Introduction
Batch basics:
·        
Its extension should be ".bat" or ".cmd" (i.e: "showdate.bat").
·        
A comment in a batch is allowed using the "rem" command.
·        
To avoid printing out batch execution on
terminal, the "@" char should precede
the Batch command (i.e: "@rem ..." or "@perl ...").
·        
To jump from one line to another, the command
"goto" needs a label as parameter (i.e: "goto end"). The label should be defined with ":" character before it (i.e: ":end").
 
Perl basics:
·        
A Perl script line beginning with "@", means that the token afterwards is an array
(i.e: "@array = (1, 2, 3);").
·        
Comments under Perl begin with a "#" character.
·        
A string with simple quote "'" can contain new lines characters.
 
Facts:
·        
Batch and Perl scripts share only the "@" character.
The ActiveState solution
In directory "<perl
path>\bin", you will find more than 50
batch files starting Perl Script.
 
Basically, the idea is to use the following
structure:

@rem = '
BATCH command to call Perl
perl -x -S %0 %* 
goto endofperl
@rem ';
Perl script 
__END__
:endofperl
ev. other BATCH commands

In this case, the Batch part is at the
beginning (between "@rem = '" and
"goto
endofperl", including these lines) and at
the end of the file.
 
Problems:
·        
it can't contain the "'" character, otherwise Perl will not be able to understand the
command "@rem = '… ' … ';" 
·        
The error analysis should be done in the Batch
part itself, as the "goto endofperl"
erases the Perl script return-code…
Probably the best solution
Basically, the idea is to use the following
structure:

@goto ;#DOS
Perl script 
__END__
:;#DOS
BATCH command to call Perl
perl -S %0 %* 

 
The only common part used by Perl and Batch
is the line "@goto ;#DOS" which
means:
·        
for Perl: "Do nothing with @goto" (which produces a warning if switch "-w" has been used) followed by the comment "DOS".
·        
for Batch: "jump to label ;#DOS"
 
This way, both script are completely separated.
Beside it, as the Perl call is the last batch command used, any result
(return-code) returned by the Perl Script is automatically returned by the
batch itself.
 
Problems:
·        
The Perl script generates two warnings
·        
"Useless use of a variable in void context
at" and
·        
"Name "main::goto" used only once"
·        
The Perl call as described "perl -S %0 %*" is not supported under Windows 95/98/ME
 
Other solutions:
·        
To avoid both warnings try following:

@goto =
"GotoBATCH" ;
@goto = ();
Perl script 
__END__
:"GotoBATCH"
BATCH command to call Perl
perl -S %0 %*

·        
To be compatible both for Windows NT (NT, 2000,
2003, 2008, XP, Vista) and Windows 95/98/ME, use:

perl -x -S
"%0" %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7 %8 %9

Tests solution
I was very sceptic with the Perl's "-S" switch. I thought we needed to specify the extension and it
will not work with full path script. Therefore I tried following script (stored
under "c:\apps\bat\testperl.bat", "c:\apps\bat" being set in the Path):

@goto ;#DOS
print("This is Perl speaking: $0 @ARGV\n");
__END__
:;#DOS
@echo This is DOS
speaking: %0 %*
@perl -S %0 %*

 
And tried following calls:
·        
Calling "c:\apps\bat\testperl.bat param1 param2 param3" returns:

This is DOS speaking:
c:\apps\bat\testperl.bat param1 param2 param3
This is Perl
speaking: c:\apps\bat\testperl.bat param1 param2 param3

 
·        
Calling "testperl.bat param1 param2 param3" returns:

This is DOS speaking:
testperl.bat param1 param2 param3
This is Perl
speaking: c:\apps\bat/testperl.bat param1 param2 param3

 
·        
Calling "testperl param1 param2 param3" returns:

This is DOS speaking:
testperl param1 param2 param3
This is Perl
speaking: c:\apps\bat/testperl.bat param1 param2 param3

 
·        
Renaming "testperl.bat"
by "test
perl.bat" and calling

" "test
perl" param1 param2 param3" returns:

This is DOS speaking:
"test perl" param1 param2 param3
This is Perl
speaking: c:\apps\bat/test perl.bat param1 param2 param3

 
·        
Even "TESTPE~1.BAT param1 param2 param3" returns:

This is DOS speaking:
TESTPE~1.BAT param1 param2 param3
This is Perl
speaking: c:\apps\bat/TESTPE~1.BAT param1 param2 param3

 
Now let's check some error cases:
·        
When Perl works fine,"echo %errorlevel%" returns then:

0

 
·        
Perl is not in the Path or not installed:
·        
change "@perl -S %0 %*" with "@XXXperl ‑S %0 %*"
·        
This returns:

This is DOS speaking:
testperl param1 param2 param3
Der Befehl "XXXperl" ist
entweder falsch geschrieben oder
konnte nicht gefunden
werden.

·        
"echo %errorlevel%" returns then:

9009

 
·        
When Perl script has troubles:
·        
change back "@XXXperl ‑S %0 %*" with "@perl -S %0 %*"
·        
insert a new line "print 1/0;" before line "__END__":
·        
This returns:

This is DOS speaking:
testperl param1 param2 param3
This is Perl
speaking: c:\apps\bat/testperl.bat param1 param2 param3
Illegal division by
zero at c:\apps\bat/testperl.bat line 3.

·        
"echo %errorlevel%" returns then:

9

 
·        
When Perl script returns an exit code:
·        
replace "print 1/0;"
with "exit 5;":
·        
This returns:

This is DOS speaking:
testperl param1 param2 param3
This is Perl
speaking: c:\apps\bat/testperl.bat param1 param2 param3

·        
"echo %errorlevel%" returns then:

5