Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watnot!watmath!clyde!rutgers!mit-eddie!genrad!decvax!decwrl!sun!imagen!auspyr!sci!phil
From: phil@sci.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Help with directories and batch files...
Message-ID: <3098@sci.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 19-Mar-87 12:12:51 EST
Article-I.D.: sci.3098
Posted: Thu Mar 19 12:12:51 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 22-Mar-87 16:34:15 EST
Organization: Silicon Compilers Inc., San Jose, Calif.
Lines: 64

In article <839@bucsb.bu.edu.UUCP>, keast@bucsb.bu.edu.UUCP (Kenneth East) 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
> 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.  -- 
> ======================================+=================================

The above approach works great but is not quite general enough. It does
not handle the case where the target directory is on a different drive
than the original drive. the simple fix is to add a couple more commands:
	after the first cd >> ... line that puts the old directory on the file
	add
		cd \ to get to the current drives root dir
		cd >> ... to put the drive name on the file
Now when the return file is executed you will not only cd to the right
directory but also change drive default back if it has been changed


the rest of this text is because
of the fact that
my stupid mailer
requires that there
be more new text
than included text

how is that for fine
programming?
alas, how often does one get to
have a program
that enforces efficiency
by insisting on more
text than you need.

anyone have a pointer to the
great programmer in the sky
who did us this favor?