Prevent working directory from being printed twice when I run a command from a doskey macro file

Introduction

Using macros in the command prompt can make our lives a lot easier. With a simple command, we can execute complex tasks without having to remember all the details. However, sometimes these macros can cause unexpected behavior, such as the one described in this blog post. In this post, we will explore why the current working directory is printed twice when using a doskey macro file and how to prevent this behavior.

The problem

As shown in the image above, when using a doskey macro file, the current working directory is printed twice in the top terminal. This issue can be confusing, especially when executing multiple commands in a row. The problem seems to be related to the use of the $T parameter in the macro file.

The $T parameter is used to insert the current working directory into the command prompt. When using a doskey macro file, this parameter is expanded twice, causing the current working directory to be printed twice.

The solution

To prevent the current working directory from being printed twice when using a doskey macro file, we need to modify the macro file to remove the $T parameter. Instead, we can use the cd command to change the working directory explicitly.

For example, let’s say we have the following doskey alias in our macro file:

alias1=dir $T

To prevent the current working directory from being printed twice, we can modify the alias to use the cd command instead:

alias1=cd /d %cd% & dir

This modified alias first changes the working directory to the current directory using the cd command and then executes the dir command. By using the /d option, we can change the drive as well as the directory.

Explanation

The reason the current working directory is printed twice when using the $T parameter is that it is expanded twice. When we execute a doskey alias, the command prompt first expands the alias and then expands any parameters in the alias.

For example, let’s say we have the following doskey alias:

alias1=echo $1 $T

When we execute this alias with the parameter “hello”, the command prompt expands it to:

echo hello C:UsersusernameDocuments

In this example, the $T parameter is expanded after the $1 parameter, causing the current working directory to be printed twice.

Conclusion

Using doskey macros can be a powerful tool to simplify command execution in the command prompt. However, unexpected behavior can occur, as we have seen in this blog post. By understanding how doskey aliases are expanded, we can modify our macros to prevent this behavior.

In summary, we have learned that the current working directory is printed twice when using the $T parameter in a doskey macro file. To prevent this behavior, we can modify our macro file to use the cd command to change the working directory explicitly.

It looks like you have a problem with the $T variable in your doskey macro file. The $T variable represents the current working directory, and it appears that it is being printed twice when you run a command from your doskey macro file.

To fix this, you will need to modify the way that you are using the $T variable in your doskey macro file. One possible solution is to use the cd command to change to the desired directory before running the command, like this:

doskey command=cd $T && somecommand

This will change to the current working directory before running the somecommand, which should prevent the working directory from being printed twice.

Alternatively, you could use the %CD% environment variable instead of $T, like this:

doskey command=cd %CD% && somecommand

This should have the same effect as using cd $T, but it may be a bit more reliable since it is using a built-in environment variable rather than a custom variable.

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions or if you need further assistance.

The previous discussion is inaccurate, and using the $T token at the end of a DOSKEY macro is incorrect. The $T token serves as a command separator within a single DOSKEY macro definition, and not as a separator between multiple definitions. A regular line break is sufficient for the latter purpose.

DOSKEY macros function by modifying input before it is sent to the actual program (Cmd). Each $T in the macro becomes a line break or Enter key press in the expanded output. For instance, if you typed “e Hello!“, the macro “e=echo $” would generate “echo Hello!↵“, “e=echo $ $T” would produce “echo Hello! ↵↵“, and “e=echo $* $T echo Bye!” would yield “echo Hello! ↵ echo Bye!↵“.

While creating DOSKEY macros for Cmd, the standard & or && operators can be used as a command separator. However, these operators are not available in other interactive programs, such as Netsh or the MySQL interactive client, which only allow one command per line. Hence, DOSKEY macros require the $T token to send multiple commands at once.