Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!mcvax!ukc!warwick!expya!sru
From: sru@cs.exeter.ac.uk (Steve Rush)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Execution Order
Keywords: COM EXE BAT
Message-ID: <992@expya.cs.exeter.ac.uk>
Date: 15 Feb 89 15:25:21 GMT
Organization: Computer Science Dept. - University of Exeter. UK
Lines: 36

Dear Net, 

  I have a question about execution order in MSDOS. I beleive that
commands in MSDOS are executed in the order .COM .EXE .BAT so if there
are several files in the directory with the same name but with
different extensions it is the .COM file that would be executed.

  Is there anyway to get MSDOS to execute the .EXE file instead?

  I have tried typing FILE.EXE but the silly operating system runs the
FILE.COM anyway !! (I am using DOS 3.3)

  The reason for asking is that there are several EXE files no our
machines and I want to do some preprocessing before the actual program
is run (eg. to check parameters before running 'dangerous' software, ie
check which drive has been specified before running FORMAT). My idea
was to write a FILE.COM file which did my preprocessing and then run
FILE.EXE to run the actual program. But what happens is that it loops,
continually running my preprocessor !!

  Any suggestions? I have thought of renaming the program and putting
my checks and the call to the actual program inside a batch file but
some of the programs complain if I try to run them under a different
name. Note, people will often be in the actual directory where the
program is located, so I can't cheat by giving a full path name to the
EXE file and putting the batch file at the start of the path.

  Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

                   Steve

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
S.Rush                                     sru@uk.ac.exeter.cs
University of Exeter                       ..!ukc!expya!sru
Computer Science Dept.
Prince of Wales Road, 
Exeter EX4 4PT.