it's explained in the documentation of dosbox.

Ok thanks, but for others, you just need to pass in the -exit flag after the full path for the program.

Thanks, took me like 30 minutes to find that, could have saved me some time but nvm....

I wrote the documentation in the hope that I didn't need to answer questions about things described there.

I have to side with QBix on that one. RTFM first.

Another option since you are running from a Batch file is to add Exit as the last line of your Batch file.

Dave

Hello,

I'm a newbie here and have only first experiences with DOSBox and Vista - my favoured OS is still W2K.

The -exit parameter (or the exit in a started batchfile) is working fine in general. But I have one application, where I couldn't get it running right now. It is an very old DOS program system fur surveying calculations, which I have still in the production process.

The program system is started by execution of a batchfile and the calculations are choosen menuebased. Depending on the userinput some action starts, no chance to analyse the workflow between DOS-programs and automatically created batchfiles for those menues. Ending this program leaves me with a open DOSBox - even with -exit-parameter.

At this time this post is only a report of this effect, so please don't answer: 'read your manual'.

I still do so 😊 and try to analyse and find a solution.

what is the commandline you use ?

The desktop icon starts with:
"C:\Program Files\DOSBox-0.72\dosbox.exe" -conf "C:\Program Files\DOSBox-0.72\dcs.conf" -exit

and the dcs.conf executes:

keyb gr
mount c c:\*****
c:
gusdcs
exit

where gusdcs is the batch-file

c:
cd \geodcs
gn

and gn is the next batch file, this starts menue and (sub)progs

You see, in this actual version I have '-exit' in startstring, 'exit' in DOSBox config-file and in my first batchfile. And the window remains open.

Edit: Sorry, in the first batchfile is actually no 'exit'.

Think you need to use "call" on "gusdcs".

Unsure if "call" is supported in DOSBox. Only one way to find out....

gpicht wrote:

The desktop icon starts with:
"C:\Program Files\DOSBox-0.72\dosbox.exe" -conf "C:\Program Files\DOSBox-0.72\dcs.conf" -exit

Remove the -exit option. It only works when you launch DOSBox with a file.

gpicht wrote:

and the dcs.conf executes: […]
Show full quote

and the dcs.conf executes:

keyb gr
mount c c:\*****
c:
gusdcs
exit

Add a call before gusdcs:

keyb gr mount c c:\***** c: call gusdcs […]
Show full quote

keyb gr
mount c c:\*****
c:
call gusdcs

Or you can remove the exit command and the call to gusdcs from dcs.conf and launch DOSBox like this:

"C:\Program Files\DOSBox-0.72\dosbox.exe" -conf "C:\Program Files\DOSBox-0.72\dcs.conf" "C:\*****\gusdcs.bat" -exit

Then your dcs.conf should only contain:

keyb GR
mount C "C:\*****"
C:

If you're going to go with putting an "exit" in the top level batch file, you need to put "call" in front of all batch file "subroutines", so in gusdcs you need to change it to "call gn", and so forth, or it won't "return" back up the chain.

thanks a lot, I've never expected so worthful tips in such short time. I will test it und tell you the result - tomorrow after sunrise 😉

My problem is solved. As you said, a simple 'call gusdcs' followed by 'exit' in the conf-file closes the Box at the end. No need for -exit in the runstring and no need for modifiing the deeper (in my case unaccesible) batch-files.

Thanks again 😀

You stated that "gn" was another batch file; apparently it is a program, because you would have to call it if it were a batch file.

ripsaw8080 wrote:

because you would have to call it if it were a batch file.

No.

Yes.

You would have to call it in order to return back to the exit in the top level batch file. Happy now?

Did you try it?

bat1.bat

1echo bat1
2call bat2

bat2.bat

1echo bat2
2bat3

bat3.bat

1echo bat3

db.conf

1[autoexec]
2mount C "."
3C:
4call bat1
5exit

You're right, it does work that way in the specific case where the last command in a batch file transfers processing to another batch file. However, if you ever want to continue processing additional commands in any given batch file after running a sub-batch, you must add the CALL.

Absolutely 😀