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Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!rutgers!mit-eddie!bu-cs!bucsb.bu.edu!keast
From: keast@bucsb.bu.edu.UUCP (Kenneth East)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Help with directories and batch files...
Message-ID: <839@bucsb.bu.edu.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 17-Mar-87 21:13:39 EST
Article-I.D.: bucsb.839
Posted: Tue Mar 17 21:13:39 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 19-Mar-87 03:11:38 EST
References: <4471@columbia.UUCP> <838@bucsb.bu.edu.UUCP>
Reply-To: keast@bucsb.bu.edu.UUCP (Kenneth H. East)
Organization: Boston Univ Comp. Sci.
Lines: 42
Summary: One simple way is...

In article <838@bucsb.bu.edu.UUCP> madd@bucsb.bu.edu.UUCP (Jim "Jack" Frost) writes:
>In article <4471@columbia.UUCP> x1.micky@cu20b.columbia.edu (Micky Liu) writes:
>>I am trying to use a batch file to:
>>
>>1) save the current directory
>>2) goto another directory
>>3) execute some program
>>4) return to saved directory
[...]
>>Anybody out there have any idea how I can do this?  Step one is the problem
[...]
>
>There's really no easy way to do this (ie, DOS gives no function that
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Actually there is a very simple way to do it with I/O re-direction:

1)  Create a file called cd.txt which contains ONLY the two letters
    'cd' followed by a space followed by a ^Z (end of file).  Let's say
    that we have created such a file and placed it in the
    directory \batch.

2)  You will have to place the following in a batch file which
    in turn will execute your program(s).  For example:

    REM place a 'cd ' in the file old_dir.bat
    copy \batch\cd.txt \batch\old_dir.bat
    REM append the current directory path to the same file
    cd >> \batch\old_dir.bat
    REM now you can change directories at will and execute programs, etc.
    cd \progs\etc
    foo.exe
    REM to return to the original directory, just execute the batch file
    REM you created above:
    \batch\old_dir.bat
    REM and you are back at the original directory.

Please, no flames.  I know it's inelegant, but it works fine, and I have
better things to do than writing a "real" program to do this.  -- 
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UUCP:  ..!harvard!bu-cs!bucsf!keast   | ARPANET: keast@bucsf.bu.edu
CSNET: keast%bucsf@bu-cs              | Kenneth East @ Boston University
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