creating a shortcut for a exe from a batch file

Question

how to create a shortcut for a exe from a batch file.

i tried

call link.bat "c:\program Files\App1\program1.exe" "C:\Documents and Settings\%USERNAME%\Desktop" "C:\Documents and Settings\%USERNAME%\Start Menu\Programs" "Program1 shortcut" 

but it did not worked.

link.bat can be found at http://www.robvanderwoude.com/amb_shortcuts.html

Answer 1

Your link points to a Windows 95/98 version and I guess you have at least Windows 2000 or XP. You should try the NT version here.

Alternatively use a little VBScript that you can call from the command line:

set objWSHShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell") set objFso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")  ' command line arguments ' TODO: error checking sShortcut = objWSHShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings(WScript.Arguments.Item(0)) sTargetPath = objWSHShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings(WScript.Arguments.Item(1)) sWorkingDirectory = objFso.GetAbsolutePathName(sShortcut)  set objSC = objWSHShell.CreateShortcut(sShortcut)   objSC.TargetPath = sTargetPath objSC.WorkingDirectory = sWorkingDirectory  objSC.Save 

Save the file as createLink.vbs and call it like this to get what you originally tried:

cscript createLink.vbs "C:\Documents and Settings\%USERNAME%\Desktop\Program1 shortcut.lnk" "c:\program Files\App1\program1.exe"  cscript createLink.vbs "C:\Documents and Settings\%USERNAME%\Start Menu\Programs\Program1 shortcut.lnk" "c:\program Files\App1\program1.exe"  

That said I urge you not to use hardcoded paths like "Start Menu" since they're different in localized versions of windows. Modify the script instead to use special folders.