Run a batch (.BAT) file in PowerShell

Back in my windows 3.1 days I wrote two simple batch files "cc.bat" and "xx.bat" and I've been using them since. I have always placed them in in the Windows Path.

cc.bat will take me to the C: Drive, take me to the root and clear the screen.

@echo off
c:
cd\
cls

xx.bat just closes the DOS Window (at the time just wanted to save two key strokes, I was lame...).

@echo off
exit

Today I tried them in PowerShell and the first only cleared the screen and the second did nothing?

I do know how to execute them but I just want to type "cc" and have them run.

Do I need to add something like "cmd.exe -/c" or "Start-Process" inside the script or is there a simple way like in DOS???

Thanks in advance

You can use a symlink to the bat file (e.g. your bat files somewhere and the symlinks at $HOME/bin/cc)

Then you wouldn't have to specify the filetype, just use cc instead of cc.bat.

There are various ways you could do this. If it were me, this is how I would do it...it's not "simple", but it's my preferred way of adding custom functions to my terminal:

cc.bat - change directory to C:\ then clear the screen

PowerShell equivalent as a function:

<# Creates a new function named Set-LocationThenClear
   Takes one parameter named 'Path' which is defaulted to 'C:\' #>
function Set-LocationThenClear {
    param(
        [Parameter(Position=0)]
        [string]$Path = 'C:\'
    )
    Set-Location -Path $Path
    Clear-Host
}

New-Alias -Name 'cc' -Value 'Set-LocationThenClear'

Here I've created a function in PowerShell that does what you want, but it can also take any path you want as well.

Usage:

# Long way:
PS> Set-LocationThenClear -Path 'F:\'

# Using defaults:
PS> Set-LocationThenClear

# Using alias:
PS> cc 'F:\' # and since `-Path` has "Position=0", we don't need to name it

# Using alias and default:
PS> cc

xx.bat - exit / close the terminal

Powershell is kinda weird with exit because it's just a reserved word that has an action. It's not a cmdlet, or a function or a exe file, it's just built into powershell. So for some reason, they don't let you create an alias against it.

So following the same steps as above, I might do something like:

function Exit-Terminal {
    exit
}

New-Alias -Name 'xx' -Value 'Exit-Terminal'

Usage:

# Long way
PS> Exit-Terminal

# Using alias
PS> xx

Note: The reason why I first create a function with a long name and then create an alias rather than just naming the function cc or xx directly is because that's just best practice for naming functions in PowerShell. It's suggested that you name functions with a Verb-Noun format.

They even have a list of suggested verbs to use with meanings: Get-Verb.

The most important part here is that these are just functions, they don't live anywhere yet. If you paste these into powershell, you'll be able to use them within that session. But you couldn't use them in other sessions, and they would go away as soon as you close the window.

To make them persistent, I put them in my PowerShell profile. Which you can access by typing in:

PS> notepad.exe $PROFILE

If it doesn't exist, then you can use New-Item $PROFILE, if it already exists you'll just get an error.

Anything you put in this file will be run every single time you open a powershell terminal (Windows PowerShell and PowerShell use different profile files, so keep that in mind as well).