Simultaneous Commands in Batch File, When they are done, Process more commands.

The reason for the file as a flag is inter-process communication can be a nightmare and files as flags (or rather dirs as they are created atomically) is universal (i.e. all OS's).

Now, to get this to work for your scenario ...

Take your time...

Sorry. I get a little excited when I create something for someone else and then realise I can actually use that!

This script is something I've been wanting for myself for ages - a delayed loader during startup.

It's a pain having so many things start all at once when I turn the pc on. By using the script I've just built, I can use it to delay load the various things I want without my machine grinding to a halt trying to load all of them at once.

Ok, not EXACTLY the same script, but the programs I have can be monitored and I can check their state before loading the next set of tasks.

Anyway, slower next time.

Thanks for your help!  That was quick.  I will test your solutions later today or tomorrow and let you know how it goes.

-Randy

Hello,

Your script appears to be working fine.   It is giving me a syntax error though.

C:\>batch1.bat
The syntax of the command is incorrect.
Looking in C:\\Mon06182007153916 for completion indicators.
About to run C:\WINDOWS\system32\notepad.exe  C:\batch1.bat
About to run C:\WINDOWS\system32\calc.exe
About to run C:\WINDOWS\system32\taskmgr.exe


Here is the copy paste from the batch file

@ECHO OFF
REM If we have a parameter then jump straight to the loader
IF NOT "%1"=="" GOTO Loader


REM Let's start the various tasks
CALL :PrepareWatch
CALL :PreLoad 1 "C:\WINDOWS\system32\notepad.EXE" %~fs0
CALL :PreLoad 2 "C:\WINDOWS\system32\calc.EXE"
CALL :PreLoad 3 "C:\WINDOWS\system32\taskmgr.EXE"
CALL :WatchLoop

CALL :PrepareWatch
CALL :PreLoad 1 "C:\WINDOWS\system32\write.EXE" %~fs0
CALL :PreLoad 2 "C:\WINDOWS\system32\sysedit.EXE"
CALL :WatchLoop


GOTO :EOF



:PrepareWatch
REM We need to know where to watch for completion.
MD %WatchPath%
FOR /F "tokens=1-7 delims=:\/. " %%A IN ("%DATE% %TIME%") DO SET WatchPath=%TEMP%\%%A%%B%%C%%D%%E%%F%%G
ECHO Looking in %WatchPath% for completion indicators.

REM Reset the watches
SET Watches=
GOTO :EOF



REM Now we wait.
:WatchLoop
SET NotFinished=No
FOR %%A IN (%Watches%) DO IF NOT EXIST %WatchPath%\%%A SET NotFinished=Yes
SLEEP -m 1000
IF "%NotFinished%"=="Yes" GOTO WatchLoop

REM We've finished.
ECHO All tasks completed.
RD /Q /S %WatchPath%
SET WatchPath=
GOTO :EOF



REM Remember what we've started.
:PreLoad
SET Watches=%Watches% %1

REM Load the loader as a separate task
SET Args=
:AddArg
SET Args=%Args% %3
IF "%4"=="" GOTO GotArgs
SHIFT 3
GOTO AddArg
:GotArgs
ECHO About to run %~fs2 %Args%
START /Min /Low %~fs0 %1 %~fs2 %Args%
GOTO :EOF



REM Load the main task and wait for completion.
:Loader
START /WAIT %2 %3
MKDIR %WatchPath%\%1
EXIT

Did you try my script?

Just to elaborate on the usage of this line:

start procmark.bat mark1.txt dir

Procmark.bat accepts a marker file name and the command to run. In this case the marker file is named mark1.txt and the command is the dir command. The command could easily been an executable or another batch file with or without parameters specified. The code allows for up to 7 parameters to be passed to the procmark.bat's command portion.

Hi guys, seeing as your using DOS Batch, this is probably more just FYI, but I have created a VBScript that can control such issues, along with a batch file that calls it.

I wrote a vb script that takes vbs files as parameters, and keeps running until the passed scripts have finished.  This way, it returns back to the START /WAIT command that called it.

I have called this script RunAndWait.vbs"
'===================================
'MUST BE RUN BY: START /WAIT RunAndWait.vbs script1.vbs script2.vbs
If WScript.Arguments.Count > 0 Then
      strWhileCondition = "Do Until "
      Set wshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
      For intArgNum = 0 To WScript.Arguments.Count - 1
            strCodeToExec = "Set objExec" & intArgNum & " = wshShell.Exec(""wscript.exe " & WScript.Arguments(intArgNum) & """)"
            Execute strCodeToExec
            If intArgNum < WScript.Arguments.Count - 1 Then
                  strWhileCondition = strWhileCondition & "objExec" & intArgNum & ".Status OR "
            Else
                  strWhileCondition = strWhileCondition & "objExec" & intArgNum & ".Status"
            End If
      Next
      strWhileCondition = strWhileCondition & VbCrLf & "WScript.Sleep 500" & VbCrLf & "Loop"
      Execute strWhileCondition
End If
'============================

And in Master.bat I have these lines:
@echo off
start /wait RunAndWait.vbs file1.vbs file2.vbs file3.vbs
start /wait RunAndWait.vbs file4.vbs

What this does is run 1, 2, and 3 concurrently, and the vbs uses dynamic code through the Execute statement to monitor all three Exec processes.  Then when the RunAndWait.vbs script has finished, the batch file kicks in again, and runs file4.

