%form% не найдены или путь указан неверно.
pause >nul
goto file
)
for %%F in ("%fold%\*.%form%") do move /y "%%F" "%fold1%\"
echo Готово!
echo Хочешь перенести что-то ещё?
set "file1="
set /p file1="[Y/N]> "
if /i "%file1%"=="y" goto file
%m%
:new
cls
color 07
set /p new1=<"%~dp0data\version.dat"
set "new2=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/LoMeR-933/LoMeR-batch-tools/refs/heads/main/version2.txt"
set "new3=https://github.com/LoMeR-933/LoMeR-batch-tools/releases/tag/service"
echo  Проверка обновлений...
curl -s -f --ssl-no-revoke "%new2%" > "%~dp0temp_batch\v.txt"
if errorlevel 1 goto err
for /f "usebackq delims=" %%a in ("%~dp0temp_batch\v.txt") do set "new4=%%a"
del "%~dp0temp_batch\v.txt" >nul 2>&1
set "hhhh="
if "%new1%"=="%new4%" (
color 02
echo  У вас самая свежая версия! [%new1%]
pause >nul
%m%
)
color 06
echo  Найдено обновление: Версия %new4% [У вас %new1%]
set /p hhhh="> Перейти к сайту загрузки? [y/n]: "
if /i "%hhhh%"=="y" (explorer "%new3%" & %m%) else %m%
:err
color 04
echo  Не удалось проверить версии. Попробуйте снова.
pause >nul
%m%
:temp
cls
title Cleaning Temp...
echo Очистка временных файлов...
for %%d in ("%temp%" "%systemroot%\Temp") do (
del /s /f /q "%%d\*.*" >nul 2>&1
for /d %%p in ("%%d\*") do rmdir /s /q "%%p" >nul 2>&1
)
echo Успешно очищено!
timeout /t 2 >nul
%m%
:logs
cls
echo.
echo Что хотите очистить?
echo [0 - выход, 1 - .tmp файлы, 2 - логи]
set "tmpp="
set /p tmpp="[0-2]> "
if "%tmpp%"=="0" %m%
if "%tmpp%"=="1" set "ext=tmp"&goto logs_path
if "%tmpp%"=="2" set "ext=log"&goto logs_path
goto logs
:logs_path
title Logs
cls
echo Где желаете очистить .%ext%? (Укажите путь без "\" на конце.)
echo (Напишите "0" для выхода в меню)
set "ch1="
set /p ch1="> "
if "%ch1%"=="" goto logs_path
if "%ch1%"=="0" %m%
if "%ch1:~-1%"=="\" set "ch1=%ch1:~0,-1%"
if /i "%ch1%"=="C:" echo ВЫ УВЕРЕНЫ? Это очистит все .%ext% файлы на диске C:!
if /i "%ch1%"=="C:" set "ch2="&set /p ch2="[y/n]> "
if /i "%ch1%"=="C:" if /i not "%ch2%"=="y" goto logs
if not exist "%ch1%" echo Ошибка! Несуществующий путь.&timeout /t 2 /nobreak >nul&goto logs_path
:logs2
title Cleaning Logs...
cls
echo Очистка .%ext% файлов в папке: %ch1%...
del /q /f /s "%ch1%\*.%ext%" >nul 2>&1
echo Успешно очищено!
timeout /t 2 /nobreak >nul
%m%
:sw
cls
title Stopwatch
set sw_m1=0&set sw_m=0&set sw_s1=0&set sw_s=0
echo.
set /p a="Start? [y/n]> "
if /i "%a%"=="y" (set "t_start=%time:~0,-3%"&goto sw1) else (%m%)
:sw1
cls
echo.
echo The launch was at [%t_start%]
echo Time now          [%sw_m1%%sw_m%:%sw_s1%%sw_s%]
set /a "sw_s+=1"
if %sw_s% GEQ 10 set /a "sw_s1+=1" & set /a "sw_s-=10"
if %sw_s1% GEQ 6 set /a "sw_m+=1" & set /a "sw_s1-=6"
if %sw_m% GEQ 10 set /a "sw_m1+=1" & set /a "sw_m-=10"
timeout /t 1 /nobreak >nul
goto sw1
:km
cls
title KM/h to M/s
set /p km="Your KM/h [ERR: 15.6, OK: 15]: "
if "%km%"=="" goto km
set /a "t_spd=km*100/36", "km1=t_spd/10", "km2=t_spd%%10"
echo Your M/s: %km1%.%km2%
pause >nul
%m%
:ms
cls
title M/s to KM/h
set /p ms="Your M/s [ERR: 5.6, OK: 5]: "
if "%ms%"=="" goto ms
set /a "t_spd=ms*36", "ms1=t_spd/10", "ms2=t_spd%%10"
