Decompiling WinBatch programs

[guuzendesu]

I'm just wondering, is it any easier or more difficult to decompile a WinBatch program than anything else?

[jmburton2001]

It's always been my understanding that Winbatch executables are virtually impossible to decompile.

If you're an author you could provide a mechanism in your script that will print the source code to a human readable text file upon execution, or provide a mechanism (like a button) inside the executable GUI that would allow a user to print the source.

If an author is a current maintainer of the executables, they should probably create a way for the executable to produce the source "on demand" in the interest of continuity.

[td]

The simplest way to avoid ever having to ask about decompiling; backup computers regularly and maintain a source code management policy or system.

https://techsupt.winbatch.com/webcgi/webbatch.exe?techsupt/nftechsupt.web+WinBatch/Compiler+Decompile~a~Compiled~WB~EXE.txt

[jmburton2001]

The simplest way...

Agreed. Backup, backup, backup (and in my case, backup some more).  ;)

My answer was based on the premise that the author didn't perform "the simplest way" and OP has no access to the original source. I figured that was the motive for the question.

Over the years I've pondered a way to get the source out of my exe's if I absolutely had to. I have multiple on and off-site backups so it's always been on the back, back, back (ad nauseam) burner.

[td]

The link to the Tech Database article covers the not so simple alternatives.

[guuzendesu]

Thank you both.

[snowsnowsnow]

I think it needs to be made clear that the inability to do this is a feature, not a bug.

(I'm not being sarcastic or ironic or anything like that)

A lot of <blank>ing trouble was gone to to make it extremely difficult (read: impossible) to "de-compile" WB code.  Presumably, this was done to protect the company's big corporate clients.

And, of course, it is always possible that when posters post asking if it can be done, that they are not the author of the code in question (if you get my drift...)

[Weiss]

I'm just wondering, is it any easier or more difficult to decompile a WinBatch program than anything else?

Try it yourself with online decompiler.

[jmburton2001]

Try it yourself with online decompiler.

I tried a couple and it consistently returned the following error:

"Something went wrong. Apparently your uploaded file was not created using supported programming language (C#, F# or VB.NET)."

Once again... Winbatch executables are virtually impossible to decompile.