string manipulation in a batch file... - alt.msdos.batch.nt

Message from discussion string manipulation in a batch file...

Clay Calvert

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More options Mar 25 2001, 10:50 am

Newsgroups: alt.msdos.batch.nt

From: Clay Calvert <ccalv...@wanguru.com>

Date: Sun, 25 Mar 2001 10:50:03 -0500

Local: Sun, Mar 25 2001 10:50 am

Subject: Re: string manipulation in a batch file...

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On Sun, 25 Mar 2001 09:26:14 GMT, "D'oh" <aa...@chebucto.ns.ca> wrote:
>It is my understanding that Windows 2000 (possibly NT?) has finally
>introduced some string manipulating capabilities. Do any of you know of any
>good sites that give an overview/examples of this? I've searched the net
>but have come up empty (which doesn't surprise me....I can't seem to find
>anything anymore :).

>Right now what I want to do is pretty simple (search for a substring [which
>I could do right now by piping the variable to file and using find] and
>possibly character/substring replacement [which I gather can be done by the
>set command from reading one of the earlier posts]).

>Thanks,

>Greg

SET %Var%=%Var:str1=str2% is the syntax for string replacement in NT
and Win2K.

Set WeekDay=Monday
Set WeekDay=%WeekDay:Mon=Satur%
Echo %WeekDay%

The following are examples of variable substitution and parsing in
Windows NT and Windows 2000.

A "#" character will indicate functionality only available in Windows
2000.

More information can be found from running "Set /?" and "For /?".

A "one-sided" variable is a single character variable that has a
single percent sign preceding the character.

Examples: %1 and %a

"Two-sided" variables can have more than one character and have a
percentage sign on both sides.
Examples: %temp% and %path%

%PATH:str1=str2% Substitution [: and =] Two sided only
%PATH:str1=%
%PATH:*str1=str2%

%Test:ab=xy% 123456789xycdef0
%Test:ab=% 123456789cdef0
%Test:*ab=% cdef0
%Test:*ab=XY% XYcdef0

[%:~X and %:~X,Y] Two sided variables only

The following string will be used for these examples:
set test=123456789abcdef0

Grab only the first 5 characters
%test:~0,5%
12345

Skip 7 characters and then grab the next 5
%test:~7,5%
89abc

Skip 7 characters and then grab everything else
%test:~7%
89abcdef0

Grab only the last 7 characters #
%test:~-7%
abcdef0

Grabs everything BUT the last 7 characters #
%test:~0,-7%
123456789

Grab between 7 from the front and 5 from the back #
%test:~7,-5%
89ab

Go back 7 from the end then grab 5 towards the end #
%test:~-7,5%
abcde

Grab between 7 from the end and 5 from the end #
%test:~-7,-5%
ab

[%~letter] One sided variables only

%~I removes any surrounding quotes (")
%~fI Fully qualified path name
%~dI Drive letter only
%~pI Path only
%~nI file Name only
%~xI eXtension only
%~sI Short names only
%~aI Attributes #
%~tI Time and date of file #
%~zI siZe of file #

[%~$string] Two-sided
%~$PATH:I searches the PATH and expands to the full name of the
first found

The modifiers can be combined to get compound results:

%~dpI - expands %I to a drive letter and path only
%~nxI - expands %I to a file name and extension only
%~fsI - expands %I to a full path name with short names only
%~dp$PATH:i - searches the PATH and expands to the drive letter and
path of the first found
%~ftzaI - expands %I to a DIR like output line #

In the above examples %I and PATH can be replaced by other valid
values. The %~ syntax is terminated by a valid FOR variable name.
Picking upper case variable names like %I makes it more readable and
avoids confusion with the modifiers, which are not case sensitive.

Clay Calvert
CCalv...@Wanguru.com
Replace "W" with "L"

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