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I recently released a software to our customer, it will be installed on one machine at one location and maybe later at two other locations. It is a prototype and has to be tested.

This is a compiled Matlab GUI which runs scanning, does some image analysis and produces report. All is fine here. But I've got a complaint that batch-file I use is a thing from past DOS times, should not be used and looks unprofessional... Currently, the user should set up one path in batch file before the first use and then always run batch file. This bat-file kills some processes to avoid conflicts, including any running instances of the GUI, sets the path for results and runs the GUI. I proposed them to create a shortcut to this bat-file with a nice logo (such that they don't see the .bat extension ;)), but they are still unhappy.

What to do is probably not the main question here - client is always right and I should remove .bat somehow to make them happy. But is it really so unprofessional to release technical, not mass software using bat-files? Or is it just one person's opinion?

Ekaterina Mishina
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  • Did you try [HTML Applications](http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/subscriptions/ms536495(v=vs.85).aspx)? there you have simple HTML, CSS and javaScript/VBScript using WShell and Scripting.FileSystemObject. – metadings Nov 15 '12 at 15:13

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Personally I think if you already have a GUI, then use that to do the pre-processing. There is nothing wrong with using batch files, but using one when you have a GUI doesn't seem like the best way to do it.

Alternatively create a GUI with the same look as the main program to ask the user for the details it needs. For me it's not about professionalism, but how easy it is for the user to do what they need to do.

Bali C
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  • Easy to use - I would agree, but what customer proposed was to create an ini-file with this path and then exe would read it from the ini. And that is kind of the same for me as using batch... p.s. the operator of the program will be some other person, maybe I should ask him what is easier. – Ekaterina Mishina Nov 15 '12 at 15:19
  • @Katya An ini file would also work, but yes, you should ask him what would be easier, at the end of the day it won't be too difficult either way so I would go with what he wants, after all, he's the one who is going to be using it. – Bali C Nov 15 '12 at 15:22
  • I would do it if I new how to kill file.exe from file.exe (compiled Matlab) :) I have some idea but I really want that they test it before I introduce any bugs with changing something. – Ekaterina Mishina Nov 15 '12 at 15:28
  • I have never used Matlab before, so I don't know :) Maybe you could launch a batch file to do this, but launch it hidden, see [here](http://stackoverflow.com/a/6941198/799586) for details. It's a bit messy but they won't see any of this under-the-hood stuff anyways. – Bali C Nov 15 '12 at 15:31
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I see nothing wrong with using a batch file for small projects (especially during the testing phase if that is easier for you and delivers something to the client quicker). However, depending on the size of the project, it is nice to have an EXE to deliver to the client with a proper icon and what not.

I would agree with the customer that an EXE looks more professional. Whether it is or not... I'm not sure. The .bat files just seem a little slapped together whether that is true or not.

I would say this is similar to when people call PHP programs scripts because a lot of the times they are simple scirpts. But, then there are frameworks out there like Cake and Kohanna that are more than what someone would typically classify as a script but, since it's PHP there is still that connotation.

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A batch file is not unprofessional. The batch "language" has disadvantages and outright problems (error handling!!) but it gets the job done and that's the point.

The problem is that it shows the internals of the program and some people are scared by this. They don't want to see anything like this and so try to find a disapproving label. The quickest solution is to hide the batch file behind a "vanity cover", or in this case an exe that hides the working from terrified eyes.

One simple possibility is to use an self-extracting zip file eg: http://www.7zsfx.info/en/

Robert
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