echo Your KM/h: %ms1%.%ms2%
pause >nul
%m%
:twr
cls
title TWR Calculator
set "twr1="&set "twr2="&set "twr3="
echo [Note: "23.35t=2335"; write "random" in "thrust" for random values, 0 - exit]
set /p twr2=Thrust: 
if "%twr2%"=="0" %m%
if "%twr2%"=="" goto twr
if "%twr2%"=="random" (set /a "twr2=%random%","twr3=%random%"&set "twr1=1"&goto twr1)
set /p twr3=Mass: 
if "%twr3%"=="" goto twr
if "%twr3%"=="0" goto twr
:twr1
set /a "twr4=(twr2*100)/twr3"
if %twr4% equ 0 (set "twr_res=0.00"&goto twr_print)
if %twr4% lss 10 (set "twr_res=0.0%twr4%"&goto twr_print)
if %twr4% lss 100 (set "twr_res=0.%twr4%"&goto twr_print)
set /a "twr5=twr4/100"
set "twr6=%twr4:~-2%"
set "twr_res=%twr5%.%twr6%"
:twr_print
if "%twr1%"=="1" (set "twr1= [%twr2%/%twr3%]")
echo TWR [THRUST/MASS]%twr1% = %twr_res%
pause >nul
%m%
:weather
cls
title Weather Station
echo.
if "%w1%"=="" set /p w1="Введите свой город на английском [0 - выход]: "
if "%w1%"=="" goto weather
if "%w1%"=="0" set "w1="&goto menu
(echo %w1%)>"data\city.dat"
cls
echo Запрос погоды...
echo.
curl -m 3 "wttr.in/%w1%?0&lang=ru" 2>nul
if errorlevel 1 echo Ошибка: Не удалось подключиться к серверу погоды
echo.
set "w2="
set /p w2="Сменить город? [Y/N]> "
if /i "%w2%"=="y" set "w1="&goto weather
%m%
:ptest
cls
title PING Test
color 02
set "pa="&set "ppk="&set "pk="
set /p pa=Your URL [Empty=google.com, 0 - exit]: 
if "%pa%"=="0" %m%
if "%pa%"=="" set pa=google.com
if "%pa%"==" " set pa=google.com
set "pa=%pa:https://=%"
set "pa=%pa:http://=%"
for /f "tokens=1 delims=/" %%g in ("%pa%") do set "pa=%%g"
:p_pkg
set /p ppk=Your number of packages [Empty=1. No more than 3 packages. 0 - exit]: 
if "%ppk%"=="0" %m%
if "%ppk%"=="" set "ppk=1"
if %ppk% GEQ 4 echo Too many packages!&set "ppk=1"&goto p_pkg
echo.
echo URL: %pa%, pkg(s): %ppk% (To exit, close the window)
echo.
:p_b
set "pj="
for /f "tokens=3 delims=<>=" %%i in ('ping -n %ppk% %pa% ^| findstr "TTL"') do for /f "tokens=1 delims=msмс " %%j in ("%%i") do set "pj=%%j"
for /f "tokens=4 delims==мсms " %%i in ('ping -n %ppk% %pa% ^| findstr "TTL"') do if "%pj%"=="" set "pj=%%i"
if "%pj%"=="" color 04&echo Error or timeout, try again.&goto p_c
set "ph=%pj: =%"
set /a "ph_num=ph"
if %ph_num% GEQ 1000 (set "pw=BAD                "&set "pj=1000^>") else (
if %ph_num% GEQ 100 (set "pw=WARN -") else (set "pw=OK ----")
)
echo %pw% %pj%ms [%time:~0,-3%]
timeout /t 1 /nobreak >nul
goto p_b
:p_c
set /p pk="-Reset URL? [y/n]: "
if "%pk%"=="" goto p_b
if /i "%pk%"=="y" color 02&goto ptest
goto p_b
:author
cls
title
echo.
echo                 От автора
echo ───────────────────────────────────────────
echo 0. Выход
echo 1. Скачать "Magnet-Fishing" [.bat-edition]
echo 2. Скачать "Batch pack"  [много батников!]
echo 3. Репозиторий GitHub автора.
echo.
set/p an="[0-3]> "
if "%an%"=="0" %m%
if "%an%"=="1" explorer https://github.com/LoMeR-933/LoMeR-batch-tools/releases/download/magnet-fishing/Magnet-Fishing.RU.zip
if "%an%"=="2" explorer https://github.com/LoMeR-933/LoMeR-batch-tools/releases/download/Pack-v2.0/bats.zip
if "%an%"=="3" explorer https://github.com/LoMeR-933/LoMeR-batch-tools
goto author 

