What would be the Windows batch equivalent for HTML's input type=“password”?

Question

I need to get authentication credentials from the users within a Windows script but the classic \"first Google result\" approach:

SET /P USR=Username: 
SET /         


        

Answer 1

We do stuff like this all the time but put the password in the commandline and pass it to a variable in the batch file.

Answer 2

By judicious use of another tool freely available on Windows, the following two scripts do the job you want.

First, GetPwd.cmd:

@echo off
:: GetPwd.cmd - Get password with no echo.
<nul: set /p passwd=Password: 
for /f "delims=" %%i in ('cscript /nologo GetPwd.vbs') do set passwd=%%i
echo.
:: This bit's just to prove we have the password.
echo %passwd%

Then, GetPwd.vbs:

' GetPwd.vbs - Get password with no echo then echo it. '
Set oScriptPW = CreateObject("ScriptPW.Password")
strPassword = oScriptPW.GetPassword()
Wscript.StdOut.WriteLine strPassword

Explanation:

GetPwd.vbs simply uses the password object to input the password from the user and then print it to standard output (next paragraph will explain why that doesn't show up in the terminal).

GetPwd.cmd is a bit trickier (but command scripts usually are).

The "<nul: set /p passwd=Password: " command simply outputs the prompt with no trailing CR/LF - it's a sneaky way to emulate bash's "echo -n". It sets passwd to an empty string as a side effect and doesn't wait for input since it's taking its input from the nul: device.

The "for /f "delims=" %%i in ('cscript /nologo GetPwd.vbs') do set passwd=%%i" statement is the trickiest bit. It runs the vbscript with no Microsoft advertising (/nologo), so that the only line output is the password (from the vbscript "Wscript.StdOut.WriteLine strPassword".

Setting the delimiters to nothing is required to capture input lines with spaces, otherwise you just get the first word. The "for ... do set ..." sets passwd to be the actual password output from the vbscript.

Then we echo a blank line (actually terminate the "Password: " line) and echo the password so you can verify it works:

C:\Pax> GetPwd
Password:
this is my password

C:\Pax> 

The scriptpw.dll is available with XP and 2K3 but not necessarily later versions.

Instructions for Vista and presumably Win7 are below, give them a try:

To mask the password, the script takes advantage of the ScriptPW COM object. ScriptPW is loaded by default on Windows XP and Windows 2003. If you’re running Windows 2000 or Windows Vista, you will need to copy the scriptpw.dll file from the Windows\System32 folder of an XP system, or Windows 2003 system to the Winnt\System32 or Windows\System32 folder on your Windows 2000 or Vista system. Once the DLL has been copied, you will need to register it by running the command:

regsvr32 scriptpw.dll

To successfully register the DLL on a Vista machine, you will need to open the command prompt as administrator. To do this, click Start | All Programs | Accessories. Then right-click on the Command Prompt shortcut and select “Run as administrator.” Once at the command prompt as administrator, you’ll be able to successfully run the regsvr32 scriptpw.dll command to register the DLL.

Answer 3

I wrote an open-source tool called editenv that replaces my older editv32/editv64 utilities:

https://github.com/Bill-Stewart/editenv

It provides the --maskinput (-m) option[*] that lets you hide the typed input. Example:

editenv -m -p "Password: " PWD

This command displays a Password: prompt, and whatever you enter is placed in the PWD environment variable.

Download here:

https://github.com/Bill-Stewart/editenv/releases

[*] Note that the --maskinput (-m) option is not secure -- typed input is placed in plain-text in the environment. This feature is for convenience only.

Answer 4

If you can install Cygwin, you'll get a bash shell by default, so this command will work:

read -s -p "Password: " PASSWORD

Only problem is now the value of PASSWORD is only set in the bash shell, not as an environment variable a batch file can see (don't use PWD as this means something else in cygwin). So you would have to rewrite your script as a bash shell script (maybe not too hard given the limitations of the command prompt!).

