Learn to Set Up and Apply Custom Word Count Commands in PowerShell

This took me lot to understand and implement custom name to set up unix commands in windows command prompt

instead of using [node index.js] I had to run it as [ccwc]

I got to know about the batch file and its uses filename.bat

Creating custom commands on my terminal is a small yet powerful way to streamline my workflow. Recently, I built a command-line tool called ccwc (for counting lines, words, and characters in a file) in Node.js, and I wanted to invoke it directly with the ccwc command in PowerShell and Command Prompt. However, the process wasn’t as simple as I expected. Here’s a quick walkthrough of how I solved it using a .bat file, turning my script into an easy-to-use command across environments.

• Step 1:

  Writing the ccwc Script

  I first developed my ccwc tool in Node.js, which reads a file and outputs line, word, and character counts

#!/usr/bin/env node        
console.log("Script started");

const fs = require("fs");
const args = process.argv;
const flags = {
    line: args.includes("-l"),
    word: args.includes("-w"),
    char: args.includes("-c"),
};
let filename = args[args.length - 1];

fs.readFile(filename, "utf-8", (err, file) => {
    if (err) {
        console.log("There was an error:", err);
        return;
    }
    let linecount = file.split("\n").length;
    let wordcount = file.split(/\s+/).filter(word => word).length;
    let charcount = file.length;
    if (!flags.line && !flags.word && !flags.char) {
        console.log(`Lines: ${linecount}, Words: ${wordcount}, Characters: ${charcount}`);
    } else {
        if (flags.line) console.log(`Lines: ${linecount}`);
        if (flags.word) console.log(`Words: ${wordcount}`);
        if (flags.char) console.log(`Characters: ${charcount}`);
    }
});

After setting up this script, I could run it using Node with node ccwc.js -l test.txt. But I wanted to run ccwc directly, without typing the node command every time.

Step 2: Creating the .bat File

To make ccwc run as a command, I created a file called ccwc.bat in the same directory as my Node.js script. The .bat file had the following contents:

@echo off
node "%~dp0ccwc.js" %*

Here’s what each part does:

@echo off prevents the command prompt from displaying each command as it runs.

node "%~dp0ccwc.js" %* uses node to execute ccwc.js, with %* passing any additional arguments to the script (like -l test.txt). %~dp0 gives the full directory path to ccwc.js, ensuring the script runs from its own directory regardless of where I execute the command.

Step 3: Adding the Directory to PATH

For Windows to recognize ccwc as a command globally, I needed to add the script’s directory to the system’s PATH variable. This way, I could call ccwc from any location. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open Environment Variables on Windows.

2. Under System Variables, find Path and edit it.

3. Add the path to the directory containing ccwc.bat.

After adding the directory to PATH, I opened a new terminal window and tested the ccwc command. It worked perfectly! Now, I can simply type ccwc -l test.txt to get the line count, without specifying node or the script path.

Benefits of Using a .bat File

Setting up a .bat file for custom commands like ccwc has been a great boost to my productivity. Here are a few reasons why:

• Quick Access: I can now invoke ccwc directly from any location.

• Reusable: The .bat file setup works well with other custom scripts I might build.

• Simple Maintenance: I can edit the ccwc.js file without changing the .bat file.

Final Thoughts

Creating custom commands with .bat files has been a game-changer in my development journey. If you're looking for an efficient way to turn scripts into commands on Windows, give .bat files a try. Not only does this approach make your tools more accessible, but it also brings you closer to mastering command-line automation!