BATCH Scripting language commands and explanations, syntax, as well as examples and uses!

0.0 Introductions
0.1 Introducing: BATCH Scripting
0.2 Prerequisites for BATCH
0.3 How this document is annotated

1.0 Simple stuff
1.1 Displaying text
1.2 Reading a file
1.3 Writing to a file
1.4 Screen functions
1.5 Pausing execution
1.6 Slowing execution
1.7 Making random numbers

2.0 Advanced stuff
2.1 IF THEN statements
2.2 SET statements
2.3 Displaying variables
2.4 Using variables
2.5 Encoding and decoding files
2.6 Label statements
2.7 GOTO statements
2.8 Detecting key presses
2.9 Looping programs

3.0 Professional stuff
3.1 Selective randomization
3.2 CALL statements
3.3 Pinging internet locations
3.4 Opening applications

4.0 Examples
4.1 Simple examples
4.2 Advanced examples
4.3 Professional examples

5.0 Legal stuff
5.1 Copyright
5.2 Legal rights
5.3 Document information

Section 0.0 - Introductions

Part 0.1 - Introducing: BATCH Scripting
So you want to learn how to BATCH like a pro, huh? Well, don't worry, that can be arranged easily! If you follow the instructions in this document,
you will see just how easy it really is to learn and begin to use BATCH Scripts! First off, BATCH is what is called a Scripting language or a Shell
language because of it's limitations and simplicity as compared to other languages such as BASIC, FORTRAN, or any of the C languages. Why should you
learn BATCH? Because of a few simple reasons:
	-Small files compared to Java or any C language
	-Much easier to learn to program professionally
	-Simple commands that can do many things at once
	-Performance is not affected much by sloppy or non-linear programming
	-And to top it all off, a massive user base and no extra required installs!

Part 0.2 - Prerequisites for BATCH
Well, this IS batch we're talking about here, so there aren't really that many requirements, really just any Windows computer made in 2003 or later
should be just fine, but some things require Windows 7 or later, others only require Windows 2000, and so forth. Sections that have special
requirements will have an annotation explaining what you need and why. The only real suggestion I can give for requirements is probably something
like the following, though there are certainly a lot of exceptions:
	-Intel Pentium 4 1.8GHz or faster
	-256MB or more RAM
	-2GB of free uncompressed hard disk space
	-Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 2 or later
	-Any speed internet connection
You may also want to acquire the famous Notepad++, and set it to BATCH language mode, as it really does help out quite a lot when you need to find
mistakes in your programs, as it helps by highlighting commands and stuff with colours and highlighters to allow you to see the words easier.

Part 0.3 - How this document is annotated
This document will (hopefully) be more organized than the TextEngine 0.1 to 1.4 README.TXT files were written, so I'll be sure to add plenty of
annotation types in so you can tell exactly what you're doing when and where. Annotations are explained below:
	-When a section is annotated as +text+, it means that there are some extras you might want, and explains why you might want them.
	-When a section is annotated as (text), it means that you should insert some text here without the parentheses, obviously.
	-When a section is annotated as [text], it means that you should insert a variable here, without brackets.
	-When a section is annotated as {text}, it means that you should insert another command here, without brackets.
	-When a section is annotated as <text>, it means that I have made a mistake in my typing, as per usual operation.

Section 1.0 - Simple stuff

IMPORTANT! You MUST put @ECHO OFF then ECHO OFF at the beginning of every BATCH script otherwise you will get a broken terminal!
ECHO. May be used to invoke a line break, and MUST be used both BEFORE AND AFTER displaying the contents of a document on screen!
EXIT must be used at the END OF A PROGRAM OR WHEN EXITING A PROGRAM ONLY!

Part 1.1 - Displaying text
Displaying text in BATCH can be done in one of two ways - direct or variable. When using variable, you display the value of a selected variable, and
when using direct, you display the exact typed text. Here are some examples of each:
	-ECHO (write something to display here)
	-ECHO %[put your variable here]%
	-ECHO (write something to display here)%[put your variable here]*

Part 1.2 - Reading a file
Reading files in BATCH is done using the TYPE command, and it displays the ASCII contents of any file. Here is an example:
	-TYPE C:\Windows\WIN.INI
Which displays the contents of a file on drive C in the folder Windows called WIN.INI.
	You can also use variables in these commands, as shown here:
	-TYPE C:\TE_RA\%GAME%\%TYPE%.MON
This displays the contents of the file on disk C in a folder called TE_RA, then another folder with the same name as the %GAME% variable, and then a
file with the same name as %TYPE% with .MON added to the end.

Part 1.3 - Writing to a file
Writing to a file in BATCH is extremely easy as compared to most other programming languages using complex commands to achieve what can be done simply
in one line of code in BATCH. Here is an example:
	-ECHO (write something here) >> (put the file directory here)
	-ECHO Hello World! >> C:\HELLO.TXT
This file can then be viewed and edited in much the same way as any other normal text document.

