I've been experimenting with using the command line, and I wonder if you could
recommend an easy way to run a certain command depending on whether another
command succeeds or fails?
Three methods exist for running commands together at the command prompt, a procedure
known as chaining commands. The simplest method is to use a single ampersand
(&) symbol, which simply runs multiple commands consecutively. For example,
command1 & command2
Command1 runs first, followed by command2, regardless of the success of command1. For example, running
dir & echo %time%
will list a folder, then write the current time. You aren't limited to two commands; you can keep adding commands, with each command separated by an ampersand. If you require a second command to run only if the first command succeeds, you can use two ampersand (&&) characters. For example, if you run Setx with an invalid argument, the second command won't run:
C:\>setx /goobledegook && echo worked ERROR: Invalid syntax.
Whereas when I use a valid command, the second command runs and produces the following output:
C:\>setx var2 work && echo worked SUCCESS: Specified value was saved. worked
You can use a double pipe || to run a command only if the previous command fails, as this example shows:
C:\>setx /goobledegook || echo not working ERROR: Invalid syntax. not working—John Savil