Hey everyone,

I wanted to share a project I’ve been building and actively maintaining for the past three years called Volta.

I want to be completely transparent about the development of Volta: I started this project using tutorials and AI-generated code to get the raw components. My role over the last few years was to piece everything together into a user-friendly menu, design the system flow, and spend years polishing the menus and revamping the overall UI consistency.

What I focused on for the new v1.7 Release:

• Zero-Lag UI Animation: I started the animation idea as a joke and perfected it over the months to make a beautiful exit/enter animation without causing CPU lag spikes.
• New sub-menus: Added lots of new sub-menus.
• Bug Fixing: Fixed a lot of stability bugs and usability glitches.

(The whole changelog is in the README.txt)

Why I'm posting here: The tool is running great on my machines, but I've reached the point where I need testers. I want to build a small, stable community of 5 to 10 tech-savvy people who love messing with command-line tools.

I haven't been able to fully bug-test the new 1.7 beta across different environments, so I would really appreciate it if someone finds any bugs or glitches. If you are able, please try to break it intentionally! Let me know what you find, and I will fix them in a hotfix shortly after.

GitHub Repository: https://github.com/Bbloksrblx/Volta

I greatly appreciate you taking the time to read my post!

- Bbloks

I am a PNGtuber that multistreams so when I stream i have to launch several programs.

I have a drawing tablet that has hotkeys on the side that CAN be used to launch programs as i have one button set to launch my art software for when I draw.

I wanted to use another button to launch all my programs for streaming in a similar way, but my tablet software can't do multiple files hence why i stumbled into wanting a batch file.

I made the batch file successfully, it works launching it inside the folder with the shortcuts, but when i try to launch the same batch file from the hotkey, it can't locate the shortcuts. I was wondering if theres a way to fix this so i can launch the bat from the hotkey?

The code of the batch file for reference:

rem comments should begin with rem

rem note: this file launches all of my favorite apps!

rem note: replace the names below with your own..

@ echo off

start OBS

start PNGTUBE

start STREAMBOT

@ echo on

I copied the code pretty directly from a website tutorial on making a batch file, hence why it has the notes.

Any help or advice would be really appreciated!

https://github.com/JerryASNew/batchpacman/releases/tag/v1.0

It needs win10/11. You will have to install the included custom font (BatchPac.ttf) and use it in the terminal. I tried to comment it pretty well to be educational as well. I’d love any feedback.

It plays pretty genuinely in its own way, the ghost get faster and faster as you progress, the fruit spawn accurately as well.

A ghost can be behind another ghost, but you can eat a power pellet with a ghost on it and you’re fine.

Keep the movement key pressed for fastest speed, or you can have a literal second to decide which way to move when you’re getting cornered.

i made a bundled eternal**** (can't say it) script (which is python which i didn't make) and bundled the correct python environment with the right libraries then added a wrapper script. you can find it at https://github.com/BellaTheUni112/eternal

https://pastebin.com/raw/f5Tv0s11

       Mazing.cmd - WinNT Maze Generator and Solver
__________________________________________________________
A maze program written in native WinNT batch script that
includes several maze generation and solving algorithms as
well as a small plethora of options for console display,
stack size, stack orientation, node selection/direction
bias, entrance/exit points, color selection, real-time
shifting and rhythmic pulsing random colors, and wall/box
characters, each with an automatic randomizer, and all of
it easily accessible through an animated custom menu.
Mazes are limited to a maximum practical string length of
8186 characters. The maze dimensions will be automatically
increased/decreased if minimum/maximum size is exceeded.

