Using "Double Quotes"
If a single parameter contains spaces, you can still pass it as one item by surrounding in "quotes" - this works well for long filenames.
If a parameter is used to supply a filename like this:
MyBatch.cmd "C:\Program Files\My Data File.txt"
This parameters will be:
%0 =MyBatch
%1 ="C:\Program Files\My Data File.txt"
To launch a batch script with spaces in the Program Path requiring "quotes"
CMD /k ""c:\batch files\test.cmd" "Parameter 1 with space" "Parameter2 with space""
Removing Quotes
A common method of removing quotes from a variable is the following:
:: Remove quotes SET _string=###%_string%### SET _string=%_string:"###=% SET _string=%_string:###"=% SET _string=%_string:###=%
Unfortunately this will fail if the
variable is NULL.
Here are some batch routines to remove quotes.
Working without Quotes
Without surrounding quotes, a long filename will be passed as %1 %2 %3...
MyBatch C:\Program Files\My Data File.txt
To refer to the pathname above use %* rather than %1 %2 %3 - the %* will cover all parameters - even if there are more than %9
You can apply Extended Filename syntax to %* with the following workaround:
@ECHO OFF SET _params=%* :: pass params to a subroutine CALL :sub "%_params%" GOTO :eof :sub :: Now display just the filename (not path) ECHO %~n1
Delimiters separate one parameter from the next ( they split the command line up into words)
Parameters are normally separated by spaces, but any of the following are also valid delimiters.
Comma ,
Semicolon ;
Equals =
Space
Tab
Notice that although / and - are commonly used to separate command options, they are absent from the list above. This is because batch file parameters are passed to CMD.exe which can accept it's own parameters (which are invoked using / and - )
Most commands will accept any of the delimiters above with the exception of FOR - the FOR command assumes a SPACE delimiter - for anything else you need to specify the `delims=' option.
When using the TAB character as a delimiter be aware that many text editors will insert a TAB as a series of SPACEs.
When you use %* to refer to all parameters, the value returned will include the delimiters, under NT 4.0 this will include the leading space, under Win 2000 and above it won't.
^ Escape character.
Adding the escape character before a command symbol allows it to be treated as ordinary text.
When piping or redirecting any of these charcters you should prefix with the escape character: \ & | > < ^
e.g. ^\ ^& ^| ^> ^< ^^
The escape character can be used to escape itself ^^ (meaning don’t treat the first ^ as an escape character), so you are escaping the escape character:
The characters in bold get escaped:
^& => &
^^^& => ^&
^^^^^& => ^^&
Some commands (e.g. REG and FINDSTR) use the standard escape character of \ (as used by C, Python, SQL, bash and many other languages.)
The \ escape can cause problems with quoted directory paths that contain a trailing backslash because the \" at the end of the line will be escaped.
To save a directory path with a trailing backslash (\) requires adding a second backslash to 'escape the escape'
so for example instead of "C:\My Docs\" use "C:\My Docs\\"
If it’s not sure that the path will include a trailing backslash, you can test for it:
Set _prog=C:\Program Files\SS64 App\
IF %_prog:~-1% EQU \ (Set _prog=%_prog%\)
REG ADD HKCU\Environment /f /v OfficePath /t REG_SZ /d "%_prog%"
“All the best stories in the world are but one story in reality - the story of escape. It is the only thing which interests us all and at all times, how to escape” - A. C. Benson
Related:
SETLOCAL EnableDelayedExpansion - More examples, particularly for HTML.
Long Filenames and NTFS - Valid characters in filenames
cmd Syntax
Powershell Escape Character
