Batch File: Resolve Absolute Path from Relative Path and/or File Name

Question

In a Windows Batch script is there any way to return an absolute path from a value containing a filename and/or relative path?

Given:

"..\"
"..\somefile.txt"

I need the absolute path relative to the batch file.

Example:

• "somefile.txt" is located at "C:\Foo\"
• "test.bat" is located in "C:\Foo\Bar".
• User opens a command window at "C:\Foo" and calls Bar\test.bat ..\somefile.txt
• In the batch file "C:\Foo\somefile.txt" would be obtained using %1

Answer 1

In your example, from Bar\test.bat, DIR /B /S ..\somefile.txt would return the full path.

Answer 2

in batch files, as in a standard C program, argument 0 contains the path to the currently executing batch. you can use %~dp0 to get only the path portion of the 0th argument (which is the current script). this path is always a fully qualified path.

you can also get the fully qualified path of your first argument by using %~f1, but this gives a path according to the current path, which is obviously not what you want.

unfortunately, i don't know how to mix the 2 together... however, i can tell you that, personally, i often use the %~dp0%~1 idiom in my batch file, which interpret the first argument relative to the path of the executing batch. it does have a shortcoming though: it miserably fails if the first argument is fully-qualified.

Answer 3

This is to help fill in the gaps in Adrien Plisson's answer (which should be upvoted as soon as he edits it ;-):

you can also get the fully qualified path of your first argument by using %~f1, but this gives a path according to the current path, which is obviously not what you want.

unfortunately, i don't know how to mix the 2 together...

One can handle %0 and %1 likewise:

• %~dpnx0 for fully qualified drive+path+name+extension of the batchfile itself,
  %~f0 also suffices;
• %~dpnx1 for fully qualified drive+path+name+extension of its first argument [if that's a filename at all],
  %~f1 also suffices;

%~f1 will work independent of how you did specify your first argument: with relative paths or with absolute paths (if you don't specify the file's extension when naming %1, it will not be added, even if you use %~dpnx1 -- however.

But how on earth would you name a file on a different drive anyway if you wouldn't give that full path info on the commandline in the first place?

However, %~p0, %~n0, %~nx0 and %~x0 may come in handy, should you be interested in path (without driveletter), filename (without extension), full filename with extension or filename's extension only. But note, while %~p1 and %~n1 will work to find out the path or name of the first argument, %~nx1 and %~x1 will not add+show the extension, unless you used it on the commandline already.