Mazing operates using 100% WinNT batch script, but it will
use either BG.EXE or CursorPos.exe to place the cursor at
the upper-left if they are located in the system path. It
can also use BG.EXE to animate the screen in full color.

              Command Line / Mazing.ini File
__________________________________________________________
In addition to the menu, other User Variables are passed
by using either the Mazing.ini file or on the command line
by using the following syntax:
Mazing.cmd ["variable=value"] [variable:value] [...]

Several options for minimum/maximum columns/rows, lists
of characters for random walls/crumbs/colors, keys used by
the menu, output logfile and anything else not included in
the menu are accessed by command line or the .ini file.
A list of available user variables may be found in the
Mazing.ini file that is auto-generated on first run.

https://github.com/TheRealCirothUngol/Mazing.cmd

2026/07/21: Added better opening/entry options to Wilson's Algorithm so now it's one of the best maze generators. Also made a handful of corrections and display enhancements throughout.

2026/07/11: Updated Mazing.cmd to v0.3. Added Prim's, Kruskal's, and Wilson's algorithms as well as updating the menu with new solver display settings and many cosmetic improvements(?) throughout. As it now employs all of the useful generators for perfect mazes as well as the only three appropriate solvers I've found... I think Mazing.cmd is done after all these years. Who sez perseverance don't pay off? If I ever update it'll be for ANSI color console integration, and that's a maybe sometime thing.

2026/06/24: Just corrected a small but long-standing error in both the 'Wall Follow' and 'Dead Filler' where the trail was written incorrectly back to the maze if walls (or crumbs) were used to fill visited spaces. If you snagged it on or before this date please re-download.

2026/06/26: A small cosmetic update to :path_finder, it now allows for variable-length 'worms' when passed an odd number as the first parameter. Second parameter is length of worms. Makes for a really nice looking effect , too bad its selection is currently all random and there's no way to select it directly. Use Pathfinder as the solver and it should happen about 50% of the time. You may select it through the menu.

Mazing.cmd is something I tinkered with for years and poured dozens (hundreds?) of hours into several versions before I switched from Win7 to Win10 and it all stopped working. Was going through some old projects recently and it turns out the problem was mostly a 'legacy console' issue with many of the oddball characters I was using. After sifting out the poison characters, beautifying and expanding the menu, and adding a myriad of new color options (and dumping a few dozen more hours into it), I've posted Mazing.cmd v0.2 to GitHub. It seems to work well on WinXP and up, I recommend placing it in a separate folder as it creates a few files.

Lots of new stuff got added and everything I could conceive of was realized and included. I also think every bug got squashed (yea, we'll see). It's been running non-stop (and error-free?) for a couple of days now so I feel pretty good about it. The new macros I added (colorShift and BGgrabKey) are both self-limiting and time-regulated to only execute at a given frequency so that consistent intervals could be used to schedule background\foreground color changes or check for user input while the script was running without bogging down in needlessly-wasted clock cycles. I need to neither check for a keypress nor check to see if 7 seconds have expired 30 times a second, 2 will do fine. Really improved the speed of my script. Could be potentially useful for anyone wanting to execute something during a closed loop but only need it to do so every X centiseconds.

Please give Mazing.cmd a try and let me know if it works for you, I've tested it on WinXP, Win7, Win10, and it even seems to work on Win11. You're highly encouraged to try using the BG.EXE utility that removes the flickering and provides color drawing. Once in the menu use the bottom option to select 'BG Color' and hit '1' to start the script. It should produce the file and restart, but it requires CertUtil (Administration Tools) for Base64 decoding, which was available on every system I tried newer than XP. However YMMV so if that gives you trouble just snag it from Carlos' GitHub:

https://github.com/carlos-montiers/consolesoft-mirror/releases

I also use OuterTech's GetDiz to view the mazes (using either 'Terminal' or 'GetDiz' fonts). I would link to their website, but it's down and probably out. Just search and snag it from the place you trust the most. ^_^

(Two possibilities here. With time batch will exit or, execute with key press)

Batch will wait for x seconds for key press. Then upon any key press will run a program, then 'exit'.

