Windows command line Pass Input (2 strings) to Exe

Question

I have a utility (myprog.exe) that requires a login an password to function. It has an .ini file for ID and Password , but for some reason it will not use the values I put in to the ini file (i think it is supposed to auto-update the ini file but that doesn't happen), so I'm trying to come up with a workaround.

If from a .bat file i run

echo <USER ID> | myappp.exe

this correctly passes the ID number to he program, and it advances to the PW input. If I type the PW and press [Enter], the program works correctly(image is the output of running the above command from batch file). All I want to do is pass this keyboard input for the PW on to the program . I've tried a few different syntax form for a 2nd echo command by they didn't work, or hang the program somehow.

I didn't write the utility, an the author is unable to offer further assistance.

dos output

Editing the batch file and adding a 2nd echo command

echo <password> | myappp.exe

in any syntax form, or trying to call a 2nd batch file after the first echo command

echo <USER ID> | myappp.exe
call 2ndinput.bat

all attempt have given the same result:

2nd input string result

Answer 1

The piping input to a command only works when the command prompts for keyboard input. (And even then not always e.g. it doesn't work for the 'runas' command)

You can use vbscript(bundled with win7), and its sendkeys function though. (Though bear in mind it's a bit limited in that it doesn't support unicode https://stackoverflow.com/questions/3198574/does-or-can-vbscripts-sendkeys-support-unicode ) But that limitation won't affect you. Note, C#'s sendkeys supports unicode.

blah.vbs

Set WshShell = Wscript.CreateObject("Wscript.Shell")
Set objArgs = Wscript.Arguments
dim a, b
arg1 = objArgs(0)
arg2 = objArgs(1)
WshShell.SendKeys "blahprogram " + arg1 + "{Enter}" + arg2 + "{Enter}"

So if you run blah.vbs abc def

it will run C:\>blahprogram abc<ENTER>def<ENTER>

You could make the sendkeys line

WshShell.SendKeys "blahprogram" + "{Enter}" + "123" + "{Enter}"

Then it will do

C:\>blahprogram<ENTER>123<ENTER>

If you want to run

C:\>echo.| blahprogram<ENTER>123<ENTER>

You can use the line

WshShell.SendKeys "echo.|blahprogram" + "{Enter}" + "123" + "{Enter}"

So your whole program would be

Set WshShell = Wscript.CreateObject("Wscript.Shell")
Set objArgs = Wscript.Arguments
WshShell.SendKeys "echo.|blahprogram" + "{Enter}" + "123" + "{Enter}"