Executing Batch File in C#

Question

This should work. You could try to dump out the contents of the output and error streams in order to find out what's happening:

static void ExecuteCommand(string command)
{
    int exitCode;
    ProcessStartInfo processInfo;
    Process process;

    processInfo = new ProcessStartInfo("cmd.exe", "/c " + command);
    processInfo.CreateNoWindow = true;
    processInfo.UseShellExecute = false;
    // *** Redirect the output ***
    processInfo.RedirectStandardError = true;
    processInfo.RedirectStandardOutput = true;

    process = Process.Start(processInfo);
    process.WaitForExit();

    // *** Read the streams ***
    // Warning: This approach can lead to deadlocks, see Edit #2
    string output = process.StandardOutput.ReadToEnd();
    string error = process.StandardError.ReadToEnd();

    exitCode = process.ExitCode;

    Console.WriteLine("output>>" + (String.IsNullOrEmpty(output) ? "(none)" : output));
    Console.WriteLine("error>>" + (String.IsNullOrEmpty(error) ? "(none)" : error));
    Console.WriteLine("ExitCode: " + exitCode.ToString(), "ExecuteCommand");
    process.Close();
}

static void Main()
{
    ExecuteCommand("echo testing");
}   

* EDIT *

Given the extra information in your comment below, I was able to recreate the problem. There seems to be some security setting that results in this behaviour (haven't investigated that in detail).

This does work if the batch file is not located in C:\Windows\System32. Try moving it to some other location, e.g. the location of your executable. Note that keeping custom batch files or executables in the Windows directory is bad practice anyway.

* EDIT 2 * It turns out that if the streams are read synchronously, a deadlock can occur, either by reading synchronously before WaitForExit or by reading both stderr and stdout synchronously one after the other.

This should not happen if using the asynchronous read methods instead, as in the following example:

static void ExecuteCommand(string command)
{
    var processInfo = new ProcessStartInfo("cmd.exe", "/c " + command);
    processInfo.CreateNoWindow = true;
    processInfo.UseShellExecute = false;
    processInfo.RedirectStandardError = true;
    processInfo.RedirectStandardOutput = true;

    var process = Process.Start(processInfo);

    process.OutputDataReceived += (object sender, DataReceivedEventArgs e) =>
        Console.WriteLine("output>>" + e.Data);
    process.BeginOutputReadLine();

    process.ErrorDataReceived += (object sender, DataReceivedEventArgs e) =>
        Console.WriteLine("error>>" + e.Data);
    process.BeginErrorReadLine();

    process.WaitForExit();

    Console.WriteLine("ExitCode: {0}", process.ExitCode);
    process.Close();
}

System.Diagnostics.Process.Start("c:\\batchfilename.bat");

this simple line will execute the batch file.

After some great help from steinar this is what worked for me:

public void ExecuteCommand(string command)
{
    int ExitCode;
    ProcessStartInfo ProcessInfo;
    Process process;

    ProcessInfo = new ProcessStartInfo(Application.StartupPath + "\\txtmanipulator\\txtmanipulator.bat", command);
    ProcessInfo.CreateNoWindow = true;
    ProcessInfo.UseShellExecute = false;
    ProcessInfo.WorkingDirectory = Application.StartupPath + "\\txtmanipulator";
    // *** Redirect the output ***
    ProcessInfo.RedirectStandardError = true;
    ProcessInfo.RedirectStandardOutput = true;

    process = Process.Start(ProcessInfo);
    process.WaitForExit();

    // *** Read the streams ***
    string output = process.StandardOutput.ReadToEnd();
    string error = process.StandardError.ReadToEnd();

    ExitCode = process.ExitCode;

    MessageBox.Show("output>>" + (String.IsNullOrEmpty(output) ? "(none)" : output));
    MessageBox.Show("error>>" + (String.IsNullOrEmpty(error) ? "(none)" : error));
    MessageBox.Show("ExitCode: " + ExitCode.ToString(), "ExecuteCommand");
    process.Close();
}

It works fine. I tested it like this:

String command = @"C:\Doit.bat";

ProcessInfo = new ProcessStartInfo("cmd.exe", "/c " + command);
// ProcessInfo.CreateNoWindow = true;

I commented out turning off the window so I could SEE it run.

Here is sample c# code that are sending 2 parameters to a bat/cmd file for answer this question.

Comment: how can I pass parameters and read a result of command execution?

/by @Janatbek Sharsheyev

Option 1 : Without hiding the console window, passing arguments and without getting the outputs

• This is an edit from this answer /by @Brian Rasmussen

  ---

using System;
using System.Diagnostics;


namespace ConsoleApplication
{
    class Program
    { 
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
         System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(@"c:\batchfilename.bat", "\"1st\" \"2nd\"");
        }
    }
}

---

Option 2 : Hiding the console window, passing arguments and taking outputs

---

using System;
using System.Diagnostics;

namespace ConsoleApplication
{
    class Program
    { 
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
         var process = new Process();
         var startinfo = new ProcessStartInfo(@"c:\batchfilename.bat", "\"1st_arg\" \"2nd_arg\" \"3rd_arg\"");
         startinfo.RedirectStandardOutput = true;
         startinfo.UseShellExecute = false;
         process.StartInfo = startinfo;
         process.OutputDataReceived += (sender, argsx) => Console.WriteLine(argsx.Data); // do whatever processing you need to do in this handler
         process.Start();
         process.BeginOutputReadLine();
         process.WaitForExit();
        }
    }
}

---

Below code worked fine for me

using System.Diagnostics;

public void ExecuteBatFile()
{
    Process proc = null;

    string _batDir = string.Format(@"C:\");
    proc = new Process();
    proc.StartInfo.WorkingDirectory = _batDir;
    proc.StartInfo.FileName = "myfile.bat";
    proc.StartInfo.CreateNoWindow = false;
    proc.Start();
    proc.WaitForExit();
    ExitCode = proc.ExitCode;
    proc.Close();
    MessageBox.Show("Bat file executed...");
}

using System.Diagnostics;

private void ExecuteBatFile()
{
    Process proc = null;
    try
    {
        string targetDir = string.Format(@"D:\mydir");   //this is where mybatch.bat lies
        proc = new Process();
        proc.StartInfo.WorkingDirectory = targetDir;
        proc.StartInfo.FileName = "lorenzo.bat";
        proc.StartInfo.Arguments = string.Format("10");  //this is argument
        proc.StartInfo.CreateNoWindow = false;
        proc.StartInfo.WindowStyle = ProcessWindowStyle.Hidden;  //this is for hiding the cmd window...so execution will happen in back ground.
        proc.Start();
        proc.WaitForExit();
    }
    catch (Exception ex)
    {
        Console.WriteLine("Exception Occurred :{0},{1}", ex.Message, ex.StackTrace.ToString());
    }
}