Need Help With Script

[Guest Will]

I need help with a simple script. I want to put the output of a command

into an environment variable, and I tried this construction in a CMD file:

 

for /f "usebackq delims=" %%i in (`D:\USR\BINTU\MKSNT\date +%a`) do set

dayofweek=%%i

 

The moment this line of the script executes, the script is terminated with

no error. It looks to me like the date.exe command I am calling is exiting

in a way that doesn't allow a return back to the script that called it.

The %dayofweek% environment variable is NOT being set.

 

Any thoughts on how I can get this to work?

 

--

Will

[Guest Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Re: Need Help With Script

 

 

"Will" <westes-usc@noemail.nospam> wrote in message

news:zeidnW4I44EhB0vVnZ2dnUVZ_oWdnZ2d@giganews.com...

>I need help with a simple script. I want to put the output of a command

> into an environment variable, and I tried this construction in a CMD file:

>

> for /f "usebackq delims=" %%i in (`D:\USR\BINTU\MKSNT\date +%a`) do set

> dayofweek=%%i

>

> The moment this line of the script executes, the script is terminated with

> no error. It looks to me like the date.exe command I am calling is

> exiting

> in a way that doesn't allow a return back to the script that called it.

> The %dayofweek% environment variable is NOT being set.

>

> Any thoughts on how I can get this to work?

>

> --

> Will

>

 

Did you try this somewhat simplified syntax?

@echo off

for /f "delims=" %%i in ('D:\USR\BINTU\MKSNT\date +%a') do set dayofweek=%%i

 

A few questions:

- What's %a? If it's a loop variable (perhaps from an outer loop)

then it should be %%a.

- What's the + in front of %a? A switch marker?

- When you execute the command

D:\USR\BINTU\MKSNT\date > c:\test.txt

and examine c:\test.txt with a binary viewer (e.g. debug.exe), what

exactly do you see? Is it an ASCII file? Unicode? What are the last

few characters in the file?

[Guest Will]

Re: Need Help With Script

 

"Pegasus (MVP)" <I.can@fly.com.oz> wrote in message

news:ufm5Q7BHJHA.740@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...

>

> "Will" <westes-usc@noemail.nospam> wrote in message

> news:zeidnW4I44EhB0vVnZ2dnUVZ_oWdnZ2d@giganews.com...

> >I need help with a simple script. I want to put the output of a command

> > into an environment variable, and I tried this construction in a CMD

file:

> >

> > for /f "usebackq delims=" %%i in (`D:\USR\BINTU\MKSNT\date +%a`) do set

> > dayofweek=%%i

> >

> > The moment this line of the script executes, the script is terminated

with

> > no error. It looks to me like the date.exe command I am calling is

> > exiting

> > in a way that doesn't allow a return back to the script that called it.

> > The %dayofweek% environment variable is NOT being set.

> >

> > Any thoughts on how I can get this to work?

> >

> > --

> > Will

> >

>

> Did you try this somewhat simplified syntax?

> @echo off

> for /f "delims=" %%i in ('D:\USR\BINTU\MKSNT\date +%a') do set

dayofweek=%%i

>

> A few questions:

> - What's %a? If it's a loop variable (perhaps from an outer loop)

> then it should be %%a.

> - What's the + in front of %a? A switch marker?

> - When you execute the command

> D:\USR\BINTU\MKSNT\date > c:\test.txt

> and examine c:\test.txt with a binary viewer (e.g. debug.exe), what

> exactly do you see? Is it an ASCII file? Unicode? What are the last

> few characters in the file?

 

The date.exe I am executing here is a Windows version of the Unix Date

command. The command:

 

date +%a

 

will give the three letter code for the day of the week. On Sunday it

would give output:

 

Sun

 

So to answer your question "%a" is NOT a loop variable from elsewhere in the

script. It is a literal text input string that is interpreted by the date

command for purposes of selecting an output.

 

Redirection of this command from the command line to a file put the

appropriate output there without any problems. Inspecting this output file

with debug gave the expected result of three ASCII characters followed by

0xD 0xA.

 

I tried your simplified syntax without usebackq or backquotes and the script

still dies in the same place.

 

--

Will

[Guest Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Re: Need Help With Script

 

 

"Will" <westes-usc@noemail.nospam> wrote in message

news:VcidnWSj0vlKXUvVnZ2dnUVZ_vOdnZ2d@giganews.com...

> "Pegasus (MVP)" <I.can@fly.com.oz> wrote in message

> news:ufm5Q7BHJHA.740@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...

>>

>> "Will" <westes-usc@noemail.nospam> wrote in message

>> news:zeidnW4I44EhB0vVnZ2dnUVZ_oWdnZ2d@giganews.com...

>> >I need help with a simple script. I want to put the output of a

>> >command

>> > into an environment variable, and I tried this construction in a CMD

> file:

>> >

>> > for /f "usebackq delims=" %%i in (`D:\USR\BINTU\MKSNT\date +%a`) do set

>> > dayofweek=%%i

>> >

>> > The moment this line of the script executes, the script is terminated

> with

>> > no error. It looks to me like the date.exe command I am calling is

>> > exiting

>> > in a way that doesn't allow a return back to the script that called it.

>> > The %dayofweek% environment variable is NOT being set.

>> >

>> > Any thoughts on how I can get this to work?

>> >

>> > --

>> > Will

>> >

>>

>> Did you try this somewhat simplified syntax?

>> @echo off

>> for /f "delims=" %%i in ('D:\USR\BINTU\MKSNT\date +%a') do set

> dayofweek=%%i

>>

>> A few questions:

>> - What's %a? If it's a loop variable (perhaps from an outer loop)

>> then it should be %%a.

>> - What's the + in front of %a? A switch marker?

>> - When you execute the command

>> D:\USR\BINTU\MKSNT\date > c:\test.txt

>> and examine c:\test.txt with a binary viewer (e.g. debug.exe), what

>> exactly do you see? Is it an ASCII file? Unicode? What are the last

>> few characters in the file?

>

> The date.exe I am executing here is a Windows version of the Unix Date

> command. The command:

>

> date +%a

>

> will give the three letter code for the day of the week. On Sunday it

> would give output:

>

> Sun

>

> So to answer your question "%a" is NOT a loop variable from elsewhere in

> the

> script. It is a literal text input string that is interpreted by the

> date

> command for purposes of selecting an output.

>

> Redirection of this command from the command line to a file put the

> appropriate output there without any problems. Inspecting this output

> file

> with debug gave the expected result of three ASCII characters followed by

> 0xD 0xA.

>

> I tried your simplified syntax without usebackq or backquotes and the

> script

> still dies in the same place.

>

> --

> Will

 

If you modify your batch file to read

echo D:\USR\BINTU\MKSNT\date +%a

then you will immediately see that "+%a" translates in "+a". To maintain the

% character, you must code it like so:

echo D:\USR\BINTU\MKSNT\date +%%a

[Guest Will]

Re: Need Help With Script

 

"Pegasus (MVP)" <I.can@fly.com.oz> wrote in message

news:%23dMwkvDHJHA.3932@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...

> If you modify your batch file to read

> echo D:\USR\BINTU\MKSNT\date +%a

> then you will immediately see that "+%a" translates in "+a". To maintain

the

> % character, you must code it like so:

> echo D:\USR\BINTU\MKSNT\date +%%a

 

That was it. Thanks!

 

--

Will