Spaces in @comspec /c exe path

[Lee Evans]

How can I syntax the following correctly for a exe path with a space in it. The following works fine until there is a space

$command = ' /c C:DIR1EXE "file name.ext" /A /O'
$PID = Run(@ComSpec &$command, "C:DIR1SUB1SUB2")

so I assumed that I needed to do this

$command = ' /c "C:\DIR 1\EXE" "file name.ext" /A /O'
$PID = Run(@ComSpec &$command, "C:\DIR1\SUB1\SUB2")

but this just flashes up the CMD box and then it disappeared. Can someone point me the right way to handle the space in the exe path as well as the file name?

[jdelaney]

Sitch the /c to a /k, so you can get the actual console output failure.

[MrBeatnik]

You want to use CHR(34) to format your string:

$command = " /c " & CHR(34) & "C:\DIR 1\EXE" & CHR(34) & " " & CHR(34) & "file name.ext" & CHR(34) & " /A /O"

( Above code not tested, but if you need a quotation mark in your string, use CHR(34) ).

[Lee Evans]

The output shown is 

'C:DIR 1EXE" "Exe' is not recognised as an internal or eternal command, operable program or batch file.

[Mobius]

Hi Lee,

Is executing cmd.exe even necessary?

Which might seem like a silly question, however you know what executable you are trying to run through cmd and we don't.

How about:

$command = '"C:\DIR 1\EXE" "file name.ext" /A /O'
$PID = Run($command, "C:\DIR 1\SUB1\SUB2")

Is the program you are trying to execute a console application also?

Vlad

Edited June 5, 2014 by Mobius

[Lee Evans]

MrBeatnik your suggestion unfortunately did not work. 

Mobius you were quite right it wasn't necessary using your suggestion i got it to work. I was also able to get it to work by writing the line into a batch file and running that.

I was still curious though why @Comspec was not handling a path in speech marks. I did find this older form post before making this one  but it left me no wiser.

Thank you for the help but would welcome any further insight into the @comspec issue might be of use toothers and in the future though.

[Mobius]

expandcollapse popup

#cs
Taken from CMD.exe stdout reference

If /C or /K is specified, then the remainder of the command line after
the switch is processed as a command line, where the following logic is
used to process quote (") characters:

    1.  If all of the following conditions are met, then quote characters
        on the command line are preserved:

        - no /S switch
        - exactly two quote characters
        - no special characters between the two quote characters,
          where special is one of: &<>()@^|
        - there are one or more whitespace characters between the
          two quote characters
        - the string between the two quote characters is the name
          of an executable file.

    2.  Otherwise, old behavior is to see if the first character is
        a quote character and if so, strip the leading character and
        remove the last quote character on the command line, preserving
        any text after the last quote character.
#ce
$DBGMSG = 0
; #EG 1
; So this will not work because of the number of double quotes in the command line
; < Resulting error is intentional for example purposes
$command = ' /k "c:\DIR 1\EXE.exe" "file name.ext" /A /O'
$PID = RunWait(@COMSPEC & $command,"C:\DIR 1\SUB1\SUB2")
IF $DBGMSG THEN msgbox(0,"EG 1","PID: "& $PID & @LF &"ERR: "& @ERROR)
; #EG 2
; You can get around this flaw by setting the working directory for cmd.exe
; to the directory of the executable you are running, negating the need for its path
; to be specified.
$command = ' /k EXE.exe "C:\DIR 1\SUB1\SUB2\file name.ext" /A /O'
$PID = RunWait(@COMSPEC & $command,"C:\DIR 1")
IF $DBGMSG THEN msgbox(0,"EG 2","PID: "& $PID & @LF &"ERR: "& @ERROR)
; #EG 3
; However good luck if your exe you are running also has a space in its filename
; < Resulting error is intentional for example purposes
$command = ' /k My EXE.exe "C:\DIR 1\SUB1\SUB2\file name.ext" /A /O'
$PID = RunWait(@COMSPEC & $command,"C:\DIR 1")
IF $DBGMSG THEN msgbox(0,"EG 3","PID: "& $PID & @LF &"ERR: "& @ERROR)
; #EG 4
; Obviously you cannot use the above (#EG 2) method to set the working directory
; to that of the file you are passing to your executable instead because I can almost
; guarantee that executable expects that file on its command line to be wrapped
; in double quotes if the file path contains spaces
$command = ' /k "c:\DIR 1\EXE.exe" file name.ext /A /O'
$PID = RunWait(@COMSPEC & $command,"C:\DIR 1\SUB1\SUB2")
IF $DBGMSG THEN msgbox(0,"EG 4","PID: "& $PID & @LF &"ERR: "& @ERROR)

This archive contains executables - files and folders that are identical to the conditions and parameters posted by you, it is not strictly necessary to understand the above code but it might compliment it.

Maybe it might explain why I often complain when users use @comspec as part of the Run/Runwait functions when not absolutely necessary.

Then again probably not.

Vlad

Edited June 5, 2014 by Mobius

[Lee Evans]

Thanks for the further reply Mobius. I will have a look at in my tea break. 

I love the AutoIT community and this forum its been a boon to me for over ten years now.