windows - How can I debug a .BAT script?

Question

Is there a way to step through a .bat script? The thing is, I have a build script , which calls a lot of other scripts, and I would like to see what is the order in which they are called, so that I may know where exactly I have to go about and add my modifications.

Answer 1

I don't know of anyway to step through the execution of a .bat file but you can use echo and pause to help with debugging.

ECHO
Will echo a message in the batch file. Such as ECHO Hello World will print Hello World on the screen when executed. However, without @ECHO OFF at the beginning of the batch file you'll also get "ECHO Hello World" and "Hello World." Finally, if you'd just like to create a blank line, type ECHO. adding the period at the end creates an empty line.

PAUSE
Prompt the user to press any key to continue.

Source: Batch File Help

@workmad3: answer has more good tips for working with the echo command.

Another helpful resource... DDB: DOS Batch File Tips