Skip to main content

Run DOS command

Sophie avatar
Written by Sophie
Updated over a week ago

Definition and Usage

Run DOS command executes a command line instruction and captures the console output text during execution. This action allows automation of command-line operations and retrieval of their results for further processing in your workflow.


Parameter Values

Input parameters

Parameter

Description

Possible Values

Required

Options / Notes

DOS Command

Please enter the command line parameters to execute

Any valid DOS command

Yes

You can use variable inputs by clicking the {x} button

Advanced settings

Parameter

Description

Possible Values

Required

Options / Notes

Working folder

Specify the folder where the program will start from. If not set, the default is the folder where the program is located

Any valid folder path

No

You can either enter the path manually or use the folder selector

Encoding format

The encoding format to read the output

Default, UTF-8, ASCII

No

Select the appropriate encoding for proper text interpretation

Error handling

Parameter Name

Description

Throw error & stop

When an error occurs, the action will trigger an error and stop the execution of the entire app

Retry command

If an error occurs, the action will retry the command in an attempt to resolve the issue and continue the process

Ignore error & continue

When an error occurs, the action will be ignored, and the workflow will continue without interruption

Variables produced

This action produces a variable containing the text output generated by the DOS command execution. The output is captured from the command's console and stored in the specified variable.


Using Variables in Conditions

You can use the {x} button to insert previously defined variables into your DOS command parameters. This allows you to create dynamic commands based on workflow data. For example, you could insert a file path variable into a command that processes files.

The output variable can be used in subsequent actions for conditional logic, text processing, or data extraction from command results.


Notes

  • This command executes DOS commands which can potentially modify system files or settings; use with caution.

  • Commands requiring elevated privileges may fail if the RPA process doesn't have appropriate permissions.

  • Some commands might require user input during execution which could cause the workflow to hang; prefer commands that run non-interactively.

  • The command execution timeout is determined by the system's default settings; very long-running commands might be terminated before completion.

  • For security reasons, avoid executing commands with sensitive information as parameters since they might be visible in logs.

Did this answer your question?