Microsoft DOS call command
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About call
Availability
Call Syntax
Examples
Batch file help
About call
Enables a user to execute a batch file from within another batch file.
Availability
The call command is an internal command and is available in the below Microsoft operating systems.
All Versions of MS-DOS
Windows 95
Windows 98
Windows ME
Windows NT
Windows 2000
Windows XP
Windows Vista
Windows 7
Syntax
MS-DOS, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME call syntax
Calls one batch program from another.
CALL [drive:][path]filename [batch-parameters]
batch-parameters specifies any command-line information required by the batch program.
Windows 2000 and Windows XP call syntax
Calls one batch program from another.
CALL [drive:][path]filename [batch-parameters]
If Command Extensions are enabled, CALL changes as follows:
CALL command now accepts labels as the target of the CALL. The syntax is:
CALL :label arguments
A new batch file context is created with the specified arguments and control is passed to the statement after the label specified. You must "exit" twice by reaching the end of the batch script file twice. The first time you read the end, control will return to just after the CALL statement. The second time will exit the batch script. Type GOTO /? for a description of the GOTO :EOF extension that will allow you to "return" from a batch script.
In addition, expansion of batch script argument references (%0, %1, etc.) have been changed as follows:
%* in a batch script refers to all the arguments (e.g. %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 ...)
Substitution of batch parameters (%n) has been enhanced. You can now use the below optional syntax:
| %~1 |
- |
expands %1 removing any surrounding quotes (") |
| %~f1 |
- |
expands %1 to a fully qualified path name |
| %~d1 |
- |
expands %1 to a drive letter only |
| %~p1 |
- |
expands %1 to a path only |
| %~n1 |
- |
expands %1 to a file name only |
| %~x1 |
- |
expands %1 to a file extension only |
| %~s1 |
- |
expanded path contains short names only |
| %~a1 |
- |
expands %1 to file attributes |
| %~t1 |
- |
expands %1 to date/time of file |
| %~z1 |
- |
expands %1 to size of file |
| %~$PATH:1 |
- |
searches the directories listed in the PATH
environment variable and expands %1 to the fully
qualified name of the first one found. If the
environment variable name is not defined or the
file is not found by the search, then this
modifier expands to the empty string |
The modifiers can be combined to get compound results:
| %~dp1 |
- |
expands %1 to a drive letter and path only |
| %~nx1 |
- |
expands %1 to a file name and extension only |
| %~dp$PATH:1 |
- |
searches the directories listed in the PATH
environment variable for %1 and expands to the
drive letter and path of the first one found.
|
| %~ftza1 |
- |
expands %1 to a DIR-like output line |
In the above examples, %1 and PATH can be replaced by other valid values. The %~ syntax is terminated by a valid argument number. The %~ modifiers may not be used with %*
Examples
call second.bat
Executes the second.bat batch file batch file from within another batch file. |
