I will start by saying that I am very inexperienced with Batch, and therefore am reliant on chatGPT to figure out some syntax, but it seems that chatGPT cannot solve the problem I’m having.

As I am attempting to follow a textbook on C++, there are example programs. I wish to run these programs, but I constantly need to compile. Visual Studio doesn’t provide an easy way to compile a program on a whim like you might with Eclipse and a Java file (I cannot simply create a new file and then run that said file because Visual Studio 2022 is expecting a single main function out of all .cpp files in the project, meaning I have to constantly use cl /EHsc in the command prompt). I have therefore attempted to create a batch script to compile programs for me using Visual Studio’s compiler.

What I have created thus far is this:

@echo off

:: Set up the Visual Studio environment
call "C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft Visual Studio2019BuildToolsVCAuxiliaryBuildvcvarsall.bat" x64

:: Prompt for the source directory
:askSourceDirAgain
set /p source_dir="Enter source directory: "
if not exist %source_dir% (
    echo Directory not found, please try again.
    goto askSourceDirAgain
)
echo Source directory found

:askSourceFileAgain
set /p "source_file=Enter cpp file name: "

:: append .cpp if not provided
echo %source_file% | findstr /i ".cpp$" >nul
if errorlevel 1 (
    set "source_file=%source_file%.cpp"
)
pause

:: verify file exists
if not exist "%source_dir%%source_file%" 1>nul 2>nul  (
    echo File %source_file% not found in directory, please try again.
    goto askSourceFileAgain
)

:: compile the program
:recompileProgram
set output_dir="%source_dir%Compiled"
if not exist "%output_dir%" mkdir "%output_dir%Compiled"
cl /EHsc "%source_dir%%source_file%" /Fe"%output_dir%%~n0.exe"

:: ask to run the compiled program
set /p runProgram="Run the compiled program? (y/n)"
if /i "%runProgram%"=="y" (
    start cmd /k "%output_dir%%~n1.exe"
)

:: ask the user if they want to recompile, change directory, or exit
:chooseNextStep
echo "Choose an the next option"
echo "1. Recompile"
echo "2. Choose another program to compile"
echo "3. Choose another directory and compile another program"
echo "4. Exit"
set /p choice="Choice: "

if "%choice%"=="1" (
    goto recompileProgram
) else if "%choice%"=="2" (
    goto askSourceFileAgain
) else if "%choice%"=="3" (
    goto askSourceDirAgain
) else if "%choice%"=="4" (
    exit /b 0
) else (
    echo "Invalid response, please try again."
    goto chooseNextStep
)

The problem I’m having is that if not exist "%source_dir%%source_file%" 1>nul 2>nul is printing out text when it should not be, even though (as far as I understand) I am sending outputs to a nul and echo is off.

The output I receive, when purposely providing a file name that does not exist, in the terminal is:

Enter cpp file name: wdaw
Press any key to continue . . .
'--' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
File wdaw.cpp not found in directory, please try again.
Enter cpp file name:

When the output I expect is:

Enter cpp file name: wdaw
Press any key to continue . . .
File wdaw.cpp not found in directory, please try again.
Enter cpp file name:

The pause is in there for debugging.

I’m very confident there are other problems in this script, since like I said I am rather inexperienced in Batch and am trying to utilize chatGPT, so feel free to point those out as well.