CHOICE.exe (Resource Kit)

Accept user input to a batch file.

Choice allows single key-presses to be captured from the keyboard.

syntax
    CHOICE [/C[:]choiceKeys] [/N] [/S] [/T[:]c,nn] [text]

key
   /C[:]choiceKeys : One or more keys the user can press. Default is YN
   /N              : Do not display choiceKeys at end of prompt string.
   /S              : case Sensitive.
   /T[:]k,dd       : Default the choice to k after dd seconds
   text            : Message string to display the choices available


The Windows 2003 version has some slight differences:

    CHOICE [/c [choiceKeys]] [/N] [/CS] [/t Timeout /d Choice] [/m Text]

key
   /C[:]choiceKeys : One or more keys the user can press. Default is YN
   /N              : Do not display choiceKeys at end of prompt string.
   /CS             : Case Sensitive.
   /T dd           : Timeout in dd seconds
   /d choiceKey    : Choice made on Timeout
   /m text         : Message string to describe the choices available
 

ERRORLEVEL will return the numerical offset of choiceKeys.

For Example:

CHOICE /C:FH /N select [F] Floppy or [H] Hard drive
IF errorlevel 2 goto s_hard
IF errorlevel 1 goto s_floppy

Note the order of the IF statements above, IF errorlevel 1 will return TRUE for an errorlevel of 2

Choice.com was originally supplied on the Windows 95 install CD, hovever there are some problems running this under NT - multiple concurrent invocations of CHOICE will clobber each other. Choice.com will also burn a lot of CPU's when in a wait state.
The resource kit contains CHOICE.EXE which does not behave the same as CHOICE.COM

CHOICE can be used to set a specific %errorlevel%
for example to set the %errorlevel% to 6 :
ECHO 6| CHOICE /C:123456 /N >NUL

I saw a woman wearing a sweatshirt with "Guess" on it. I said, "Thyroid problem?" - Arnold Schwarzenegger

Related Commands:

IF - Conditionally perform a command

Equivalent Linux BASH commands:

case - Conditionally perform a command
select - Accept keyboard input