Simple Shell Commands

[cogent]

Hello

Quick help, please.

In the following command:

Shell "command.com /c" & _
"copy c:\dest.txt+c:\source.txt c:\dest.txt /b"

what does the Shell "command.com /c" accomplish?

I am running shell commands that I want to make sure are executed with the
active path at the prompt so that the commands behind it are able to be
effected on a RELATIVE basis. How?

Like this:?

Shell "command.com " activeworkbook.path & _
"copy c:\dest.txt+c:\source.txt c:\dest.txt /b"

The macro is run in a thumb drive where the drive number may vary, but the
shell commands must be executed in the directory on the thumb drive.

Please help.

W

 

[cogent]

Hello

Thank you for your comments.

Really all I wanted to do was to change to the directory of the active
workbook. This should work:

Shell "CD /D" & activeworkbook.path

but it does not. What am I doing wrong?

W

Unles you are doing this exclusively on a Win 95/98/Me equipped machine,

you should not use the Command.com command processor. In fact, the best
thing would be to use the system defined %COMSPEC% environment variable to
locate the command processor in all casses. It keeps things neat and tidy,
regardless of the OS version in use.

More specifically, I believe you need a statement like this ...

Shell "%comspec% /c CD" & activeworkbook.path & _
" | copy dest.txt+source.txt dest.txt /b"

This runs the statement ...

CD activeworkbook_path | copy dest.txt+source.txt dest.txt /b

as it would from the command prompt. Note that relative addressing

requires the removal of the absolute drive pathspecs from all of the file
names in the COPY statement.

 

[Tom Ogilvy]

chdrive ActiveWorkbook.path
Chdir Activeworkbook.Path

 

[cogent]

Hello Tom

The following continues to give me "file not found"

shell "chdrive " & ActiveWorkbook.path
shell "Chdir " & Activeworkbook.Path

This is really stumping me (it just shouldn't be this hard). Maybe I am
tired but... what is my problem?

 

[cogent]

Yes I think that is clear. My early questions were based upon naivete.
Thank you.

W

Your misinterpreting Mr. Ogilvy's suggestions. They (ChDir and ChDrive)

are internal of the Excel VBA methods and thus do not require the Shell. To
do that in a command shell requires the command processor, I discussed
earlier. However, changing them in the command shell does NOT cause the
referenced folder to change in the parent Excel environment. To do that you
must issue the statements per Mr. Ogilvy's post (without any reference to
the Shell method).