I found a little, but smart commandline utility that:
allows you to do some useful tasks without displaying any user interface. By running NirCmd with simple command-line option, you can write and delete values and keys in the Registry, write values into INI file, dial to your internet account or connect to a VPN network, restart windows or shut down the computer, create shortcut to a file, change the created/modified date of a file, change your display settings, turn off your monitor, open the door of your CD-ROM drive, and many more...
I have previously stated my view that command-line programs should be excluded from the database. I know that a number of members disagree with this and they made some valid points.
The thought goes through my mind that there might be a special section in the Forums where users could post console apps that they found useful. The best of these might well attract a GUI front-end from a keen programmer and migrate to the database.
Suffice to say this was not acted upon. Clearly the moderators thought this was not useful.
I'll just say this...I found the NirCmd tool because it was posted in the forums on this site, and it's proven really useful in my "portable environment" build I carry with me on my thumbdrives and portable hard drives. Even if the scope of this site's database doesn't allow for command-line programs that would be useful in portable automation or script-tools, I encourage others to continue to post their finds in the portable freeware discussion forums. It just might be the tool someone else was looking for.
not a portable freeware because it is command line, but since virtually everything else by Nils Sofer is portable, I am noting its update:
New in v2.20
* New commands: waitprocess, setprocesspriority, qboxtop, qboxcomtop.
* New action in clipboard command: copyimage (Copy image file to the clipboard)
V2.45: 10/18/2010
Added trayballoon command - displays a tray balloon with your desired text and icon.
Added sendkeypress command - Alternative to the sendkey command. Allows you to send key press combination in much easier way, for example: sendkeypress ctrl+shift+esc
Added clonefiletime command to clone the date/time of existing file into one or more files.
Added setconsolemode command to set the console display mode - window or full screen.
Added setconsolecolor command to set the foreground and background colors of the console text.
Added consolewrite command to write text into the console window.
Added debugwrite for writing text into the debug output.
Added ~$folder.mydocuments$ variable.
V2.46: 11/28/2010
Added option to locate window by process in win command.
Added max and min options (Minimized and maximized windows) into exec and exec2 commands.
Added x64 builds of nircmd.exe and nircmdc.exe
V2.47: 01/20/2011
Fixed bug: The sendkeypress command didn't work properly with Fxx keys (F1, F2, and so on).
V2.48: 02/22/2011
Fixed the problems with the timeout of the tray balloon in trayballoon command.
V2.50: 02/24/2011
Added 3 new sound volume commands to change or mute application volume on Windows 7/Vista/2008: setappvolume, changeappvolume, muteappvolume
Added new information command that shows you a message box with all sound devices on your Windows 7/Vista/2008 system: showsounddevices.
V2.51: 03/13/2011
Added 'focused' option for setappvolume, changeappvolume, and muteappvolume commands, which allow you to easily change the volume of the application that is currently in focus, on Windows 7/Vista/2008.
Added 'default_record' option for setsysvolume, changesysvolume, setsysvolume2, changesysvolume2, and mutesysvolume commands, which allows you set easily change the volume of default recording device, on Windows 7/Vista/2008.
- Added 'runas' command, which allows you to run a new process with the specified user name/password.
- Added 'Flash' action to the win command, with allows you to flash the specified window.
- On savescreenshot, savescreenshotfull, and savescreenshotwin commands, you can now specify *clipboard* as a filename, in order to save the screenshow into the clipboard
- On savescreenshot command, you can now specify a rectangle to capture as x, y, width, and height instead of capturing the entire screen.
