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Batch Scripting (Windows CMD) – Complete Guide

This guide covers everything you need to know about Batch scripting, from absolute basics to advanced concepts. It is structured step‑by‑step so you can learn, practice, and apply it in real projects.

1️⃣ What is Batch Scripting?

Batch scripting is a way to automate tasks in Windows using .bat or .cmd files.

Why Batch Scripts are used

• Automate repetitive tasks
• System administration
• File & folder management
• Application startup automation
• Basic DevOps & CI tasks (Windows servers)

Batch File Extensions

• .bat – Traditional batch file
• .cmd – Modern version (recommended)

2️⃣ Creating & Running a Batch File

Create a batch file

1. Open Notepad
2. Write commands
3. Save as script.bat

Run a batch file

• Double‑click
• Run from Command Prompt

3️⃣ Basic Commands

4️⃣ Variables in Batch

Define a variable

set name=Dev

Access variable

%name%

Enable delayed expansion

setlocal enabledelayedexpansion
!variable!

Environment variables

%USERNAME%
%OS%
%DATE%

5️⃣ User Input

set /p name=Enter your name:

6️⃣ Conditional Statements (IF)

Basic IF

if %a%==10 echo Equal

IF ELSE

if %a%==10 (
  echo Yes
) else (
  echo No
)

IF EXIST

if exist file.txt echo Found

Comparison Operators

• EQU – Equal
• NEQ – Not equal
• GTR – Greater than
• LSS – Less than

7️⃣ Loops in Batch

FOR loop (files)

for %%f in (*.txt) do echo %%f

FOR loop (numbers)

for /L %%i in (1,1,5) do echo %%i

FOR /F (command output)

for /f "tokens=1" %%a in ('date /t') do echo %%a

8️⃣ GOTO & Labels

:START
echo Hello
goto END
:END
echo Done

⚠ Avoid excessive goto – makes scripts messy

9️⃣ Functions (CALL)

call :myFunc
exit /b

:myFunc
echo Function called
exit /b

🔟 Error Handling

ERRORLEVEL

command
if %errorlevel% neq 0 echo Error occurred

Exit codes

exit /b 1

1️⃣1️⃣ File & Folder Operations

1️⃣2️⃣ Working with Paths

%~dp0   → Script directory
%~nx0   → Script name

1️⃣3️⃣ Command Line Arguments

script.bat arg1 arg2

%1 %2 %3

1️⃣4️⃣ Date & Time Handling

%DATE%
%TIME%

Custom format using FOR loop

1️⃣5️⃣ String Operations

• Substring

%var:~0,4%

• Replace

%var:old=new%

1️⃣6️⃣ Arithmetic Operations

set /a sum=5+3

Supported:

• • − * / %

1️⃣7️⃣ Delayed Expansion (Important)

Used inside loops

setlocal enabledelayedexpansion

1️⃣8️⃣ Logging Output

script.bat > output.log
script.bat >> output.log

1️⃣9️⃣ Calling Other Scripts

call another.bat

2️⃣0️⃣ Scheduled Tasks

Run batch files using:

• Task Scheduler
• Startup folder

2️⃣1️⃣ Registry Operations

reg add
reg delete
reg query

⚠ Use carefully

2️⃣2️⃣ Networking Commands

2️⃣3️⃣ System Commands

2️⃣4️⃣ Best Practices

• Always use @echo off
• Use comments
• Validate inputs
• Handle errors
• Avoid hard‑coded paths
• Use functions

2️⃣5️⃣ Real‑World Use Cases

• Backup scripts
• Log cleanup
• App startup automation
• Build pipelines (Windows)
• Server maintenance

2️⃣6️⃣ Batch vs PowerShell

Batch is still useful for legacy systems & simple automation.