'IF' no key press after x seconds batch will 'exit'.

Any help to achieve this is appreciated.

Thanks, Les Carlson

It's showing blank whenever I try to show it

[ set PRC=^^^% ]

So I'm very new to this, but to make a long story short, I'm working on a project and had an idea where I thought it would be cool to use a .bat file to open CMD and autorun a script to make it look as though an old OS is booting up. Give it a bit of semi-retro flair. Problem is- I clearly have no fucking clue what I'm doing. I've messed around with CMD and .BAT files before, but haven't invested enough time yet to really sink my teeth into it. I've tried referencing some other, publicly available .BAT files to see how other people do it, but attempts to try to find references/help/sources for my specific idea have come up empty. Google either thinks I'm trying to actually hack someone or thinks I want to make actual functional login files.

My current theory is to try to use ECHO commands to read off script from the file but I'm not sure if I'm on the right path. Either I have the right idea but just need help with the execution, or I am completely going about it wrong.

Here's the base I'm working with. I figure once I have an idea of what I'm doing wrong with this block, I can simply adjust and write out additional lines of fake code to get the desired end result.

@echo off
:type 
echo C:\ORNOS\system32
:type 
echo ORION Industries OS [Version 1.9.20081.2276]

Please, if possible, I’d like it to be compatible with older windows versions, like 7 or 8.1.

Edit: Actually, I was thinking of colored text in older versions in case I needed a compatibility mode for older versions of windows, but it isn't really necessary.

Edit 2: Nevermind, I found out about color x, and someone already answered me on how to make it with built-in echo.

Sorry for the vague title, but I'm trying to make a simple RPG game, and I'm creating a function where the player uses a healing potion and restores their health. I recreated the general idea of what I'm trying to do outside of my main batch file:

@echo off
set /a hp = 5
set /a maxhp = 10
set /a potionop = 1
set /a potioncount = 1
set /a carried = 1
:start
echo HP: %hp% / %maxhp%
echo.
echo Starting test
pause
if %potionop% == 1 (
  if %potioncount% == 0 (
    echo.
    echo You have no healing potions.
    echo.
    pause
    goto start
  )
  set /a hp = %hp% + 10
  if %hp% gtr %maxhp% set /a hp = %maxhp%
  set /a potioncount = %potioncount% - 1
  set /a carried = %carried% - 1
  if %carried% lss 1 set /a carried = 0
  echo.
  echo You healed to %hp% / %maxhp%
  echo.
  pause
  goto start
  )

The idea is that the player uses a potion, it heals the player for 10 HP, checks to see if HP is over the max HP and sets it accordingly, and displays "You healed to %hp% / 10"

However, in the test, the player has 5/10 HP, the potion is used and it displays "You healed to 5/10", then once it returns to the battle where the player health is displayed, it reads "HP: 15/10" despite the checks. When I run the file, this is what I see in the prompt:

HP: 5 / 10

Starting test

Press any key to continue . . .

You healed to 5 / 10

Press any key to continue . . .

HP: 15 / 10

Everything seems to be put in place correctly, but I just can't seem to figure out why the first "you healed to this HP" isn't displaying the correct HP, or why the final HP exceeds the max HP, despite:

set /a hp = %hp% + 10 and

if %hp% gtr %maxhp% set /a hp = %maxhp% occurring before the display.