Or you could pass the password into a batch script from cygwin, but this means running a new instance of the command prompt:

cmd /cyourbatchfile.bat $PASSWORD

All a bit convoluted and not at all satisfying ;)

Answer 5

check out this

http://www.netikka.net/tsneti/info/tscmd052.htm

@echo off & setlocal enableextensions
    :: Build a Visual Basic Script
    set vbs_=%temp%\tmp$$$.vbs
    set skip=
    findstr "'%skip%VBS" "%~f0" > "%vbs_%"
    ::
    :: Prompting without linefeed as in Item #15
    echo.|set /p="Password: "

    :: Run the script with Microsoft Windows Script Host Version 5.6
    for /f "tokens=* delims=" %%a in ('cscript //nologo "%vbs_%"') do set MyPass1=%%a

    ::
    ::echo.
    echo.|set /p="Retype  : "

    for /f "tokens=* delims=" %%a in ('cscript //nologo "%vbs_%"') do set MyPass2=%%a
    ::

    :: Clean up
    for %%f in ("%vbs_%") do if exist %%f del %%f
    ::
    :: Demonstrate the result
    echo.
    if "%MyPass1%"=="%MyPass2%" (
      echo The entered password was %MyPass1%
      ) else (
      echo No match)
    endlocal & goto :EOF
    '
    'The Visual Basic Script
    Set WshPass = WScript.CreateObject("ScriptPW.Password") 'VBS
    Password=WshPass.GetPassWord() 'VBS
    WScript.Echo PassWord 'VBS

Answer 6

1.Pure batch solution that (ab)uses XCOPY command and its /P /L switches found here :

:: Hidden.cmd
::Tom Lavedas, 02/05/2013, 02/20/2013
::Carlos, 02/22/2013
::https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.msdos.batch.nt/f7mb_f99lYI


@Echo Off
:HInput
SetLocal EnableExtensions EnableDelayedExpansion
Set "FILE=%Temp%.\T"
Set "FILE=.\T"
Keys List >"%File%"
Set /P "=Hidden text ending with Ctrl-C?: " <Nul
Echo.
Set "HInput="
:HInput_
For /F "tokens=1* delims=?" %%A In (
 '"Xcopy /P /L "%FILE%" "%FILE%" 2>Nul"'
) Do (
  Set "Text=%%B"
  If Defined Text (
    Set "Char=!Text:~1,1!"
    Set "Intro=1"
    For /F delims^=^ eol^= %%Z in ("!Char!") Do Set "Intro=0"
    Rem If press Intro
    If 1 Equ !Intro! Goto :HInput#
    Set "HInput=!HInput!!Char!"
  )
)
Goto :HInput_
:HInput#
Echo(!HInput!
Goto :Eof 

2.Password submitter that uses a HTA pop-up . This is a hybrit .bat/jscript/mshta file and should be saved as a .bat:

<!-- :
:: PasswordSubmitter.bat
@echo off
for /f "tokens=* delims=" %%p in ('mshta.exe "%~f0"') do (
    set "pass=%%p"
)

echo your password is %pass%
exit /b
-->

<html>
<head><title>Password submitter</title></head>
<body>

    <script language='javascript' >
        function pipePass() {
            var pass=document.getElementById('pass').value;
            var fso= new ActiveXObject('Scripting.FileSystemObject').GetStandardStream(1);
            close(fso.Write(pass));

        }
    </script>

    <input type='password' name='pass' size='15'></input>
    <hr>
    <button onclick='pipePass()'>Submit</button>

</body>
</html>

3.A self-compiled .net hybrid .Again should be saved as .bat .In difference with other solutions it will create/compile a small .exe file that will be called (if you wish you can delete it). Also requires installed .net framework but that's rather not a problem:

@if (@X)==(@Y) @end /* JScript comment
@echo off
setlocal

for /f "tokens=* delims=" %%v in ('dir /b /s /a:-d  /o:-n "%SystemRoot%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\*jsc.exe"') do (
   set "jsc=%%v"
)

if not exist "%~n0.exe" (
    "%jsc%" /nologo /out:"%~n0.exe" "%~dpsfnx0"
)

for /f "tokens=* delims=" %%p in ('"%~n0.exe"') do (
    set "pass=%%p"
)

echo your password is %pass%

endlocal & exit /b %errorlevel%

*/



import System;



var pwd = "";
var key;

Console.Error.Write("Enter password: ");

        do {
           key = Console.ReadKey(true);
           if ( (key.KeyChar.ToString().charCodeAt(0)) >= 20 && (key.KeyChar.ToString().charCodeAt(0) <= 126) ) {
              pwd=pwd+(key.KeyChar.ToString());
              Console.Error.Write("*");
           }   

        } while (key.Key != ConsoleKey.Enter);
        Console.Error.WriteLine();
        Console.WriteLine(pwd);