CMD or BAT to copy/replace files from a relative path to a .lnk target location

batch filecmd.exe

Example :

I will have the following :

Folder that contains :
1. The CMD or BAT file
2. the file/files needed to be copied ( Ex: file1.exe and file2.exe )
A .lnk located at the desktop ( Ex: C:\Users\Home\Desktop\Example.lnk) which is a shortcut for ( EX: D:\folder\Example.pdf )

I need the CMD/BAT file to copy file1.exe and file2.exe from its current relative location and paste or paste/replace them to the .lnk target location after reading it which is D:\folder\

Edit

I have tried the following to replace gravity.pdf with another version of gravity.pdf located at the same folder of the bat command :

@echo off
setlocal
rem get the .lnk target directory
for /f "tokens=* usebackq" %%i in (`type "C:\Users\Abdo\Desktop\Gravity.lnk ^| find "\" ^| findstr/b "[a-z][:][\\]"`) do (
  set _targetdir=%%~dpi
  )
rem copy the files
copy /y Gravity.pdf %_target%
endlocal

but an error comes "the syntax of the command is incorrect."

I am tring to understand the code , canot get how %_target% will refere to the target full path of the gravity.lnk which at my case now is D:\Books\

Edit 2

I have removed some inserted lines from the code and now an empty cmd black window opens but nothing changes :

code :

@echo off
setlocal
rem get the .lnk target directory
for /f "tokens=* usebackq" %%i in (`type "C:\Users\Abdo\Desktop\Gravity.lnk ^| find "\" ^| findstr/b "[a-z][:][\\]"`) do (set _targetdir=%%~dpi)
rem copy the files
copy /y Gravity.pdf %_target%
endlocal

Best Answer

How do I copy/replace files from a relative path to a .lnk target location?

Use the following batch file:

@echo off
setlocal
rem get the .lnk target directory
for /f "tokens=* usebackq" %%i in (`type "C:\Users\Home\Desktop\Example.lnk" ^| find "\" ^| findstr/b "[a-z][:][\\]"`) do (
  set _targetdir=%%~dpi
  )
rem copy the files
copy /y file1.exe %_targetdir%
copy /y file2.exe %_targetdir%
endlocal

My code gives an error "the syntax of the command is incorrect".

You are missing the " after lnk in the for command.
%_target% should be %_targetdir% (that was a mistake in my batch file - now fixed).

Here is the corrected version of your batch file:

@echo off
setlocal
rem get the .lnk target directory
for /f "tokens=* usebackq" %%i in (`type "C:\Users\Abdo\Desktop\Gravity.lnk" ^| find "\" ^| findstr/b "[a-z][:][\\]"`) do (
  set _targetdir=%%~dpi
  )
rem copy the files
copy /y Gravity.pdf %_targetdir%
endlocal

How do I permanently set the `PATH` from a `cmd` shell?

You need to use setx instead of set.

Example:

SetX PATH "c:\my dir;%PATH%"

Notes:

"s are recommended in case any of the path elements contain spaces.
The cmd shell should be run as Administrator.
Use /m to set the PATH in the system environment instead of the user environment.

Warning:

See my answer Why does Windows have a limit on environment variables at all? for a discussion on how long the PATH is allowed to be without errors.

CMD or BAT to copy/replace files from a relative path to a .lnk target location

Best Answer

How do I copy/replace files from a relative path to a .lnk target location?

My code gives an error "the syntax of the command is incorrect".

Further Reading

Related Question

Best Answer

How do I copy/replace files from a relative path to a .lnk target location?

My code gives an error "the syntax of the command is incorrect".

Further Reading

Related Solutions

Run this bat file with admin rights

Permanently setting PATH from CMD windows 8

How do I permanently set the PATH from a cmd shell?

Further Reading

Related Question

How do I permanently set the `PATH` from a `cmd` shell?