My only guess is that it's somehow a syntax error, but I'm not sure where it occurs. If anyone here can lend a hand I would greatly appreciate it.

its a simple text editor with saving, opening, overwriting, and appending text
theres not much to talk about other than it being limited

https://github.com/kine59/notepad.bat (ofc the code might be ass but thats because im an amateur)

As a proof-of-concept I wrote this quicky maze generator as well as posting a cleaned-up version to Rosetta Code years ago (found here: https://rosettacode.org/wiki/Maze_generation )

If you're interested in such things here are two excellent sources of info for programmers about different algorithms. I used these as reference while writing Mazing.cmd, a big fun maze-generating-solving batch script which I'll re-post soon once I finish spraying for bugs (worked flawless on Win7 but it seems to act kinda funny on Win10)

BuckBlog Theseus 1.0: https://weblog.jamisbuck.org/2010/12/20/theseus-1-0.html

Think Labyrinth!: https://www.astrolog.org/labyrnth.htm

@ECHO OFF
SETLOCAL EnableDelayedExpansion
TITLE Enter size of maze:
( FOR /F "tokens=1 delims==" %%A IN ('SET') DO SET "%%A="
    SET "PATH=%PATH%"
)
SET "wall=#"
SET "hall= "
SET "crumb=."

SET /P "width=How many cells wide(5-66):"
IF NOT DEFINED width EXIT /B
SET /P "height=How many cells high(5-30):"
IF NOT DEFINED height EXIT /B

COLOR 0F
SET /A "cnt=0, wide=width*2+1, high=height*2+1, size=wide*high, N=wide*-2, S=wide*2, E=2, W=-2"
SET /A "curPos=(!RANDOM! %% width*2+1)+(!RANDOM! %% height*2+1)*wide"
SET /A "cTmp=curPos+1, mTmp=high+2, loops=width*height*2+1"
SET "Nb=s" & SET "Sb=n" & SET "Eb=w" & SET "Wb=e" & SET "bt="
MODE %wide%,%mTmp%
SET "mz=################" ' 8186 max
FOR /L %%A IN (1,1,4) DO SET mz=!mz!!mz!!mz!!mz!
SET mz=!mz:~3!!mz:~3!
SET mz=!mz:~-%size%!
SET mz=!mz:~0,%curPos%!!hall!!mz:~%cTmp%!

FOR /L %%@ IN (1,1,%loops%) DO (
    SET "rand="
    SET /A "rCnt=rTmp=0, cnt+=1, cTmp=curPos+1, np=curPos+N, sp=curPos+S, ep=curPos+E, wp=curPos+W, wChk=curPos/wide*wide, eChk=wChk+wide, nw=curPos-wide, sw=curPos+wide, ew=curPos+1, ww=curPos-1"
    TITLE %width%w x %height%h: #!cnt! of %loops%
    CLS
    ECHO(!mz!
    FOR /F "tokens=1-4" %%A IN ("!np! !sp! !ep! !wp!") DO (
        IF !np! GTR !wide! IF "!mz:~%%A,1!" EQU "!wall!"  SET /A rCnt+=1 & SET "rand=!rand! n"
        IF !sp! LSS !size! IF "!mz:~%%B,1!" EQU "!wall!"  SET /A rCnt+=1 & SET "rand=!rand! s"
        IF !ep! LSS !eChk! IF "!mz:~%%C,1!" EQU "!wall!"  SET /A rCnt+=1 & SET "rand=!rand! e"
        IF !wp! GTR !wChk! IF "!mz:~%%D,1!" EQU "!wall!"  SET /A rCnt+=1 & SET "rand=!rand! w"
    )
    IF DEFINED rand ( REM adjacent unvisited cell available
        SET /A rCnt=!RANDOM! %% rCnt
        FOR %%A IN (!rand!) DO ( REM pick random position + wall
            IF !rTmp! EQU !rCnt! ( REM push direction on the stack
                SET /A "curPos=!%%Ap!, cTmp=curPos+1, mw=!%%Aw!, mTmp=mw+1"
                SET "bt=!%%Ab! !bt!"
            )
            SET /A rTmp+=1
        )
        FOR /F "tokens=1-4" %%A IN ("!mw! !mTmp! !curPos! !cTmp!") DO (
            SET "mz=!mz:~0,%%A!!crumb!!mz:~%%B!"
            SET "mz=!mz:~0,%%C!!crumb!!mz:~%%D!"
        )
    ) ELSE IF DEFINED bt ( REM pop last direction from the stack
        FOR /F %%A IN ("!bt:~0,1!") DO (
            SET "mw=!%%~Aw!"
            SET "bp=!%%~Ap!"
        )
        SET "bt=!bt:~2!"
        SET /A mTmp=mw+1
        FOR /F "tokens=1-4" %%A IN ("!curPos! !cTmp! !mw! !mTmp!") DO (
            SET "mz=!mz:~0,%%A!!hall!!mz:~%%B!"
            SET "mz=!mz:~0,%%C!!hall!!mz:~%%D!"
        )
        SET "curPos=!bp!"
    )
) 
TITLE %width%w x %height%h: #!cnt! of %loops% -- press any key to exit...
PAUSE>NUL
EXIT /B 0

