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Set DOS Variable to Command Output

Hello,

In a Windows DOS Console batch file I need to set the output of a command to a variable. This is what technique I use now:

time /t > %TMP%\time.txt
set /p TIME1="" < %TMP%\time.txt

I use the time command as an example as I need to do this with similar commands that have small outputs. The main goal is to be able to set the variable value to the output of a command WITHOUT having to dump it to a file first as shown above.

For example. in a UNIX Bourne shell script I would do it like this: MYVAR=`mycommand`

What can you recommend?

Thanks,

Michael4606

Steve Knight

Well you could probably do it with a pipe but that doesn't appear to work:

time /t|set /p test=""

But you can do it using a for command:

for /f "tokens=*" %a in ('time /t') do set test=%a

or from a batch file us %%a instead.

You can do much more with for and set (have a look at set /? and for /?) to parse the output of the command etc. if needed too.

Steve

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Steve Knight

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knightEknight

or, in the case of time and date, just use the system variable already available:

@echo time: %time% , date: %date%

Steve Knight

Well yes, of course, but I was assuming that this was relating to the output of other application as was suggested, otherwise bit of a sledgehammer / nut situation :-)

You can also do it one line with

yourapp.exe > %temp%\x.txt & set /p test="" <%temp%\x.txt

michael4606

ASKER

Thanks sir - that was the ticket.

Steve Knight

No problem

Steve