How do I create a Windows Batch file that does not show the Command Prompt when executed?

Question

I have installed a ruby gem called Redcar, which is launched from the command line. When it runs, it steals the shell until it terminates, so I have to create a new shell window to continue doing command line work. The shell I'm using is the GITBash shell from MySysGit. I found a Redcar.bat file which is meant to launch Redcar as a shortcut, I presume, but I don't want the extra command prompt window to open whenever I launch the BAT file. How do I just run the BAT without seeing the prompt?

Answer 1

You can't -- executing a batch file with the built in Command Prompt is going to keep a window open until the batch file exits.

What you can do is take steps to make sure that the batch file exits as quickly as possible. If at all possible, modify the batch file to run whatever program with the start command. By default, start returns immediately without waiting for the program to exit, so the batch file will continue to run and, presumably, exit immediately. Couple that with modifying your shortcut to run the batch file minimized, and you'll only see the taskbar flash without even seeing a window onscreen.

One caveat to this is that if you're running a console-mode program, which many script interpreters are, the batch file will wait for the program to exit, and using start will spawn a new console window. What you need to do in this case is run the Windows-based version of the interpreter instead of the console-based one -- no start necessary. For Perl, you would run wperl.exe instead of perl.exe. For Python, it's pythonw.exe instead of python.exe. The old win32 Ruby distribution I have downloaded has rubyw.exe, which should do the same thing.

A final possibility is to use a 3rd-party tool to run the command prompt with a hidden window. I've heard of such things but never had a use for them, so I don't know of anything in particular to point you to.

Answer 2

Give this a try:

START /B batchfile

Answer 3

I'm not clear as to your issue, but with some of my batch files, I use a "dumy" who's only purpose is to launch the main batch file.

So GO.BAT will have:

cmd /c go2.bat %1 %2 %3
exit

The exit closes the command prompt window that would otherwise remain open.

And GO2.BAT will have the actually batch file contents that I wish.

  @echo off
  set userid=

  if NOT [%1]==[] goto userid:
  set /p userid=Enter USERID:  
  goto set_usr:

 :userid
 set userid=%1
 shift

 :set_usr
 if %userid%==steven goto steven:
 ...

Answer 4

If you are still interested in not showing the console window at all, here is solution from stackoverflow, that worked for me: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/289498/running-batch-file-in-background-when-windows-boots-up (in my case I didn't put anything in the registry, but where I needed).