Windows batch command(s) to read first line from text file

Question

How can I read the first line from a text file using a Windows batch file? Since the file is large I only want to deal with the first line.

Answer 1

Here is a workaround using powershell:

powershell (Get-Content file.txt)[0]

(You can easily read also a range of lines with powershell (Get-Content file.txt)[0..3])

If you need to set a variable inside a batch script as the first line of file.txt you may use:

for /f "usebackq delims=" %%a in (`powershell ^(Get-Content file.txt^)[0]`) do (set "head=%%a")

To test it create a text file test.txt with at least a couple of lines and in the same folder run the following batch file (give to the file the .bat extension):

@echo off
for /f "usebackq delims=" %%a in (`powershell ^(Get-Content test.txt^)[0]`) do (set "head=%%a")
echo Hello
echo %head%
echo End
pause

In the command prompt window that will open, provided that the content of first line of test.txt is line 1, you will see

Hello
line 1
End
Press any key to continue . . .

Answer 2

Print 1st line only (no need to read entire file):

set /p a=< file.txt & echo !a!

To print one line at a time; user to press a key for next line:
(After printing required lines, press Ctrl+C to stop.)

for /f "delims=" %a in (downing.txt) do echo %a & pause>nul

To print 1st n lines (without user intervention):

type nul > tmp & fc tmp "%file%" /lb %n% /t | find /v "?" | more +2

Tested on Win 10 CMD.

Answer 3

powershell Get-Content file.txt -Head 1

This one is much quicker than the other powershell examples above, where the full file is read.

Answer 4

In Windows PowerShell below cmd can be used to get the first line and replace it with a static value

powershell -Command "(gc txt1.txt) -replace (gc txt1.txt)[0], 'This is the first line' | Out-File -encoding ASCII txt1.txt"

Reference

---

How can you find and replace text in a file using the Windows command-line environment?

Answer 5

To cicle a file (file1.txt, file1[1].txt, file1[2].txt, etc.):

START/WAIT C:\LAERCIO\DELPHI\CICLADOR\dprCiclador.exe C:\LAERCIUM\Ciclavel.txt

rem set/p ciclo=< C:\LAERCIUM\Ciclavel.txt:
set/p ciclo=< C:\LAERCIUM\Ciclavel.txt

rem echo %ciclo%:
echo %ciclo%

And it's running.

Answer 6

The problem with the EXIT /B solutions, when more realistically inside a batch file as just one part of it is the following. There is no subsequent processing within the said batch file after the EXIT /B. Usually there is much more to batches than just the one, limited task.

To counter that problem:

@echo off & setlocal enableextensions enabledelayedexpansion
set myfile_=C:\_D\TEST\My test file.txt
set FirstLine=
for /f "delims=" %%i in ('type "%myfile_%"') do (
  if not defined FirstLine set FirstLine=%%i)
echo FirstLine=%FirstLine%
endlocal & goto :EOF

(However, the so-called poison characters will still be a problem.)

More on the subject of getting a particular line with batch commands:

How do I get the n'th, the first and the last line of a text file?" http://www.netikka.net/tsneti/info/tscmd023.htm

[Added 28-Aug-2012] One can also have:

@echo off & setlocal enableextensions
set myfile_=C:\_D\TEST\My test file.txt
for /f "tokens=* delims=" %%a in (
  'type "%myfile_%"') do (
    set FirstLine=%%a& goto _ExitForLoop)
:_ExitForLoop
echo FirstLine=%FirstLine%
endlocal & goto :EOF

Answer 7

Another way

setlocal enabledelayedexpansion
@echo off
for /f "delims=" %%i in (filename.txt) do (
if 1==1 (
set first_line=%%i
echo !first_line!
goto :eof
))

Answer 8

Try this

@echo off
setlocal enableextensions enabledelayedexpansion
set firstLine=1
for /f "delims=" %%i in (yourfilename.txt) do (
    if !firstLine!==1 echo %%i
    set firstLine=0
)
endlocal

Answer 9

Here's a general-purpose batch file to print the top n lines from a file like the GNU head utility, instead of just a single line.

@echo off

if [%1] == [] goto usage
if [%2] == [] goto usage

call :print_head %1 %2
goto :eof

REM
REM print_head
REM Prints the first non-blank %1 lines in the file %2.
REM
:print_head
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
set /a counter=0

for /f ^"usebackq^ eol^=^

^ delims^=^" %%a in (%2) do (
        if "!counter!"=="%1" goto :eof
        echo %%a
        set /a counter+=1
)

goto :eof

:usage
echo Usage: head.bat COUNT FILENAME

For example:

Z:\>head 1 "test file.c"
; this is line 1

Z:\>head 3 "test file.c"
; this is line 1
    this is line 2
line 3 right here

It does not currently count blank lines. It is also subject to the batch-file line-length restriction of 8 KB.

Answer 10

uh? imo this is much simpler

  set /p texte=< file.txt  
  echo %texte%

Answer 11

You might give this a try:

@echo off

for /f %%a in (sample.txt) do (
  echo %%a
  exit /b
)

edit Or, say you have four columns of data and want from the 5th row down to the bottom, try this:

@echo off

for /f "skip=4 tokens=1-4" %%a in (junkl.txt) do (
  echo %%a %%b %%c %%d
)

Answer 12

Uh you guys...

C:\>findstr /n . c:\boot.ini | findstr ^1:

1:[boot loader]

C:\>findstr /n . c:\boot.ini | findstr ^3:

3:default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT

C:\>

Answer 13

Note, the batch file approaches will be limited to the line limit for the DOS command processor - see What is the command line length limit?.

So if trying to process a file that has any lines more that 8192 characters the script will just skip them as the value can't be held.

Answer 14

Thanks to thetalkingwalnut with answer Windows batch command(s) to read first line from text file I came up with the following solution:

@echo off
for /f "delims=" %%a in ('type sample.txt') do (
echo %%a
exit /b
)

Answer 15

One liner, useful for stdout redirect with ">":

@for /f %%i in ('type yourfile.txt') do @echo %%i & exit

Answer 16

Slightly building upon the answers of other people. Now allowing you to specify the file you want to read from and the variable you want the result put into:

@echo off
for /f "delims=" %%x in (%2) do (
set %1=%%x
exit /b
)

This means you can use the above like this (assuming you called it getline.bat)

c:\> dir > test-file
c:\> getline variable test-file
c:\> set variable  
variable= Volume in drive C has no label.