Run dos games using dosbox.conf and not specifying a launch file

[triggerthehorizon]

I have a bunch of windows 3.1 games where there are several complex autoexec commands in a custom dosbox.conf file. I can't seem to figure out how to get launchbox to play the games by only following the autoexec commands in my dosbox.conf. It seems it insists on me specifying an .exe 

 

example:

[autoexec]
# Lines in this section will be run at startup.
@echo off
imgmount D "CD\DS2.iso" -t iso
mount C HDD -freesize 5000
?
c:\windows\smartdrv.exe
SET PATH=%PATH%;C:\WINDOWS; 
SET TEMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP
lh devlod C:\SB16\DRV\CSP.SYS /UNIT=0 /BLASTER=A:220
lh devlod C:\SB16\DRV\CTMMSYS.SYS
SET SOUND=C:\SB16
SET BLASTER=A220 I7 D1 H5 P330 T6
SET MIDI=SYNTH:1 MAP:E
C:\SB16\MIXERSET /P /Q
#windows\win /b

win c:\runexit\runexit c:\DARKSEED\DARK0001.EXE
exit

 

Is there a way to have launchbox work by only specifying the path to the custom dosbox.conf file and not have to point it to an exe ? Whenever I try this dosbox loads and closes right away

Edited January 1, 2020 by triggerthehorizon

[triggerthehorizon]

I figured out my problem:

 

in my conf file, when I tell dosbox to mount c "./" I am assuming it is mounting the root folder of my game but it is actually mounting the folder where dosbox.exe is located. Would it no tmake more sense if ./ was the root folder of the game?

[Zombeaver]

It has no way of knowing what the root folder of the game is - the game folder is whatever you tell it (or don't tell it) it is. The only thing it knows upon start is where it (DOSBox) is located, so any relative paths (.\ ..\ etc.) are based on DOSBox's location. This is the same way relative paths in Launchbox work, FYI.

Some versions of DOSBox (like Daum) do have auto-mounting paths based on the location of an .exe you specify (drag and drop .exe starting), but not standard DOSBox. Even then though, that doesn't make .\ = the game's folder, it just auto-fills the path correctly relative to DOSBox's location.