How to Run cmd.exe with parameters from javascript

May12 picture May12 · Apr 17, 2012 · Viewed 94.3k times · Source

I am trying to write javascript which should run cmd.exe with a specified command line in it like this docs.google.com/file/d/0B7QHCoQDlEvKWUZSX3oxUDI2SDg/edit:

I prepare a code after reading shellexecute method on microsoft site:

var objShell = new ActiveXObject("Shell.Application");
        objShell.ShellExecute("cmd.exe", "C: cd C:\\pr main.exe blablafile.txt auto", "C:\\WINDOWS\\system32", "open", "1");

but it does not insert command line in cmd.exe.

Could anybody help me? Thank you in advance.

Answer

Teemu picture Teemu · Apr 17, 2012

Maybe you don't have this ActiveX-control installed (or registered) in your computer.

WScript.Shell should be found in every Windows:

var run=new ActiveXObject('WSCRIPT.Shell').Run("commands to run");

If there are spaces in commands to run, you need to use double quotes.

Edit

The content below is mainly from MSDN: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/gg537745(v=vs.85).aspx

iRetVal = Shell.ShellExecute(
  sFile,
  [ vArguments ],
  [ vDirectory ],
  [ vOperation ],
  [ vShow ]
)

Let's take [vDirectory]. The documentation says: "The fully qualified path of the directory that contains the file specified by sFile. If this parameter is not specified, the current working directory is used."

This means that you have an invalid path for this argument (having .cmd.exe at the end of it). Also all examples for creating the ActiveX are like this:

var objShell = new ActiveXObject("shell.application");

Notice the lowercase in "shell.application".

And May12, thank's for asking this. I didn't know about this ActiveX control before, it seems to be very useful to me.

EDIT II

But have you understood it? Your example works perfect in my app:

objShell.ShellExecute("cmd.exe", "cd C: C:\\cd c:\\ext_file main.exe test.txt", "C:\\WINDOWS\\system32", "open", 1);

With three exceptions:

1) The one I mentioned early in this answer about the path

2) Escaped \ used also in arguments.

3) The last argument is type of number, not a string.