Creating a log file from a batch file (XP Pro SP1)

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Is it possible to create a log file from a batch file? The next question would be an obvious “How?” Basically, I have a batch file that is manually run by a user (the file kills a bunch of tasks). I would like for the results of that file to be logged somehow so I can see what’s going on after the fact (are all of the processes that are being killed actually still running when the batch file is run). I have no idea how to make it log, and my attempts so far have been very sad, indeed.

Becky

Funny – the lounge spell checker doesn’t recognize the word “log” but it’s fine with “logged”

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I don’t know what your batch file is doing, but the usual method of “writing” a file from a batch file is the redirection symbol ( > ). In running a command that normally produces on-screen results, to redirect that output to a file you might use: thecommand > c:somefoldersomefile.txt to write a file of what would normally appear on screen. Am I in your ballpark or not?

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Yes! Thank you!! That gave me almost exactly what I wanted. The only problem is that I would like for the stuff in the batch file to append the log (I have five lines and had to create five log files for this to work). Not a huge problem, but if there’s an easy answer, I’d love to hear it. Here’s basically what my batch file does:

taskkill /f /im outlook.exe
taskkill /f /im winword.exe

There are more processes that it will kill, but that’s the basic idea (this is to troubleshoot an issue with our Document Management System – it’s not closing down everything the way it should, so we’re trying to make sure it does).

Thanks,
Becky

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Use >> instead of >. For example:

ECHO Put this at the end of the file>>MYLOG.LOG

Will add the text to the end of the file.

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Absolutely fabulous. The tech support guy I was talking to said that it was not possible to log the results of a batch file to a log file. I KNEW it could be done (I’ve seen it before), but I’ve never had to do it myself.

Thanks so much to both of you!!
Becky

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Becky (oops! edited to give correct person!)

Sack your Tech Support guy and get me to do your BATch files!

John

(I’ll need a job in October!)

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Thanks, but I WOULD be the tech support person who writes the BATch files. No stealing my job!! My boss, the sys admin, has delegated that job to me. Now that I’ve been writing them, I know at least as much as he does (at least about BATch files, anyway). Since I’ve never had any formal training on BATch files (or any programming type thing, for that matter), I have to learn what I need either by Googling or by asking questions here.

Thanks anyway!

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Becky

Shall I say a little bit more about BATch files?

There are two console output “streams”, one for ‘normal’ messages (STDOUT, stream 1) and one for ‘error’ messages (STDERR, stream 2), although it’s up to the programmer which s/he uses for what messages.

You can direct the two streams to different files (either the output of a single command, or of the entire BATch file), as in

MYBATCH 1>>STDOUT.LOG 2>>STDERR.LOG

or to the same file (this syntax is correct, but by no means obvious)

MYBATCH 1>>STDBOTH.TXT 2>>&1

In both cases you could leave out the ‘1’ in front of the ‘>>’, and would usually do so except to make the redirection more obvious. Also, it would probably work (in this instance) if you replaced the ‘>>’ by a single ‘>’. It’s not common to direct all the output from a BATch file to a log file, but it’s occasionally useful. More usually you want to collect the console output (if any) from one or more programs, so you would use something like

PROGRAM1 > OURLOG.TXT

to create a new log file, and

PROGRAM2 >> OURLOG.TXT

to add any console output from the second program to the same file. Note that I have left out the ‘1’ and am letting any error messages written to STDERR to just appear on the screen.

Hope that’s not too unintelligible?

John

PS Invoice follows!!

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Not unintelligible. Just a smidge over my head. I may be able to make some sense of it if I play around with a few batch files for a bit. You still can’t have my job, though!

Thanks!
Becky

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Grrrh!

John

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Grrrh!

John

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Not unintelligible. Just a smidge over my head. I may be able to make some sense of it if I play around with a few batch files for a bit. You still can’t have my job, though!

Thanks!
Becky

Reply | Quote

Becky

Shall I say a little bit more about BATch files?

There are two console output “streams”, one for ‘normal’ messages (STDOUT, stream 1) and one for ‘error’ messages (STDERR, stream 2), although it’s up to the programmer which s/he uses for what messages.

You can direct the two streams to different files (either the output of a single command, or of the entire BATch file), as in

MYBATCH 1>>STDOUT.LOG 2>>STDERR.LOG

or to the same file (this syntax is correct, but by no means obvious)

MYBATCH 1>>STDBOTH.TXT 2>>&1

In both cases you could leave out the ‘1’ in front of the ‘>>’, and would usually do so except to make the redirection more obvious. Also, it would probably work (in this instance) if you replaced the ‘>>’ by a single ‘>’. It’s not common to direct all the output from a BATch file to a log file, but it’s occasionally useful. More usually you want to collect the console output (if any) from one or more programs, so you would use something like

PROGRAM1 > OURLOG.TXT

to create a new log file, and

PROGRAM2 >> OURLOG.TXT

to add any console output from the second program to the same file. Note that I have left out the ‘1’ and am letting any error messages written to STDERR to just appear on the screen.

Hope that’s not too unintelligible?

John

PS Invoice follows!!

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Thanks, but I WOULD be the tech support person who writes the BATch files. No stealing my job!! My boss, the sys admin, has delegated that job to me. Now that I’ve been writing them, I know at least as much as he does (at least about BATch files, anyway). Since I’ve never had any formal training on BATch files (or any programming type thing, for that matter), I have to learn what I need either by Googling or by asking questions here.

Thanks anyway!

Reply | Quote

Becky (oops! edited to give correct person!)

Sack your Tech Support guy and get me to do your BATch files!

John

(I’ll need a job in October!)

Reply | Quote

Absolutely fabulous. The tech support guy I was talking to said that it was not possible to log the results of a batch file to a log file. I KNEW it could be done (I’ve seen it before), but I’ve never had to do it myself.

Thanks so much to both of you!!
Becky

Reply | Quote

Use >> instead of >. For example:

ECHO Put this at the end of the file>>MYLOG.LOG

Will add the text to the end of the file.

Reply | Quote

Yes! Thank you!! That gave me almost exactly what I wanted. The only problem is that I would like for the stuff in the batch file to append the log (I have five lines and had to create five log files for this to work). Not a huge problem, but if there’s an easy answer, I’d love to hear it. Here’s basically what my batch file does:

taskkill /f /im outlook.exe
taskkill /f /im winword.exe

There are more processes that it will kill, but that’s the basic idea (this is to troubleshoot an issue with our Document Management System – it’s not closing down everything the way it should, so we’re trying to make sure it does).

Thanks,
Becky

Reply | Quote

I don’t know what your batch file is doing, but the usual method of “writing” a file from a batch file is the redirection symbol ( > ). In running a command that normally produces on-screen results, to redirect that output to a file you might use: thecommand > c:somefoldersomefile.txt to write a file of what would normally appear on screen. Am I in your ballpark or not?

Reply | Quote