Send a hidden command/text to a cmd console/window

[weszzer]

Hi

I have a simple command in Autoit similar to the command below. Basically I'm sending a command to a cmd console.

after running/opening the cmd window.

My question is, how to hide the command that I send to cmd window. I would like to make the command invisible so the user cannot see the command

being written in a cmd console. A blank cmd console is fine.

Below sample is similar to bigger command I'm working on.

Run("cmd.exe")
Sleep(1000)
Send ("cd\Testfolder")
Send ("{Enter}")
Send("myApps.exe")
Send ("{Enter}")

Thank you for the help

[JohnOne]

You cannot hide the text you type or send to a command prompt.

Can you not just hide the cmd window?

Why would you even want to do this, out of curiosity.

[Cyber]

You can create a .bat file?

like this:

 

cd Testfolder

myApps.exe

save in 12345.bat

and:

ShellExecute("12345.bat","","","",@SW_HIDE)

Edited January 12, 2015 by Cyber

[weszzer]

You cannot hide the text you type or send to a command prompt.

Can you not just hide the cmd window?

Why would you even want to do this, out of curiosity.

 

Hi JohnOne,

My script will send a date and time to command console and execute, then it will open a third party app (running on task manager).

The problem is that if I hide the cmd window the text I send to a cmd console via  autoit did not execute or not written to the cmd window, I think there something about the focus.

Thanks

[weszzer]

 

You can create a .bat file?

like this:

 

cd Testfolder

myApps.exe

save in 12345.bat

and:

ShellExecute("12345.bat","","","",@SW_HIDE)

 

Hi Cyber, sorry for my incomplete example, basically I have a long script that send a different date and other command to the cmd console. then open the myApps.exe that do other commands based on the date given (send using autoit).

I would like to hide all the command sent by autoit to the cmd console.

this is similar to the @Echo Off, but I don't know how to apply it in Autoit..

Thank you

[Gianni]

If you only want send commands to an hidden CMD prompt,

and you do not need to get the otput of the commands sent,

then you can simply run an hidden dos prompt with the input stream redirected to your script,

and use the input redirected handle to send commands to the prompt.
Something like this for example:

#include <Constants.au3>

$cmd_Pid = Run(@ComSpec & " /k", "", @SW_HIDE, $STDIN_CHILD) ; $STDIN_CHILD (0x1) = Provide a handle to the child's STDIN stream

StdinWrite($cmd_Pid, "cd \Testfolder" & @CRLF)
StdinWrite($cmd_Pid, "myApps.exe" & @CRLF)
; .... and so on

the hidden dos promt will stay hidden and in standby for your commands till your script will end. In this way you can send commands time by time when you need.

Edited January 12, 2015 by Chimp

[JohnOne]

Try ControlSend.

Or Look for console UDF in example scripts, see if that can help.

[Gianni]

Try ControlSend.

Or Look for console UDF in example scripts, see if that can help.

 

I'm not sure, but afraid that ControlSend will not send to a cmd prompt,

anyway SendKeepActive() can be used to keep the dos window active while using send() to have better luck to send to the proper destination..

Edited January 12, 2015 by Chimp

[Exit]

Opt("SendKeyDelay", 0)
Run("cmd.exe")
Sleep(1000)

Send("cd \Testfolder" & @CRLF)
Send("myApps.exe" & @CRLF)
Sleep(3000) ; delay to check output. Delete line to continue without delay

Send("cls" & @CRLF)

[Exit]

Or even better

Opt("SendKeyDelay", 0)
Run("cmd.exe")
$handle = (WinWait("[REGEXPTITLE:cmd.exe]", "", 3) ? (WinActivate("[LAST]") ? WinWaitActive("[LAST]") : 0) : SetError(1, 0, 0))
ControlSend($handle, "", "", "cd \Testfolder" & @CRLF)
ControlSend($handle, "", "", "myApps.exe" & @CRLF)
Sleep(3000) ; delay to check output. Delete line to continue without delay
ControlSend($handle, "", "", "cls" & @CRLF)
Sleep(2000)
ControlSend($handle, "", "", "exit" & @CRLF)

[weszzer]

 

Or even better

Opt("SendKeyDelay", 0)
Run("cmd.exe")
$handle = (WinWait("[REGEXPTITLE:cmd.exe]", "", 3) ? (WinActivate("[LAST]") ? WinWaitActive("[LAST]") : 0) : SetError(1, 0, 0))
ControlSend($handle, "", "", "cd \Testfolder" & @CRLF)
ControlSend($handle, "", "", "myApps.exe" & @CRLF)
Sleep(3000) ; delay to check output. Delete line to continue without delay
ControlSend($handle, "", "", "cls" & @CRLF)
Sleep(2000)
ControlSend($handle, "", "", "exit" & @CRLF)

 

Exit, thanks for the response.

