I am very new to Batch file writing and have spent several hours on google, so I am turning to the experts. What syntex do I use in a batch file to check the current system date and then if date is equal to or greater than a certain date then execute this program with these parameters and if not equal to or greater than this, then skip the program and parameters and continue with the rest of the batch file?

Batch scripting language has no builtin functions to perform arithmetic computations on time and date. A lot of work is required due to substring manipulation. Better you use a script language as Perl; anyway thesystem curent date is stored in the system variable Date; its format is related to country's conventions.

::== runtoday.bat @echo off setLocal EnableDelayedExpansion set /p refDATE=enter date to compare in format: YYYYMMDD call :now if !refDATE! lss !today! echo don't run if !refDATE! geq !today! echo run goto :eof :now :: use debug/BIOS to get DATE into vars ::== @echo off > d.d >> d.d echo E 0100 B4 2A CD 21 B4 4C CD 21 >> d.d echo N DAY.COM >> d.d echo RCX >> d.d echo 8 >> d.d echo W >> d.d echo E 0100 B4 2A CD 21 88 F0 B4 4C CD 21 >> d.d echo N MONTH.COM >> d.d echo RCX >> d.d echo A >> d.d echo W >> d.d echo E 0100 B4 2A CD 21 89 C8 B4 4C CD 21 >> d.d echo N YEAR.COM >> d.d echo RCX >> d.d echo A >> d.d echo W >> d.d echo E 0100 B4 2A CD 21 88 D0 B4 4C CD 21 >> d.d echo N DAT.COM >> d.d echo RCX >> d.d echo A >> d.d echo W >> d.d echo Q debug < d.d > nul del d.d dat for %%a in (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ) do if errorlevel %%a set dat=0%%a for %%a in ( 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31) do if errorlevel %%a set dat=%%a echo Date %dat% day if errorlevel 0 set day=Sunday if errorlevel 1 set day=Monday if errorlevel 2 set day=Tuesday if errorlevel 3 set day=Wednesday if errorlevel 4 set day=Thursday if errorlevel 5 set day=Friday if errorlevel 6 set day=Saturday echo Day %day% month for %%a in (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ) do if errorlevel %%a set month=0%%a for %%a in ( 10 11 12) do if errorlevel %%a set month=%%a echo Month %month% year if errorlevel 215 set Year=2007 if errorlevel 216 set Year=2008 if errorlevel 217 set Year=2009 if errorlevel 218 set Year=2010 echo Year %Year% set today=%year%%month%%dat% echo Today is %today% for %%c in (day month year dat) do del %%c.com ::== done ===================================== If at first you don't succeed, you're about average. M2

As I stated I am a newbee. If it is not asking too much could you point out the variables I need to change to input specified date to run the program and where then do I place the program name with my commands. I was going to place this within a batch file I have already created so I wanted it to jump past the call for the program if the desired date was not equal to or great than specified. I believe the example calls to go to end of file if the arguemnt is not satisfied. Is that correct?

if !refDATE! lss !today! goto :skip if !refDATE! geq !today! myprog :skip ===================================== If at first you don't succeed, you're about average. M2

so do I put the :skip just before where I want the batch file to continue on to if the specified date is not reached which would be at the end of your file and then do I no longer need the ::== done statement?

"so do I put the :skip just before where I want the batch file to continue on to if the specified date is not reached" yes "then do I no longer need the ::== done statement?" that's just a 'label' ===================================== If at first you don't succeed, you're about average. M2