It won't launch an application since the name has no extension (like
.exe,
.com etc)
You do not always need file extensions.
The environmental variable Pathext shows a list of file extensions that
are
considered to be executable and regulates which extensions do not need to
be
typed in a Command Prompt or the Run command.
Open a command prompt, type: echo %pathext% and hit your Enter key.
C:\>echo %pathext%
.COM;.EXE;.BAT;.CMD;.VBS;.VBE;.JS;.JSE;.WSF;.WSH
Or, open a command prompt, type: set and hit your Enter key. Scroll
down to PATHEXT.
PATHEXT=.COM;.EXE;.BAT;.CMD;.VBS;.VBE;.JS;.JSE;.WSF;.WSH
The extensions are searched in the above order.
Type: cmd, command and eventvwr in Start | Run. Anything open?
cmd.exe, command.com and eventvwr.msc should all have opened.
[[The PATHEXT environment variable defines the list of file extensions
checked by Windows NT when searching for an executable file. Like the
PATH
variable, semi-colons separate individual items in the PATHEXT variable.
The default value of PATHEXT is .COM;.EXE;.BAT;.CMD. ]]
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/archive/winntas/deploy/shellscr.mspx
From start /? in a command prompt:
When executing a command line whose first token does NOT contain an
extension, then CMD.EXE uses the value of the PATHEXT environment
variable to determine which extensions to look for and in what order.
The default value for the PATHEXT variable is:
.COM;.EXE;.BAT;.CMD
Notice the syntax is the same as the PATH variable, with semicolons
separating the different elements.
The PATHEXT Variable
[[As is explained on other pages, file extensions tell Windows what it is
supposed to do with a file. Certain file extensions indicate that the
file is executable; that is, the file opens a program or does something.
The %PATHEXT% environment variable contains executable file extensions
that do not have to be specified for any file in a directory given in
the %PATH% variable. The extension .EXE is the most common. Thus the
filename sol.exe need only be entered as sol in a command line. If files
have the same name but different extensions, the operating system
searches in the following order of precedence: .EXE, .COM, .BAT, and
.CMD. ]]
Environment Variables in Windows XP
http://vlaurie.com/computers2/Articles/environment.htm
--
Hope this helps. Let us know.
Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User
In
Jon said:
I believe the slash sign at the end of a name means it is a folder.
QUESTION: Is there likely to be any problems in functioning if I put a
slash at the end of all the folder names that I reference in XP?
I might use in various places like shortcut references.
------
THE NEED: For my own clarify I want to put a slash at the end of the
following line to make it clear that the word "rear" refers to a folder
and not to an executable.
D:\user data\@My Docs-XP\PLANNING\rear
If I put that line into some utilities (like WinKey) then I can't tell
lf it will open a folder or launch an application.
It won't launch an application since the name has no extension (like
.exe,
.com etc)
[no 'shebang' line in Windows - it goes by extension]
Jon
