How to properly report an exit status in batch?

Question

I\'m facing a weird situation where a batch file I wrote reports an incorrect exit status. Here is a minimal sample that reproduces the problem:

bug.cmd

Answer 1

@dbenham's answers are good. I am not trying to suggest otherwise. But, I have found it reliable to use a variable for the return code and a common exit point. Yes, it takes a few extra lines, but also allows additional cleanup that, if necessary, would have to be added to every exit point.

@ECHO OFF
SET EXITCODE=0

if "" == "" (
        echo first if
        set EXITCODE=%ERRORLEVEL%
        GOTO TheEnd

        if "" == "" (
                echo second if
        )
)

:TheEnd
EXIT /B %EXITCODE%