Part 1.4 - Screen functions
This section is mostly a combination of other commands dealing with the terminal window, and allows you to modify the data displayed in it easily.
The first of these commands is COLOR, which changes the colours of the screen accordingly with a 16 colour palette described in hexadecimal to change
the background and foreground colours of the terminal window. Here is the syntax of the COLOR command:
	-COLOR (background colour)(foreground, or text, colour)
	-COLOR %[background variable]%%[text variable]%
As always, the operators for the command can be changed using variables. Here are some more examples:
	-COLOR 0A
	-COLOR 40
	-COLOR %A%%B%
	-COLOR %BG_C%%TX_C%
Here is a table of the colors available for use:
 0 = Black      8 = Gray
 1 = Blue       9 = Electric Blue
 2 = Green      A = Lime green
 3 = Aqua       B = Light Aqua
 4 = Red        C = Light Red
 5 = Purple     D = Light Purple
 6 = Yellow     E = Light Yellow
 7 = White      F = Bright White
Colour tables such as this one are EXTREMELY useful when programming with colours, as they help to assure you that you get it right on the first try.

To clear the terminal window's display area, you just type a simple 3-letter command like:
	-CLS
	-CLEAR
Of course, this command has no operators so you can leave it as is.

Part 1.5 - Pausing Execution
Pausing program execution in BATCH is simple, here is an example:
	-PAUSE
You can also type >NUL after PAUSE to allow for custom text instead of the standard "Press any key to continue...". Here is an example:
	-ECHO Press any key to return to the menu...
	-PAUSE>NUL
These commands are very important when programming in BATCH, as it can help you debug your programs easily by stopping every command.

Part 1.6 - Slowing execution
+Windows 7 or later is REQUIRED for this to work, so bear that in mind!+
Slowing execution in a BATCH program is easy, here's the syntax for that command:
	-TIMEOUT (number of seconds to wait) > NUL
	-TIMEOUT %[number of seconds variable]% > NUL
Here are some real world examples:
	-TIMEOUT 0.5 >NUL
	-TIMEOUT %s% >NUL
This command only works in Windows 7 or later, so keep that in mind when programming with this command.

Part 1.7 - Generating random numbers
Generating random numbers in BATCH uses the SET command with the /A (math) switch to allow a variable to be set to a random value. Here's an example:
	-SET /A RANDOM=%RANDOM%
Doing this will generate a random number from -32767 to 32768. Later on, I will show you how to dictate what numbers actually go through, as there is
no way currently to change what numbers are generated in BATCH.

Section 2.0 - Advanced stuff

Part 2.1 - IF THEN statements
I'll just give the syntax and a few examples for this command, as I would prefer not to explain for hours what it does and how you can use it, and I'm
sure that you don't want to read that either. Here's the syntax:
	-IF %[variable to compare]%==(variable or number to compare to) THEN {commands go here}
	-IF %MENU%==0 THEN GOTO DEBUG
If a number is greater than another:
	-IF /I %[variable to compare]% GTR (variable or number to compare to) THEN {commands to perform}
	-IF /I %CFA% GTR 16384 THEN GOTO MENU
If a number is smaller than another:
	-IF /I %[variable to compare]% LSS (variable or number to compare to) THEN {commands to perform}
	-IF /I %CFA% LSS 2048 THEN GOTO MENU

Part 2.2 - SET statements
Setting variables is easy. Use /A to do math, and /P to take user input:
	-SET /P USER=?=
	-SET /P %[variable to change]%=(text to display to user)
	-SET /A PHP=%PHP%-%MATK%
	-SET /A %[variable to change]%=(math equations or including numbers or variables)

Part 2.3 - Displaying variables
This is done with the ECHO command:
	-ECHO %[variable to display]%
	-ECHO %PHP%
	-ECHO You're HP has dropped to %PHP%!

Part 2.4 - Using variables
I just explained this...

Part 2.5 - Encoding and Decoding files
This is surprisingly easy to do in BATCH! When a file is encoded, this is the syntax:
	-COPY (address of file to be encoded) (address to encode to)
All you need to do in BATCH is change the file name and extension and you have encoded a file enough that normal users will not be able to open them!
When decoding a file use this syntax:
	-COPY (encoded file address) (temporary folder)
Just copy the file to a temporary folder with the original file extension (name does not matter) and delete it when you are done!

Part 2.6 - Label statements
Label statements are done as follows:
	-:(label name)
Label names cannot contain spaces or the following characters:
:, ;, &, %, #, $, @, /, \, >, <, |

Part 2.7 - GOTO statements
GOTO a label. Syntax:
	-GOTO (label name, no colon)

Part 2.8 - Detecting key presses
See Part 2.2 - SET statements.

Part 2.9 - Looping programs
To loop your program or a specific section of it, GOTO the same LABEL at the end of that LABEL section.

