I have a batch files that calls other batch files like this:
e:\foo\master.bat has the content:
call e:\bar\run1.bat and e:\bar\run1.bat has the content
app1.exe the problem is that when I run the master.bat app1.exe will not be executed, because it will expect it to be in the e:\foo directory instead of it being in e:\bar directory
You are a bit unclear where app1.exe is located.
If it shares the folder with run1.bat change run1.bat
to either
@Echo off Pushd "%~dp0" app1.exe popd or
@Echo off "%~dp0app1.exe" %0 refers to the currently running batch and the modifier ~dp returns drive and path (with a trailing backslash.)
Pushd method works best for me because, app1.exe internally also uses current dir, and using Pushd it will use the dir where app1.exe is located, without Pushd (but with the prefix) it will use the master.bat location The answer to your question can be drawn from a similar question on Stack Overflow.
What is the current directory in a batch file?
Using the variables mentioned here, you can update run1.bat to call app1.exe with the following line: %~dp0app1.exe. (The %~dp0 variable includes a trailing slash.) This will tell the batch file to run the executable from the current batch file's location.
You can use my universal script for executing a command in a specified working directory:
CALL :EXEC_IN e:\bar run1.bat The EXEC_IN batch-function is:
@ECHO OFF :: Execute a program inside a specified working directory :: 1. Working directory :: 2. Full file name :: 3+ Arguments :EXEC_IN SETLOCAL :: Scan fixed positional arguments: SET WD=%1&SHIFT SET FL=%1&SHIFT :: Collect all arguments into %ALL%: :EI_AA_START IF [%1]==[] GOTO EI_AA_END SET ALL=%ALL%%SEP%%1 SET SEP= SHIFT GOTO :EI_AA_START :EI_AA_END :: Execute command %FL% in directory %WD% with args %ALL%: PUSHD %WD% CALL %FL% %ALL% POPD ENDLOCAL EXIT /B If desired, feel free to modify it to take the working directory from the file path intead of passing it as the first argument:
CALL :EXEC_IN_F e:\bar\run1.bat This modified script is:
:: Execute a program with its location as working directory: :: 1. Full path to the executable :: 2+ Arguments :EXEC_IN_F SETLOCAL :: Scan fixed positional arguments: SET FL=%1 SET WD=%~p1 SHIFT :: Collect all arguments into %ALL%: :EI_AA_START IF [%1]==[] GOTO EI_AA_END SET ALL=%ALL%%SEP%%1 SET SEP= SHIFT GOTO :EI_AA_START :EI_AA_END :: Execute command %FL% in directory %WD% with args %ALL%: PUSHD %WD% CALL %FL% %ALL% POPD ENDLOCAL EXIT /B 