IST (also known as the Internet Servicing tool) is a network based tool, that allows you to do a lot of things. From a quick speed test of your internet to configurating your IP address, IST can do a lot. It currently has 68 commands and in the next version, we will hope for 80, new commands. IST is basically like a Linux CLI program. Speaking of Linux, on my birthday in August, I will release v2.0, which will add the 12 new commands, but also cross-platform compatibility. Here will the supported platforms be:

• Linux Bash (.sh)
• Android Bash (.sh)
• Windows PowerShell (.ps1)
• Windows NT
• Windows DOS

Note that some things on Android will require root. If your phone isn't rooted, the command will not work, if it requires root.

For more information and download, go to my > GitHub < here.

This is a classic from DBenham, the BatchMaster. Written in 100% WinNT batch script it offers many novel techniques, not the least of which is the real-time control mechanism that allows you to navigate your snake while the batch file is running. Fun, interesting, educational, and a genuinely playable game to boot. Easily one of my favorite batch files ever (favorite batch file, is that even a thing?).

I had nothing to do with the production of this fine script. I snagged this off of DOStips back in the day and didn't find any reference to v4.0 online, so I upped it to GitHub cuz it's just too good to be allowed to languish.

SNAKE.BAT - A pure native Windows batch implementation of the classic game
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Written by Dave Benham with some debugging help and technique pointers from
DosTips users - See http://www.dostips.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=4741

The game should work on any Windows machine from XP onward using only batch
and native external commands. However, the default configuration will most
likely have some screen flicker due to the CLS command issued upon every 
screen refresh. There are two ways to eliminate screen flicker:

1 - "Pure batch" via VT100 escape sequences:
You can eliminate flicker by enabling the VT100 mode within the game's
Graphic options menu. However, this mode requires a console that supports
VT100 escape sequences. This comes standard with Windows 10 (and beyond).
The Windows 10 console must be configured properly for this to work - the
"Legacy Console" option must be OFF. Prior to Windows 10, there was no
standard Windows console that supported VT100 escape sequences, though you
may find a utility that provides that support.

2 - CursorPos.exe cheat from Aacini:
You can eliminate screen flicker on any Windows version by placing Aacini's
CursorPos.exe in the same folder that contains SNAKE.BAT. This method of
eliminating flicker is "cheating" in that it is not pure native batch since
it relies on a 3rd party tool. A script to create CursorPos.exe is available
at http://goo.gl/hr6Kkn.

https://github.com/TheRealCirothUngol/Snake4.bat/tree/main

This is my most recent project, a batch file to easily automate encoding video files using the industry-standard open-source ffmpeg and an awesome portable version of QTGMC by some smart cookie named Hunk91 (QTGMC is a suite of filters that 'de-interlace' video intended for CRT televisions, like nearly every DVD made, so that they appear more correctly on modern displays). Again, the .cmd file is very drag-n-drop. If you hand it a recursive folder the entire directory tree will be rebuilt to the target folder.

The control mechanism I've used for excluding files by media criteria (height, width, bitrate, codec, duration, etc) is a bit convoluted to operate but was very easy to implement. It's also open-ended because if I ever want to filter by a new criteria I can simply create those new variables during the :getInfo routine. Don't know if anyone else has a need for this kinda thing, but it made short work of about ~250 TV episodes once I had all the ripping and naming done (I say short, over a week using 2 computers to encode them all cuz I used slooow HQ settings).

