How do i make a command executable in Windows XP

[Ral-Clan]

Note: I've posted this in the "alternative operating systems" forum.  The question is Amiga related (read below).

I downloaded a little command line executable program that can run in windows and will play Amiga .anim files.

You have to run it from the Windows command line.

No problem, it runs fine.  But I constantly have to move the little executable player utility into each folder where the animation is so that I can do:

c: iffplayanim animationname.anim -loop

Of course if the executable (iffplayanim) is not in the folder, the command line interface cannot find it.

So....HOW can I make this little executable executable no matter what folder I am in?  I.e. I want to put it in one place where Windows CLI will always be able to find the utility, instead of having it only looking in the folder I am currently in.

From reading online, apparently I have to put it in some sort of PATH.  But there are no clear instructions on how to do this.

If this were an Amiga, I would simply drop the executable into the C/ folder of the Workbench partition.

I'm running Windows XP.

Thanks.

[spirantho]

The quick and dirty way is to copy into your path somewhere - traditionally in C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32 or somesuch. However, I can't remember what Windows 7 uses (is that what you're using?)

The correct way is to add it to your path, as you say. I'm not on a Windows machine right now, but it's easy enough.

A quick google would show many webpages, but here's one for starters which looks about right:
http://www.mathworks.co.uk/support/solutions/en/data/1-15ZLK/index.html

Hope that helps!

[Ral-Clan]

I have tried putting the .exe file in BOTH the C:\Windows\ and the C:\Windows\System32\ folder and I just get the message "iffanimplay is not recognized as and internal or external command, operable program or batch file".

Both these paths are specified in the Windows XP environment variables.

But when I drop iffanimplay.exe into the folder where I am currently viewing in command line, it works.

Strange...I can't figure out why it won't work.

[Ral-Clan]

Figured it out....

it said %SystemRoot%\windows\ etc.

I had to add C:\Windows\.....etc. to the PATH.

[LoadWB]

If you had to add something to the PATH, I would have recommended you just put it somewhere like C:\Program Files\IFFAnim\blah.exe.  Also, executables without one of the expected extensions will not execute unless specifically directed to do so.

[commodorejohn]

What I do, generally, is to make one folder for all my utility programs and then add that to the path; that way I don't clutter things up with three dozen different directories all in the same environment variable. 'Course, there's times where that's not practical, but I do find it handy.

[Templario]

Note: I've posted this in the "alternative operating systems" forum.  The question is Amiga related (read below).

I downloaded a little command line executable program that can run in windows and will play Amiga .anim files.

You have to run it from the Windows command line.

No problem, it runs fine.  But I constantly have to move the little executable player utility into each folder where the animation is so that I can do:

c: iffplayanim animationname.anim -loop

Of course if the executable (iffplayanim) is not in the folder, the command line interface cannot find it.

So....HOW can I make this little executable executable no matter what folder I am in?  I.e. I want to put it in one place where Windows CLI will always be able to find the utility, instead of having it only looking in the folder I am currently in.

From reading online, apparently I have to put it in some sort of PATH.  But there are no clear instructions on how to do this.

If this were an Amiga, I would simply drop the executable into the C/ folder of the Workbench partition.

I'm running Windows XP.

Thanks.

To see Amiga anim files under Windos, there is an easy solution, with Hollywood, Andreas as example has one AnimPlayer that you can compile for Windos and all systems, if you need an anim player you ask that someone compiled for you.

[Trev]

%SystemRoot%\system32 is normal. When stored in the registry properly as a REG_EXPAND_SZ value, environment variables in PATH are properly expanded. If adding C:\windows\system32 to PATH fixed the problem, PATH had most likely been updated by a legacy setup/installer not correctly designed for Windows NT. It was a common blunder around the turn of the century. Simply editing and saving PATH without making changes would also have resolved the problem.

Trev

[Louis Dias]

Why not just put the executable where ever you want then right-click on your .anim file and select "Open With..." and browse to your executable and check the checkbox that says "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file" ?

This way just double-clicking any .anim file will run that player...

[Ral-Clan]

Why not just put the executable where ever you want then right-click on your .anim file and select "Open With..." and browse to your executable and check the checkbox that says "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file" ?

This way just double-clicking any .anim file will run that player...

This is an executable that can only run from the command line and requires several parameters in the command line.  If there is some way of running that from the GUI it would be nice, too.

[Louis Dias]

This is an executable that can only run from the command line and requires several parameters in the command line.  If there is some way of running that from the GUI it would be nice, too.

Is this something you wrote?

[Trev]

See http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb165967(v=vs.80).aspx

[Ral-Clan]

Is this something you wrote?

No.  I found it on the web a few years ago:

http://www.amiga.org/forums/showthread.php?t=50985

But the original author's website (for the Windows port) seems to be offline now (I still have a copy of the executable).

It's an excellent little command line anim player for Windows that has played everything I've thrown at it, AND it can export the animation as bitmap frames for re-compilation as and AVI or other video file.

I think it's been ported to AROS, OS4.0 and MorphOS too:
http://ftp://ftp.club.cc.cmu.edu/pub/aminet/gfx/show/iffanimplay.readme

Anyway, I've got it all sorted now.  I can make anims using Alladin4d or DPaint in UAE and pop over to the Windows side of the computer in a second and still view them.