Alias or Environment Variable -- is one better?

[Dick Johnson]

In a batch file, I can do this:

alias wrar = "C:\Program Files\WinRAR\Rar.exe" a -r -idcdp -m5 -rr10
Then when I want to create a RAR archive I can just do:
wrar archivename

I can also do this:
set wrar = "C:\Program Files\WinRAR\Rar.exe" a -r -idcdp -m5 -rr10
And then create a RAR archive with:
%wrar archivename

I've done it both ways and they both work. Is one better or preferable to the other?

 

[samintz]

In your example I think they both do the same thing. There might be slightly different parsing paths taken.

 

[Charles Dye]

Well, in the second approach, you have type type the percent sign every time you want to use the command. So there's that.

 

[vefatica]

Environment variables don't take parameters as aliases do ... show-stopper! Below, "divide" is an alias. I imagine that would be hard to do using an environment variable.

v:\> divide 6 by 4
1.5

v:\> divide 6 by
You dummy!

v:\> divide 6 bye 4
You dummy!

v:\> divide 7 by 2
3.5

And environment variables are inherited by external apps; aliases are not. Rar.exe (or any other program you might run) doesn't need to know that "wrar" means.

 

[w_krieger]

I use a rexx script to create .zip and .rar files. This basically creates a blank file, that can be opened in anything, such as fc/2 or wincmd. It just creates an empty zip file.

The ,ION is a fix for some programs putting quotes around the file name, and others not reading them as a result. Basically, it removes the quotes.

/**/
parse arg filename .
parse upper var filename . '.' ext
select
  when ext = 'RAR' then call newrar
  when ext = 'ZIP' then call newzip
  when ext = 'ION' then call fixion
  otherwise; nop;
  end
exit


newrar:
rartxt = '52617221 1a0700cf 90730000 0d000000 00000000'x
call stream filename, 'c', 'open write replace'
call charout filename, rartxt
call stream filename, 'c', 'close'
return


newzip:
ziptxt = '504B0506  00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 0000'x
call stream filename, 'c', 'open write replace'
call charout filename, ziptxt
call stream filename, 'c', 'close'
return


fixion:
'gsar.exe descript.ion -o -s":034" -r""'
return

 

[AnrDaemon]

Just

set RAR=-r -idcdp -m5 -rr10

in your user (or system, but beware!) environment block.
RAR will read default options from this env.var.

Mine is set to

[C:\]$ set RAR
RAR=-m5 -mdE -mm -s -w"C:\Windows\TEMP" -idp -os