PC*MILER|BatchPro can be run from your PC’s command line, without invoking the BatchPro user interface. You can either type the command “batchw32.exe” at the prompt, or call it from another application or batch file.
This feature is useful for scheduled runs, running a sequence of batch files, or for running BatchPro from another application – for example, executing an overnight batch run for your NT Scheduler.
To set up BatchPro to run in command-line mode, you must adjust your pcmbatch.cfg file so that the CommandLine option is set to 1 (0 is the default setting). The .cfg file is located by default in the same directory as the BatchPro executable (batchw32.exe). Change the setting to read:
[Run Mode]
“CommandLine”= 1
When CommandLine is set to 1, the interactive screen is suppressed, and BatchPro will run using the settings in the .cfg file. Any of the message boxes that normally come up at the end of a batch are suppressed so that the program exits without additional user input.
Using .cfg Files
By default, the BatchPro config file is named “pcmbatch.cfg” and is located in the same directory as the executable. However, you might want to set up and rename different .cfg files for running different sets of batch files.
For example, if you wanted to run one series of batch files using certain settings, and another series using other settings, you could configure separate .cfg files for each series.
To run BatchPro using alternate .cfg files, after the batchw32.exe command, either type a filename with the .cfg extension, or specify a full path and filename for the .cfg file. In the case of the first option, BatchPro will look for the file in the same directory as the executable. In the second case, BatchPro will look in the specified directory.
Examples
- To run BatchPro from the command-line and have the interactive screen pop up, enter: C:\> batchw32.exe
- To run BatchPro using a different .cfg file that resides in the same directory as the batchw32.exe file, enter: C:\> batchw32.exe <space> foo.cfg
- To run BatchPro using a different .cfg file, located in a different directory, enter: C:\> batchw32.exe <space> c:\my documents\foo.cfg
