Windows NT Shell Scripting is a comprehensive reference for network professionals. It is the only book available on the practical use of the Windows NT shell scripting language. The book begins with a high-level introduction to the shell language itself, then describes the shell commands that are useful for controlling or managing different components of a network, i.e. file management, etc. The second part of the book is a comprehensive reference of all the commands, organized by function, for easy reference by the reader.

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Only one minor caveat: in the section detailing the SLEEP command, there is a :WAITLOOP technique that can be more elegantly effected by the use of a /WAIT switch during the START command (which the book also documents).

I recommend this book highly.

6 of 6 found the following review helpful:

It doesn't get better than this. Now we need a 2nd edition.Apr 08, 2002
By Jakob Hussfelt
If you have a bit of programming experience, this book together with access to the NT Resource Kit tools will provide you with the foundation for doing almost anything you could imagine within Windows NT Shell Scripting.

The book can be used both as a tutorial and a reference for Windows NT scripting and gives good examples of the commands, tools and concepts covered. For Windows NT, this book does the job as your Shell Scripting Bible in less than 400 pages.

Since Windows NT 4.0, a lot has happened in the Windows scripting field though. With the release of Windows 2000 and the subsequent Windows XP and .NET Server, shell scripting has become much more powerful. A second edition of this book covering the new commands and tools would be most welcome. Until one exists, you might also want to look at newer books covering shell scripting for operating systems based on the Windows NT kernel.

You might also want to look at other, often more powerful ways to script your Windows NT-based environment. For that matter I recommend looking at other books covering WSH (Windows Script Host), ADSI and WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation).

6 of 6 found the following review helpful:

Not Just for NT ProfessionalsSep 17, 2000
By Scott Bicknell
I am new to NT (Windows 2000) and use the system at home, not at work. I made good use of the DOS command line before Windows 3.0 was introduced and was pleasantly surprised to find that the Windows 2000 command shell includes all of the features DOS had, and more, some of which Windows 95 eliminated, and which Windows 98 eliminated more of.

This book gave me insight into the aditional abilities of the NT command shell. Since I use Windows 2000, which was released after the publication of this book, I also make frequent reference to online help. I have found that Windows 2000 has command shell enhancements not found in Windows NT 4.

This book's strength is that it shows you how to create libraries of routines for use in batch files and that it gathers in one place a wealth of information about command-line scripting with batch files. It revealed to me that batch files can do much more than I thought previously.

I was a bit dismayed, however, when the author stated that there was no way to echo a blank line to the console. A feature introduced in DOS 5.0, and well documented, is the use of the echo. command (echo followed by a dot with no space). This works just as well with cmd.exe as with command.com.

Other than that this is a great book.

If you want a complete reference for scripting in Windows NT and Windows 2000, get this book and "Windows Scripting Secrets". Together with the online reference they provide all the information you could want about scripting using the command line and Windows Script Host.

6 of 6 found the following review helpful:

Awesome book. Invaluable InformationDec 27, 1999
By booklover "booklover"
I come to NT shell scripting from a UNIX background. This book gave me the information I needed to know to write effective NT shell scripts.

At first I tried to use my old DOS manuals but the scripts I wrote didn't work since things have changed. This book gave me the updated information I needed to accomplish my tasks.

It is clearly written and extremely well organized. The book serves as both tutorial and reference.

4 of 4 found the following review helpful:

Liked "Staying with DOS?" LOVE "NT Shell Scripting".Jun 17, 1998

This is an excellent, excellent book. As other reviews noted it is one of the few places this information is available conveniently and concisely. Do not be put off by the references to UNIX users or system administrators. Although the book is indispensable for those categories of users it is also highly useful for the programmer, power user, or really anyone who wants to grab Windows, pull off its GUI, and shake it until it DWIM (Does What I Mean!). Two minor criticisms: Although well worth it, the book is more expensive than comparable ones, such as the extraordinary O'Reilly Nutshell series... I would also like to see more, and more comprehensive, command syntax examples. I would be less likely to make these criticisms if a CD was included with the example scripts and additional examples or if the promised Web site was available with this information. IMHO the concept of a book/CD combined with an update-and-download Web site is a "killer app" that will really propel on-line sales. A great example is the "Windows Annoyances" combo. The convenience of a book with the immediacy of the Internet! Now, if they could just figure out a way to download the second edition into my hard copy ;-)

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