# Syntax for execute\_process with two executables in command line
**URL:** https://discourse.cmake.org/t/syntax-for-execute-process-with-two-executables-in-command-line/10141
**Category:** Usage
**Created:** [February 21, 2024, 2:16am UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/syntax-for-execute-process-with-two-executables-in-command-line/10141 "2024-02-21T02:16:24Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@EosPengwern](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/EosPengwern)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2024, 2:16am UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/syntax-for-execute-process-with-two-executables-in-command-line/10141/1 "2024-02-21T02:16:24Z")
In my cmake file, there is a line of the form:
```auto
execute_process(COMMAND cmake -E echo "Executing: my_application.exe file_being_analysed.exe --output results_dir"
COMMAND my_application.exe file_being_analysed.exe --output results_dir)
```
In Linux, this works: no problems.
In Windows, I get an error message:
```auto
Error: Only one binary file can be specified.
```
…which presumably arises from the fact that the two executable files - the one doing the analysis and the one being analysed - occur on the same command line.
The command itself is correct: if I run it exactly as-is from the Windows command line, then it works. This is the required syntax: I can’t change it. So how can I run it from within execute\_process?
I’ve tried enclosing everything after the second COMMAND in quotations; I’ve even tried enclosing everything _including_ the second COMMAND in quotations. In the former case, the whole execute\_process command seems to be silently ignored (i.e. not even the ‘echo’ takes place), while in the latter case the whole contents of execute\_process is echoed but nothing is executed.
What am I missing?
---
### Author:  [@craig.scott](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/craig.scott)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2024, 10:57pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/syntax-for-execute-process-with-two-executables-in-command-line/10141/2 "2024-02-21T22:57:41Z")
Note that when you specify more than one `COMMAND` with `execute_process()`, the two commands are run as one pipeline. The output from the first command is fed as input to the second. This is different to `add_custom_command()` and `add_custom_target()` where multiple `COMMAND` items are executed separately and in order.
Try separating out the commands into two separate `execute_process()` calls and see if that changes your situation. I also recommend you check for errors for each one (the `COMMAND_ERROR_IS_FATAL` keyword makes that easy):
```cmake
execute_process(COMMAND cmake -E echo "Executing: my_application.exe file_being_analysed.exe --output results_dir"
COMMAND_ERROR_IS_FATAL LAST
)
execute_process(COMMAND my_application.exe file_being_analysed.exe --output results_dir
COMMAND_ERROR_IS_FATAL LAST
)
```
---
### Author:  [@EosPengwern](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/EosPengwern)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2024, 11:15pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/syntax-for-execute-process-with-two-executables-in-command-line/10141/3 "2024-02-21T23:15:31Z")
Thank you; yes, it works now.
I think I had misunderstood the original problem, but doing what you suggested helped me to flush it out.
In the _real_ code (as opposed to my [over]simplified example), the actual command being executed is represented as a variable, and it turned out that that string did indeed contain another command, _after_ the one I’d showed, but _only in Windows_ - in Linux the variable did not contain that extra command.
So in fact, now I understand that, it appears that in fact:
```auto
execute_process(COMMAND cmake -E echo "Executing: my_application.exe file_being_analysed.exe --output results_dir"
COMMAND my_application.exe file_being_analysed.exe --output results_dir)
```
…is absolutely fine, on Windows as well as Linux. This wasn’t CMake’s fault!