BATCH Output Everything to Log

[GRitchie]

Hello,

I've written an imaging script (installs software, sets up computer etc.) and I want to log everything out to a text file (C:\STAFF-IMAGE-LOG.log).

How do I get it to output EVERYTHING?

 

I've tried using set log="C:\file.log" and then >> %log%

The issue is, when you add this to a line with @echo at the start, it prevents it from echoing to the CMD window.

 

 

Ideas?

[X-13]

There's a dirty way of doing it...

 

Output everything to the log file, then call the log file to console.

 

So, for example:

 

ping localhost > log.log

copy log.log con

 

There's a delay on the information, but it works. [To a certain degree... I know there's ways to break it.]

[GRitchie]

Hm, but would that log results of commands and things?

Where it's wanting user input

 

The script has sections where it records variables and does different things according to those etc.

[X-13]

Hm, but would that log results of commands and things?

 

Yup, you're redirecting the output of the command to a file.

 

Where it's wanting user input

 

The script has sections where it records variables and does different things according to those etc.

 

...that's one of the ways to break it. You can't input anything, because it's output to a logfile.

 

 

If you can get your head 'round this [which I'm struggling to], it could be useful. But it'd be a mess of code.

[GRitchie]

Oh. Bugger.

Is there any other ways? Haha!

[X-13]

Oh. Bugger.

Is there any other ways? Haha!

 

It depends, what exactly do you want/need it to do?

[GRitchie]

I just need it to output everything it does so that the one day it errors I can look through the log to see why.

It echoes things to the user, it asks for user input (me/technicians) for example 'Laptop/Desktop?' and then it will or won't run 'netsh add profile'

 

But if I just output the actual commands that do something it just says 'Command completed successfully' which obviously is neither use nor ornament...!

If I then >> %LOG% the @echo lines, it doesn't then display them in the CMD window, which is stupid!

 

I can't really create two versions of every echo just to show in the log as well, as my script would be a right mess...

[X-13]

I just need it to output everything it does so that the one day it errors I can look through the log to see why.

It echoes things to the user, it asks for user input (me/technicians) for example 'Laptop/Desktop?' and then it will or won't run 'netsh add profile'

 

But if I just output the actual commands that do something it just says 'Command completed successfully' which obviously is neither use nor ornament...!

If I then >> %LOG% the @echo lines, it doesn't then display them in the CMD window, which is stupid!

 

I can't really create two versions of every echo just to show in the log as well, as my script would be a right mess...

 

Leave the echo and input requests visible, output the commands.

 

For the things that just output "command completed", redirect a custom echo saying what it is as well.

 

 

From the sounds of it, you don't need the echos in the logfile any way.

[GRitchie]

For the things that just output "command completed", redirect a custom echo saying what it is as well.

 

How do I do that? Without writing another line saying (for eg): @ ECHO Installing NET Framework >> %LOG%

[Steve21]

Unless you need to it show on screen there's a much easier way. Just use 2 BAT files and you can steal the output from the entire bat file.

 

Example:

 

BAT1:
 @echo off

set /p Var1=ENTER STUFF NOW MORTAL: 

test2 %Var1% > test123.txt


echo.
pause

 

BAT2:
 @echo off


echo %1
ping %1

 

Output:

ITS-001

Pinging its-001.DOM.sch.uk [fe80::d97b:ac89:51d3:99ff%3] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from fe80::d97b:ac89:51d3:99ff%3: time<1ms 
Reply from fe80::d97b:ac89:51d3:99ff%3: time<1ms 
Reply from fe80::d97b:ac89:51d3:99ff%3: time<1ms 
Reply from fe80::d97b:ac89:51d3:99ff%3: time<1ms 

Ping statistics for fe80::d97b:ac89:51d3:99ff%3:
   Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
   Minimum = 0ms, Maximum = 0ms, Average = 0ms

 

Would that work or did you need it show output on console?

 

Steve

Edited December 10, 2015 by Steve21

[GRitchie]

I need it to output to the console as well unfortunately

[Steve21]

I need it to output to the console as well unfortunately

 

Only way I've seen to do that for "all output" is by doing the outputs twice.

 

e.g. Save command output to variable, then write once to log and once to console.

 

Obviously anything with a direct > or >> redirects the entire stream so you wouldn't see it.

 

Problem is depending on the outcome of each command/program you'd need a different process to read it into a variable.

 

Depending on how big the file etc is :s What's your script like size wise?

 

Steve

[GRitchie]

The batch script in file size is 5KB (it does call other scripts however).

The number of lines is 158 (currently)

 

EDIT: The scripts called total to 26KB

Edited December 10, 2015 by GRitchie

[Steve21]

The batch script in file size is 5KB (it does call other scripts however).

The number of lines is 158 (currently)

 

Not so many lines then, one way to do it but it's not exactly pretty is doing temporary files and re-reading them.

 

Example: echo blah > test.txt

set /p Var=

 

And then effectively you got a log per command. But you could merge them all at the end

 

Steve

[GRitchie]

But when I do

@ Echo text > output.log

won't that stop it from outputting to the console?

[Steve21]

But when I do

@ Echo text > output.log

won't that stop it from outputting to the console?

 

Yes but then you're reading it back in from the file - set /p Var=

 

Example

 

echo BLAH > test.txt

s /p Var=

echo %Var%

BLAH

 

etc if that makes sense?

 

Steve

[GRitchie]

Oh I see, but for what that's worth I may as well have two lines of every echo. One with >> %LOG% and one without?

Haha!

[Steve21]

Oh I see, but for what that's worth I may as well have two lines of every echo. One with >> %LOG% and one without?

Haha!

 

Yes but then you'd run each command twice. So if you're running for example Install.NET you'd run it once and it'll work (example) and log that, then re-run it and it'd fail and show that on console

 

Steve

[GRitchie]

Oh, I see... Yeah...

Hm, why doesn't it just have a function to write everything to a log... Just seems like such a simple feature?

[Steve21]

Oh, I see... Yeah...

Hm, why doesn't it just have a function to write everything to a log... Just seems like such a simple feature?

 

There is, but not at the same time as the Output don't think any language has that really.

 

Either you're putting the output to X or Y

 

Not really sure the overall purpose of both either, as if you're sitting at the computer while it's running to see the console then you don't need a log, and if you're logging it without being there you don't need the console?

 

Steve

[GRitchie]

Touché, but what about when you're watching it and it errors, but then closes quickly. You've seen it error, you know when, but you don't know why...

[Steve21]

Any reason you don't use Error codes etc or the magic "Pause"

 

Steve

[GRitchie]

It's not worth the time for error codes haha!

And if I were to put a pause in, I'd need a 'IF ERROR' on every line wouldn't I?

 

Or can I sit the entire thing in an if error loop?

[Steve21]

The bit I don't get, and maybe I'm still missing the obvious here.

 

Is if you just want to see when it errors and what caused it, while can't you read the log file still and just not output anything to the console?

 

As if it's closing instantly at the end in your script currently you wouldn't see any errors on screen anyway?

 

But you should be able to use if not ERRORLEVEL 0 pause but then what's the point of the log file?

 

Steve

[GRitchie]

Shall I PM you the script and see what you make of it?

Might be able to understand what I'm meaning at times!