I tried the command but I got this error below

$handle = (WinWait("[REGEXPTITLE:cmd.exe]", "", 3) ? (WinActivate("[LAST]") ? WinWaitActive("[LAST]") : 0) : SetError(1, 0, 0))

$handle = (WinWait("[REGEXPTITLE:cmd.exe]", "", 3) ^ ERROR

Thanks

[SmOke_N]

What version of AutoIt are you using?

Also, [REGEXPTITLE:cmd.exe], that's is kind of confusing since there's no regular expression there other than the [dot] could equal anything or cmd[any character]exe could be anywhere in the title.  Should be [REGEXPTITLE:(?i)cmd.exe$] at the very least.

[weszzer]

What version of AutoIt are you using?

Also, [REGEXPTITLE:cmd.exe], that's is kind of confusing since there's no regular expression there other than the [dot] could equal anything or cmd[any character]exe could be anywhere in the title.  Should be [REGEXPTITLE:(?i)cmd.exe$] at the very least.

SciTE4AutoIt3 

Version 1.76

    Jun 12 2008 09:52:15

Cheers

[BrewManNH]

That's not the AutoIt version, that is the SciTE version number (and it's OLD).

[SmOke_N]

Well, that says a lot ... considering I'm on a much higher SciTe version, but I asked about your AutoIt version.

You probably need to do some updating, I imagine you're using a very old version.

[weszzer]

If you only want send commands to an hidden CMD prompt,

and you do not need to get the otput of the commands sent,

then you can simply run an hidden dos prompt with the input stream redirected to your script,

and use the input redirected handle to send commands to the prompt.

Something like this for example:

#include <Constants.au3>

$cmd_Pid = Run(@ComSpec & " /k", "", @SW_HIDE, $STDIN_CHILD) ; $STDIN_CHILD (0x1) = Provide a handle to the child's STDIN stream

StdinWrite($cmd_Pid, "cd \Testfolder" & @CRLF)
StdinWrite($cmd_Pid, "myApps.exe" & @CRLF)
; .... and so on

the hidden dos promt will stay hidden and in standby for your commands till your script will end. In this way you can send commands time by time when you need.

 

Hi chimp, thanks for the response.

The command didn't showed-up. (because of the "@SW_hide" ?), I tried to change it using  @SW_shownormal and @sw_show (just to see what is being written) but the cmd window disappear in  flick of an eye.

Cheers

Edited January 13, 2015 by weszzer

[weszzer]

That's not the AutoIt version, that is the SciTE version number (and it's OLD).

 

whoa! SciTE4AutoIt3 is the main Autoit application

[weszzer]

whoa! SciTE4AutoIt3 is the main Autoit application

 

now downloaded and installed a new one.

SciTE-Lite 

Version 3.4.1

    Jun  1 2014 18:45:52

[weszzer]

H guys, this is my code.

basically the extract.exe will execute the command and the date.

I would like to hide the " Send ("extract.exe -Date ....) displaying on the cmd window

include <date.au3>
Run("cmd.exe")
Sleep(1000)
Send ("{Enter}")
Sleep (1000)
Send ("cd\testfolder\") 
Sleep(1000) 
Send("{Enter}")
Send("Extract.exe -Date " & @YEAR &"/" & @MON & "/" & @MDAY-1) ; command should not be visible at the cmd window
Sleep(2000) 
Send("{Enter}

[SmOke_N]

You've been given solutions.

You've not provided needed information... again, what version of AutoIt are you running.

MsgBox(0, "Version", @AutoItVersion)

 

Run that and tell us the output.

If it's less than 3.3.12.0 then I'd suggest you go here and download the latest AutoIt

https://www.autoitscript.com/site/autoit/downloads/

Then after that, download the latest "full version" of scite for autoit (the script editor).