Windows & DOS: Issues & Discussions

You don't have DOS, you have CMD. You really need to pay attention.

1) I already told you, syntax for batch file and prompt are slightly different. I give you code that works in prompt, you paste it in batch?

2) The command, as is, is echo rename. What exactly do you think that's going to do?

Check that it prints the right names, first. Then remove the echo, and it will run 'rename' instead of 'echo rename'.

I guarantee that the code as I gave it works in Windows CMD here.



See how it strips the first two letters from the names?

I'm using Windows XP. If you have that or newer, should support the same syntax.

And a version which works in batch:

Code:

for %%A in (*.txt) DO (
        set V=%%A
        echo rename %V% %V:~2%
        )

It needs %% instead of % because:

Well it wasn't paying attention on the cmd basis, cause I tried it three different ways.

HOWEVER the echo removed actually works !.... in cmd

Code:

for %%A in (*.txt) DO (
        set V=%%a
        echo rename %V% %V:~2%
        )

nope, not working in a batch file

Perhaps now you understand my reluctance to use Windows CMD loops. echo rename works when rename doesn't because of inane inconsistencies in Windows' CMD parser.

Also, the variable set in the batch file is persistent, so if you mess it up one execution, you might still think it's working the next even when it isn't (because you messed up the syntax of set and it silently failed)

Oh, and sometimes it does the trick of setting the variable outside the loop but not inside it. Which makes interesting side-effects given the above.

The main problem is the difference between the special %a/%%a variable for generates, and the more normal environment variables required to do string operations. They don't cooperate, not being set properly inside the loop somehow. And all the special operations for for's special variables have been replaced with ones related to expanding file paths.