Hi JBourne,
I'm impressed with your athirst for better looking code. But you should realise that batch was never designed to be pretty; it's probably the most ugliest language there is. Be as messy as you want. Certainly, no one is ever going to tell you off for spaghetti code in batch.
That being said, I do very much dislike Goto myself. Using Goto is generally considered bad practise because it is notorious for making code an unsightly mess: "spaghetti code". I'd never use a Goto statement in a batch if I could. Unfortunately, there are a couple of instances in batch where you are pretty much forced use Goto. For instance, if you need to instate a while loop (which batch doesn't provide a statement for), there's not much choice but to construct one out of labels and Gotos.
In most cases a label and its associated Goto can be replaced by a function. Functions neaten programs by giving them more 'structure'. Though batch files don't have real functions, a nice standard has been developed. Here's an example of using functions in batch, complete with parameters and return values:
FunctionsInBatch.bat
Code:
@echo off
goto :main
:add_two_numbers Num1 Num2
setlocal
set /a result=%1 + %2
endlocal & set /a result=%RESULT%
goto :eof
:multiply_two_numbers Num1 Num2
setlocal
set /a result=%1 * %2
endlocal & set /a result=%RESULT%
goto :eof
:evaluate_two_numbers Num1 Num2 Operator
setlocal
set /a result=%1 %3 %2
endlocal & set /a result=%RESULT%
goto :eof
:main
set/p=12 plus 6 is <NUL
call :add_two_numbers 12 6
echo %RESULT%!
set/p=4 times 26 is <NUL
call :multiply_two_numbers 4 24
echo %RESULT%!
set/p=the remainer of 99 divided by 4 is <NUL
call :evaluate_two_numbers 99 4 %%%%
echo %RESULT%!
If you wish to implement functions effectively in batch, I suggest studying RootOfTheNull's (channel now renamed to 'John Hammond')
Basic Functions tutorial up to his tutorial #26. I highly recommend watching a hand full of that YouTuber's batch series if you wish to delve deeper into the anomalous language of batch.
JBourne, for your interest, I've rewritten your batch file the exact way I would write it.
Code:
@echo off
goto :main
:StarKeePass
set keePass="%USERPROFILE%\KeePass\KeePass-2.30\KeePass.exe"
set kdb="%USERPROFILE%\KeePass\PasswordDatabase\PasswordDatabase.kdbx"
echo I'll start KeePass for You
START "" %keePass% %kdb%
goto :eof
:Backup
set backup="%USERPROFILE%\backup.bat"
call %backup%
goto :eof
:FireFox
start "" "C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe"
goto :eof
:main
cls
echo.& echo Welcome %USERNAME%,& echo.
echo 1 - Start KeePass
echo 2 - Backup
echo 3 - FireFox
echo 4 - Exit
echo.
choice /c "1234" /t 20 /d "4" /m "Please Type Selection, then Press Enter:"
echo.
if not errorlevel 2 call :StarKeePass
if not errorlevel 3 call :Backup
if not errorlevel 4 call :FireFox
if not errorlevel 5 goto :eof
goto :main
Note the "goto :main" near the top of the script can be found in all my batch files that use functions, which, aside from creating while loops (such as the functionality of the "goto :main" at the bottom), is the only time I would reckon to use a Goto.
If I must state a conclusion here, forget that Robvanderwoude article and just go with a style that you enjoy writing in, which is easy for you to read. A script will be better managed if you write it yourself.
