Binaryworld - Create console apps that return an exit code ... [ VB.net -> Language ]

Writing an application that returns an ERRORLEVEL to Dos is quite difficult in VB6, because you are forced to use a Windows API that ends the application immediately, thus preventing orderly release of resources. Conversely, this task is quite simple in VB.NET, thanks to the Exit static method of the Environment class.

' Terminate the current application and return ERRORLEVEL = 1
Environment.Exit(1)

As with any regular command-line utility, you can test the errorlevel in a batch file as follows

Click here to copy the following block

@ECHO OFF
REM call the app that can set the errorlevel
MyApp
REM higher errorlevels must be tested first
IF ERRORLEVEL 3 GOTO e3
IF ERRORLEVEL 2 GOTO e2
IF ERRORLEVEL 1 GOTO e1

REM Add here code for Errorlevel = 0
REM ...
GOTO End

:e1
REM Add here code for Errorlevel = 1
REM ...
GOTO End

:e2
REM Add here code for Errorlevel = 2
REM ...
GOTO End

:e3
REM Add here code for Errorlevel = 3
REM ...

:End

UPDATE: Richard Deeming and Burton Rodman wrote us to point at an alternative, and much cleaner way, to have your VB app return an exit code to the operating system. You just have to create a Function named Main, which returns an Integer, as in:

Click here to copy the following block

Function Main() As Integer
  ' ...
  ' Return ERRORLEVEL = 1
  Return 1
End Function