Basically, I figure that in the  Master.bat, you place a RunAndWait.vbs statement for each "block" of scripts that you are allowed to run concurrently.

Now, given that you are running "commands" and not "files", this doesn't suit exactly, *but* you could alter the RunAndWait.vbs to process "commands" that were passed to it, which it would execute in separate command prompts.

Anyway, that's just my two cents.

Regards,

Rob.

I've just realised that the OR at the end of this line:
strWhileCondition = strWhileCondition & "objExec" & intArgNum & ".Status OR "

needs to be an AND, so it should read;
strWhileCondition = strWhileCondition & "objExec" & intArgNum & ".Status AND "

Regards,

Rob.

Oops. Another typo.

Replace the :PrepareWatch code with this ...

:PrepareWatch
REM We need to know where to watch for completion.
FOR /F "tokens=1-7 delims=:\/. " %%A IN ("%DATE% %TIME%") DO SET WatchPath=%TEMP%\%%A%%B%%C%%D%%E%%F%%G
MD %WatchPath%
ECHO Looking in %WatchPath% for completion indicators.

REM Reset the watches
SET Watches=
GOTO :EOF





I STILL had the MD in the wrong place. Sorry.

Don't forget the SLEEP program from Windows Resource Tool Kit. Oh. My PATH has the path to the tool kit too as this means I don't need to use C:\Progra~1\WI8DE7~1\Tools\Sleep and the WI8DE7~1 would probably be different on every users machine, but by having it in PATH, you can just run the program, or call it from a batch file.

rjohnsonjr,

Have any of the solutions provided given you a satisfactory solution?

Regards,

Rob.

This is a REALLY old question and I hope that the comments here covered enough for you to award some points.

Not being funny or anything, and I love you gorgeous code... but.. seriously overkilled.... You can do simultaneous copys with a simple switch.. Start.

For example. I wanted to clone 8 USB drives at a time from a pre-set folder on my desktop.. I created this

---BATCH FILE---
robocopy c:\USBClone\Files d: /mir
robocopy c:\USBClone\Files e: /mir
robocopy c:\USBClone\Files f: /mir
robocopy c:\USBClone\Files g: /mir
robocopy c:\USBClone\Files h: /mir
robocopy c:\USBClone\Files i: /mir
robocopy c:\USBClone\Files j: /mir
robocopy c:\USBClone\Files k: /mir
----END BATCH FILE---

As you know this will do the copy one after another... I wanted the process to be quicker so I added the Start switch to run all commands at the same time. So.. New batch file is now as follows

---START BATCH FILE---
Start robocopy c:\USBClone\Files d: /mir
Start robocopy c:\USBClone\Files e: /mir
Start robocopy c:\USBClone\Files f: /mir
Start robocopy c:\USBClone\Files g: /mir
Start robocopy c:\USBClone\Files h: /mir
Start robocopy c:\USBClone\Files i: /mir
Start robocopy c:\USBClone\Files j: /mir
Start robocopy c:\USBClone\Files k: /mir
----END BATCH FILE---

Simple. easy to read. Not overkill at all.. In your case;

---START BATCH FILE---
::Run the following 3 commands simultaneously

Start Command 1
Start Command 2
Start Command 3

::After All 3 commands above are done, do the following (To make these simultaneous add start before them.):

Command 4
Command 5

---END BATCH FILE---

I hope that helps. I just saved myself £800 on a USB duplicator by making it simple!!

---START BATCH FILE---
::Run the following 3 commands simultaneously
 
Start Command 1
Start Command 2
Start Command 3
 
::After All 3 commands above are done, do the following:
 
Command 4
Command 5
---END BATCH FILE---

                                              

1:
2:
3:
4:
5:
6:
7:
8:
9:
10:
11:
12:

moosecaboose, Command 4 will start immediately after STARTING command3, not COMPLETING commands 1,2 and 3.

remove start from command 3 then.

We went in another direction on this project because we could not have more than 1 connection to the server we were trying to use this for.  You guys did a lot of good work here so I want to assign the points.  I will ask you to decide who gets the points and I will award accordingly.

Thanks for taking the time to answer and I am sorry it took me so long to get back to you.

Ha ha, SteveGTR, RQuading, RQuading, RQuading, RQuading, RQuading, and RQuading!

I always thought you worked like a machine, and now I know....there's six of you! LOL!

Or is just me and my silly sense of humour?  :-(

I am not a machine.

Nor am I

Me neither.

I'm not so sure.

The others ARE machines. I'm the original.