Command line Prompt for Windows?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Howard Schwartz
  • Start date Start date
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Howard Schwartz

Dos has a number of utilities such as input.com and ask.com, that displays
a prompt on your screen, with words you choose, and then inserts your
keyboard input into a variable.

Is there anything like this utility for the windows desktop? I know
of run command replacements. But I need a little box that comes up
with a prompt, for instance ``enter a filename:'' ready for me to
type in some data.

I know I can use dos itself, with a utility like input.com for this.
But the dos box is to my eyes too big and ugly looking for this
purpose.
 
Dos has a number of utilities such as input.com and ask.com, that
displays a prompt on your screen, with words you choose, and then
inserts your keyboard input into a variable.

Is there anything like this utility for the windows desktop? I know
of run command replacements. But I need a little box that comes up
with a prompt, for instance ``enter a filename:'' ready for me to
type in some data.

I know I can use dos itself, with a utility like input.com for this.
But the dos box is to my eyes too big and ugly looking for this
purpose.
Click to expand...
This sounds as if you are trying to do some basic windows programing.
If so, Google for "MsgBox Function" (Include the "" in the search)
This will give you a good background on the basics of what can be
done in VBscript.
 
Howard said:
Dos has a number of utilities such as input.com and ask.com, that displays
a prompt on your screen, with words you choose, and then inserts your
keyboard input into a variable.

Is there anything like this utility for the windows desktop? I know
of run command replacements. But I need a little box that comes up
with a prompt, for instance ``enter a filename:'' ready for me to
type in some data.

I know I can use dos itself, with a utility like input.com for this.
But the dos box is to my eyes too big and ugly looking for this
purpose.
Click to expand...

Get cygwin and you'll have bash, awk, python, ruby, tcl, perl and so
on.
 
Dos has a number of utilities such as input.com and ask.com, that displays
a prompt on your screen, with words you choose, and then inserts your
keyboard input into a variable.

Is there anything like this utility for the windows desktop? I know
of run command replacements. But I need a little box that comes up
with a prompt, for instance ``enter a filename:'' ready for me to
type in some data.

I know I can use dos itself, with a utility like input.com for this.
But the dos box is to my eyes too big and ugly looking for this
purpose.
Click to expand...

It is not apparent from your posting, what kind of input means you
need. (Always a file name or different things on different occasions.)
More advanced possibilities need scripting. If you don't like the
full blown (and security-wise risky) WSH, you should consider using
AutoIt:

www.autoitscript.com/autoit3

OTOH, Parameteriser by Darren Greaves may be sufficient:

http://krapplets.cream.org/parameteriser.shtml

Unfortunately, it needs Administrator rights to run okay. There are
other tools of the same kind out there, like ExecParam from Touchstone
(Marc Scherwinski):

www.touchstone.de/Default.aspx?tabid=36

Google with both names for similar programs.

If you just need Standard dialog boxes (YesNoCancel and the like),
have a look at WPrompt by Horst Schaeffer:

http://home.mnet-online.de/horst.muc/win/index.html

That one would do, if only one or two (fixed!) file names have to
be used. ("Shall I start with...?")

But there are some means much more simple than that, too. Back in
the days of Pif-files for DOS programs one could acquire parameters
on runtime quite easily. This works, still: Create a link to any DOS
program. (Simply drag the *.exe from Explorer to the desktop using
the *right* mouse button. Choose <Create Link> from the drop-down
menu, which opens.) Edit the Properties of that link and change
command line and working directory on the Program page to the
program (and working directory, of course), you actually want to
execute. Add a space and a question mark behind the program name.

If you execute this link now, a parameter window opens before
running the program. If you need to pass a file name with spaces
as a parameter, you have to enclose the string inside the input box
in quotation marks.

HTH.
BeAr
 
Howard Schwartz pretended :
Dos has a number of utilities such as input.com and ask.com, that displays
a prompt on your screen, with words you choose, and then inserts your
keyboard input into a variable.

Is there anything like this utility for the windows desktop? I know
of run command replacements. But I need a little box that comes up
with a prompt, for instance ``enter a filename:'' ready for me to
type in some data.

I know I can use dos itself, with a utility like input.com for this.
But the dos box is to my eyes too big and ugly looking for this
purpose.

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120,000+ Newsgroups ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy
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Click to expand...

As others have already mentioned, learn WSH and you will have no need
for the command line except perhaps to run the WSH script.

This is a very useful download (the documentation for WSH):

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...48-207D-4BE1-8A76-1C4099D7BBB9&displaylang=en

Toad
 
t is not apparent from your posting, what kind of input means you
need. (Always a file name or different things on different occasions.)
More advanced possibilities need scripting. If you don't like the
full blown (and security-wise risky) WSH, you should consider using
AutoIt:
Click to expand...

I know of various script tools for windows. To try to clarify:

I would like an application that displays a prompt of my choice
in a small window such as:

Enter A filename:

Type some text of your choice:

The user can then type or enter data asked for by the prompt, and
some known dos or windows variable (e.g., ``Ans'') is set to the data I
type in. That is all, no other functions needed.
 
Howard said:
I know of various script tools for windows. To try to clarify:

I would like an application that displays a prompt of my choice
in a small window such as:

Enter A filename:

Type some text of your choice:

The user can then type or enter data asked for by the prompt, and
some known dos or windows variable (e.g., ``Ans'') is set to the data I
type in. That is all, no other functions needed.
Click to expand...

alt.msdos.batch and / or alt.msdos.batch.nt have excellent advisors

Lou
 
I would like an application that displays a prompt of my choice
in a small window such as:

Enter A filename:

Type some text of your choice:

The user can then type or enter data asked for by the prompt, and
some known dos or windows variable (e.g., ``Ans'') is set to the data I
type in. That is all, no other functions needed.
Click to expand...

So, BatchQuery by Steven Wettberg should do the trick:

http://wettberg.home.texas.net/batchqry.htm

BeAr
 
I would like an application that displays a prompt of my choice
in a small window such as:

Enter A filename:

Type some text of your choice:

The user can then type or enter data asked for by the prompt, and
some known dos or windows variable (e.g., ``Ans'') is set to the data I
type in. That is all, no other functions needed.
Click to expand...

I think Ask allowed you to set the prompting text.
 
Al said:
I think Ask allowed you to set the prompting text.
Click to expand...

Also choice.exe does that. Not on XP but win98 pgm can be moved to XP and
it works.

Lou
Google is your friend. Try it.
 
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