You'll need both ffmpeg.exe and ffprobe.exe from the ffmpeg download. If you don't want to use QTGMC (you don't need de-interlacing) then you don't need the second download. Even if you're encoding DVDs you could easily modify the batch file to select a native ffmpeg de-interlace filter instead, but why do that when QTGMC is the best. ^_^

https://ffmpeg.org/download.html

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/405720-FFmpeg-QTGMC-Easy%21

ezQTGMC.cmd ["/variable=value" [...]] [sourceFolder[\file] [targetFolder]]

a fancy batch frontend for Hunk91's FFmpeg-QTGMC Easy 2025.01.11
https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/405720-FFmpeg-QTGMC-Easy%21
accepts file or folder as input and will recursively rebuild to target
simply drag/drop/copy/paste onto the batch file or use the commandline
control variables may be assigned directly on the commandline: "/var=val"

videos may be excluded using any criteria returned by ffprobe.exe
simply set a variable that describes the type of comparison being made
types are EQU,GEQ,GTR,LEQ,LSS,NEQ (numerals) plus EXC,INC (strings)
your variable will be header_VariableName; numeralOps work like so:
ezQTGMC "/LEQ_bit_rate=2097152" excludes files at or below 2mbps
ezQTGMC "/GTR_duration=600" excludes files longer than 10 minutes
ezQTGMC "/NEQ_audCount=2" allows only files having exactly 2 audio tracks

EXC/INC are stringOps that contain a list to match the value against:
ezQTGMC "/EXC_codec_name=h264 h265" excludes files using h264/h265 codecs
ezQTGMC "/EXC_codec_type=subtitle" excludes files containg any subtitles
ezQTGMC "/INC_T_language=eng spa jpn" includes only files in these languages
ezQTGMC "/INC_display_aspect_ratio=4:3" includes only files in 4:3 aspect

use "/peruse=1" to view file details, read the batch file for information

https://github.com/TheRealCirothUngol/ezQTGMC.cmd

This one's a bit long-winded. I wrote it nearly ten years ago in an effort to solve the issue of limited mathematics in WinNT batch script. It contains a full 'shunting yard' parser so accepts complex math equations, can handle decimal numerals hundreds of digits long, and supports programmable functions (many are already there). If ran without parameters it will display a few pages of help and then run an interactive example to find the Nth root of any supplied decimal using a formula for "iterative convergence".

:: math.cmd guess = (((root - 1) * guess) + (base / (guess $ (root - 1)))) / root
:: Computes the {root} of {base} number through convergence starting at {guess}.

I feel I should mention that I am not a math guy, by any means. Everything this batch file does is string manipulation and "by hand" mathematical operations using SET/A and the methods I was taught in grade school, and much of that knowledge required refreshing while writing it. I tested it extensively to assure its accuracy before posting it to DOStips (in 2017?) by producing text files containing lines of random equations with random large decimals and feeding them to both Math.cmd and a LibertyBASIC program (written in SmallTalk it handles decimals of virtually any size). Although large, obtuse, slow, clunky, and ugly, Math.cmd seems to do what it sez on the tin. CALL it with no parameters and try out the convergence formula.

:math [/An|/Dn|/Mn|/Rn|/Sn|/Un|/H|/?] In-line_Math_Expression [;...]       v0.2
:: 
:: Full-featured expression parser written in 100% native WinNT batch script.
:: Supports functions, assignments, numbers to thousands of decimal places,
:: and provides the following full range of operators in order of precedence:
:: 
:: Highest : $ Exponent : & NthRoot
::         : * Multiply : / Divide : @ Modulus
::         : + Addition : - Subtraction
::         : <=> Raw Compare (returns 1=greater, -1=less, 0=equals)
::         : < LessThan : > GreaterThan : <= LessOrEqual : >= GreaterOrEqual
::         : ## EqualTo : <> NotEqualTo (comparisons return 1=true, 0=false)
:: Lowest  : = Equals (assignment)      : ; Expression Separator
:: 
:: Operations are left-to-right, except for '$ &' which are right associative.
:: '<>^&' must be wrapped in double-quotes. If needed, # can always replace =.
:: 
:: Operands may be digits and/or variables and expressions can be of any size.
:: Result of the operation is always returned in the user variable {math}.
:: Up to 32 return variables may be assigned (eg. var1=var2=x*y+(var3=z-1)).
:: 
:: ECHO[n] may be used as a returnVariable to echo result with [n] line feeds.
:: {math*} and {_math*} are reserved variable names and should not be used.

https://github.com/TheRealCirothUngol/Math.cmd/tree/main