How to change directory with BAT file?

Question

I would expect the below code to open up in the C:\Users\zjafri\Desktop\Arthur\Runner2 directory when running this bat file, but instead it opens up to my desktop directory.

Does somebody have an idea why?

%windir%\system32\cmd.exe "/K" C:\ProgramData\Anaconda3\Scripts\activate.bat C:\ProgramData\Anaconda3
CD C:\Users\zjafri\Desktop\Arthur\Runner2

The console output is:

C:\Users\zjafri\Desktop>C:\windows\system32\cmd.exe "/K" C:\ProgramData\Anaconda3\Scripts\activate.bat C:\ProgramData\Anaconda3

(base) C:\Users\zjafri\Desktop>

Answer 1

The used command lines are wrong for the wanted behavior which is activating the Anaconda environment with making a specific directory the current directory and keep the command process running for entering manually more commands to execute.

A batch file is a script. A script needs a script interpreter executable. The interpreter for Windows batch files is the Windows Command Processor cmd.exe which is with fully qualified file name %SystemRoot%\System32\cmd.exe or %ComSpec%. SystemRoot and ComSpec are two predefined Windows Environment Variables.

The Windows Command Processor halts the processing of a batch file on starting an executable until the started executable terminated itself.

What does happen on cmd.exe instance processing the batch file executes the following command line?

%windir%\system32\cmd.exe "/K" C:\ProgramData\Anaconda3\Scripts\activate.bat C:\ProgramData\Anaconda3

Windows command processor starts one more command process to process the other batch file and keeps running after batch file execution finished because of option /K enclosed uselessly in double quotes. So the started second instance of cmd.exe does not terminate itself. For that reason the first instance of cmd.exe waits and waits and waits for termination of second instance of cmd.exe before it continues processing the batch file with reading the next command line.

Therefore the command line CD C:\Users\zjafri\Desktop\Arthur\Runner2 is executed by first command process only when the user typed exit in second command process to terminate second cmd.exe instance.

One solution would be the usage of following command lines in a batch file:

call "C:\ProgramData\Anaconda3\Scripts\activate.bat" "C:\ProgramData\Anaconda3"
cd /D "%UserProfile%\Desktop\Arthur\Runner2"

This batch file results in executing the batch file activate.bat, next is executed command CD and then the processing of batch file is finished.

What happens next depends on how the batch file was started. If just a double click was made on the batch file, Windows called cmd.exe with using implicit option /C to execute the batch file and then close the command process. So on double clicking the batch file, a console window opens, the two command lines are executed and the console window closes as cmd.exe terminates itself.

But if the user opened a command prompt which means starting cmd.exe with using implicit the option /K, and executes the batch file from within the command prompt window by typing its full qualified file name without or with the completion help by hitting one or more times TAB after entering just a few characters of a folder/file name, and hits RETURN or ENTER to execute the batch file, the command prompt window remains opened and Anaconda environment is activated with directory %UserProfile%\Desktop\Arthur\Runner2 being the current directory.

Well, first opening a command prompt window and manually running the batch file with full path is not really handy. The batch file could be stored with a short file name in one of the folders of which path is present in value of environment variable PATH like the Windows directory. This would make it possible to open a command prompt, type just the file name of the batch file and hit key RETURN or ENTER to execute it.

Another handy solution would be creating on user's desktop a shortcut file (*.lnk) with file name Anaconda3 on which in properties of the shortcut is configured:

Target: %SystemRoot%\System32\cmd.exe /D /K C:\ProgramData\Anaconda3\Scripts\activate.bat C:\ProgramData\Anaconda3
Start in: C:\Users\zjafri\Desktop\Arthur\Runner2
Comment: Opens a command prompt and activates Anaconda3 in Runner2

There are multiple advantages on using a shortcut file. A shortcut key can be defined to start Windows command processor and execute the batch file to activate Anaconda environment independent on which application has currently the input focus and if the desktop is behind an application window or in front of all other windows. On the tabs Options, Font, Layout, Colors of the shortcut properties the options and the look can be defined which should be used on using Anaconda like using a console window with more lines/columns and with a larger font as by default.

Although the usage of a shortcut file would be definitely the best solution for this use case, it is also possible to run a batch file with a double click to open a command prompt window to execute the batch file to activate Anaconda environment and keep the command process running with current directory set to wanted directory.

Such a batch file would require just one command line:

@start "Anaconda3" /D"%UserProfile%\Desktop\Arthur\Runner2" %ComSpec% /D /K C:\ProgramData\Anaconda3\Scripts\activate.bat C:\ProgramData\Anaconda3

In this case cmd.exe processing the batch file with this command line starts a new command process with option /K to keep the command process running after execution of the batch file by started cmd.exe with Anaconda3 as title for the new console window and with setting before starting cmd.exe the directory CD C:\Users\zjafri\Desktop\Arthur\Runner2 as current directory. cmd.exe does not wait for termination of the started second cmd.exe in this case and so the cmd.exe instance processing the batch file with this single command line terminates immediately.

The disadvantage of this batch file solution is that the user has no possibility to configure the options, font, layout, colors of the command process which keeps running after activating the Anaconda environment.

To understand the commands used and how they work, open a command prompt window, execute there the following commands, and read the displayed help pages for each command, entirely and carefully.

• call /?
• cd /?
• cmd /?
• start /?

PS: I have installed neither Anaconda nor read its documentation. So I don't know what happens on execution of C:\ProgramData\Anaconda3\Scripts\activate.bat C:\ProgramData\Anaconda3 and what is the current directory after execution of this batch file. If the batch file is good coded and the argument C:\ProgramData\Anaconda3 does not mean to change the current directory to this directory, then everything should work as written above. Otherwise the provided solutions need to be adapted depending on what activate.bat changes on environment, i.e. when it changes the current directory.

Answer 2

perform the cd command prior to the cmd command (concatenated) and wrap it all in a code block.

(CD C:\Users\zjafri\Desktop\Arthur\Runner2 & cmd.exe /K C:\ProgramData\Anaconda3\Scripts\activate.bat C:\ProgramData\Anaconda3)