Section 3.0 - Professional stuff

Part 3.1 - Selective randomization
Selective randomization in BATCH is actually one of the more difficult things to do, as you constantly have to generate numbers until one goes through.
There are 2 ways to achieve this,and neither really works well in my experience, sometimes they can either be unreliable or in the case of one of
these two methods just plain slow. The first method is to do something like this:
	-:RANDOMIZER
	-SET /A %[variable to randomize]%=%RANDOM%
	-IF /I %[variable again]% GTR (max number +1) GOTO RANDOMIZER
	-IF /I %[variable again]% LSS (min number -1) GOTO RANDOMIZER
	-GOTO (wherever you use this number)

The other of these two methods looks something like this and is longer, but generally is much faster and unreliable in some cases.
	-:RANDOMIZER
	-SET /A %[variable]%=%RANDOM%
	-IF /I %[variable]% LSS 1024 GOTO (code)
	-IF /I %[variable]% LSS 2048 GOTO (more code)
	-IF /I %[variable]% LSS 4096 GOTO (even more code)
	-IF /I %[variable]% LSS 8192 GOTO (wow more code)
	-IF /I %[variable]% LSS 16384 GOTO (darn man how much code you got)
	-IF /I %[variable]% LSS 32768 GOTO (lots of code)
	-GOTO RANDOMIZER
It is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that you put the smallest number first, otherwise the sequence won't work properly and will skip all later code.
Like I said, these are NOT fun to deal with, but they have to be done sometimes and I understand that (I'm FAMICOMASTER from the TextEngine team!) so
I've tried to give you the best examples I could come up with here.

Part 3.2 - CALL statements
CALL statements are as follows and allow you to run another BATCH inside a the current BATCH window, but do not allow you to exit to the previous file.
	-CALL (location of BATCH file)

Part 3.3 - Pinging internet locations
To ping an internet location, do the following:
	-PING (address) (time) (ping size)

Part 3.4 - Opening applications
to open an application, do the following:
	-OPEN (location of application) (location to run from)

Section 4.0 - Examples

Part 4.1 - Simple example
A basic example on using all of the SIMPLE commands we learned earlier:

@ECHO OFF
ECHO OFF
CLS
COLOR 0A
ECHO Hello World!
ECHO Hello World! >> C:\TXT.TXT
ECHO.
TYPE C:\TXT.TXT
ECHO.
ECHO PRESS ANY KEY TO GO ON...
PAUSE>NUL
SET /A RAND=%RANDOM%
ECHO %RAND%
ECHO PRESS ANYTHING TO LEAVE...
PAUSE>NUL
EXIT

Part 4.2 - Advanced example
A more advanced example using all of the ADVANCED commands we learned earlier:

@ECHO OFF
ECHO OFF
CLS
COLOR 40

:LOOP
ECHO 1 2 OR 3?
SET /P USER=?=
IF %USER%==1 GOTO RIGHT
IF %USER%==2 GOTO WRONG
IF %USER%==3 GOTO WRONG
IF %USER%==4 GOTO CHEAT
GOTO LOOP

:WRONG
ECHO YOU GOT IT WRONG TRY AGAIN!
GOTO LOOP

:CHEAT
ECHO YOU CHEATED! TRY AGAIN!
GOTO LOOP

:RIGHT
CLS
ECHO YOU GOT IT RIGHT!
CLS
ECHO YOU GOT IT RIGHt!
CLS
ECHO YOU GOT IT RIGhT!
CLS
ECHO YOU GOT IT RIgHT!
CLS
ECHO YOU GOT IT RiGHT!
CLS
ECHO YOU GOT IT rIGHT!
CLS
ECHO YOU GOT It RIGHT!
CLS
ECHO YOU GOT iT RIGHT!
CLS
ECHO YOU GOt IT RIGHT!
CLS
ECHO YOU GoT IT RIGHT!
CLS
ECHO YOU gOT IT RIGHT!
CLS
ECHO YOu GOT IT RIGHT!
CLS
ECHO YoU GOT IT RIGHT!
CLS
ECHO yOU GOT IT RIGHT!
CLS
GOTO RIGHT
EXIT

Part 4.3 - Professional example
Yeah, I'm not typing this. If you REALLY WANT a professionally made BATCH example program, feel free to snoop around in TextEngine 1.4A when it's out
I'm sure you can figure out what does what.

Section 5.0 - Legal stuff

Part 5.1 - Copyright
BATCH belongs to Microsoft
This document belongs to AiO Systems Design
Example content in this document may be copied and reused whenever and wherever.

Part 5.2 - Legal rights
BATCH belongs to Microsoft, and AiO Systems design CEO FAMICOMASTER created this entire document.

Part 5.3 - Document Information
Document finished: 9/18/2015 4:20PM
Document author: FAMICOMASTER
Document computer: GATEWAY500GR
Document title: BATCH explanations
Document type: TXT ASCII text file
Document program: NotePad++ v6.7.5
Document OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
Document subject: BATCH language command explanations for amateur programmers
Document size: 14734 Bytes (14.4 KB)