is ant a batch file?
If so, try (or try anyway)
CALL ant run
OR
START "windowname" ant run
where you can add /wait to the START command to have the batch wait for the first ant to finish before proceeding.
see
`start /?`
from the prompt for docco.
(following comment)
Here is your original code:
start cmd
cd /d C:\Users\MeUser\Downloads\selenium-grid-1.0.8\examples\java2
ant run
cd /d C:\Users\MeUser\Downloads\selenium-grid-1.0.8\examples\java3
ant run
What this should have done is:
- Start a brand-new CMD window
- change to the specified sirectory
- Start the executable
ant with the parameter run
Now - I've just downloaded ANT and I find that it includes ANT.BAT and ANT.CMD but NOT ANT.EXE.
In your environment, you would have a variable called PATHEXT whis is a semicolon-separated list of the valid executable extensions, in order of selection. In all probability, unless you've taken specific action to change it, this will be PATHEXT=.COM;.EXE;.BAT;.CMD;.VBS;.VBE;.JS;.JSE;.WSF;.WSH;.MSC
What this means is that the ANT that will be executed is ANT.BAT if you've added its directory to your path (which, I believe, is in the instructions)
So executing the ANT.BAT will TRANSFER execution to ANT.BAT.
SO:
I see no reason why you are producing a new CMD window.
cd /d C:\Users\MeUser\Downloads\selenium-grid-1.0.8\examples\java2
CALL ant run
cd /d C:\Users\MeUser\Downloads\selenium-grid-1.0.8\examples\java3
CALL ant run
should work.
cd /d C:\Users\MeUser\Downloads\selenium-grid-1.0.8\examples\java2
START /wait "First ANT" ant run
cd /d C:\Users\MeUser\Downloads\selenium-grid-1.0.8\examples\java3
START /wait "Second ANT" ant run
should also work.
Note the position of the /wait If it follows the start then cmd knows it's a start parameter. If it follows ant then cmd will assume it's an ant parameter.
The /wait simply tells CMD to WAIT until the executable is finished before continuing.
This:
cd /d C:\Users\MeUser\Downloads\selenium-grid-1.0.8\examples\java2
START "First ANT" ant run
cd /d C:\Users\MeUser\Downloads\selenium-grid-1.0.8\examples\java3
START "Second ANT" ant run
should also work, but this time the second ANT instance will be started in parallel with the first (well, milliseconds later)
Note also the "quoted string" before the ant. The syntax of the START statement is to allow a "quoted string" as a window title. The quoted string may be empty "" if you wish. You can even omit the quoted string altogether EXCEPT if the executable is quoted, in which case the window title is required.