CODEWITHSUNDEEP
batch-filecmddos
m_pGladiator
m_pGladiator

Reputation: 8620

How to create empty text file from a batch file?

Can somebody remember what was the command to create an empty file in MSDOS using BAT file?

Upvotes: 290

Views: 637292

Answers (13)

TheSmurf
TheSmurf

Reputation: 15588

echo. 2>EmptyFile.txt

This redirects output stream 2 (stderr) to a file. The command echo doesn't output anything to stderr, so the file becomes empty.

Plain echo would work too, but echo. is better because it doesn't print the useless and potentially confusing message ECHO is on.

Upvotes: 258

ScriptKidd
ScriptKidd

Reputation: 851

There are infinite approaches.

Commands that output nothing:

break
cls
color
goto
pushd
popd
prompt
title

Weird Commands:

CD.
REM.
@echo off
cmd /c
START >FILE

The outdated print command produces a blank file:

print /d:EMPTY_TEXT_FILE nul

Upvotes: 2

Wolfpack'08
Wolfpack'08

Reputation: 4128

IMPORTANT:

If you don't set the encoding, many softwares can break. git is a very popular example.

Set-Content "your_ignore_file.txt" .gitignore -Encoding utf8 this is case-sensitive and forces utf8 encoding!

Upvotes: -3

script'n'code
script'n'code

Reputation: 365

If there's a possibility that the to be written file already exists and is read only, use the following code:

ATTRIB -R filename.ext
CD .>filename.ext

If no file exists, simply do:

CD .>filename.ext

(updated/changed code according to DodgyCodeException's comment)

To supress any errors that may arise:

ATTRIB -R filename.ext>NUL
(CD .>filename.ext)2>NUL

Upvotes: 11

foxidrive
foxidrive

Reputation: 41307

One more to add to the books - short and sweet to type.

break>file.txt
break>"file with spaces in name.txt"

Upvotes: 9

n611x007
n611x007

Reputation: 9282

Techniques I gathered from other answers:

Makes a 0 byte file a very clear, backward-compatible way:

type nul >EmptyFile.txt

idea via: anonymous, Danny Backett, possibly others, myself inspired by JdeBP's work

A 0 byte file another way, it's backward-compatible-looking:

REM. >EmptyFile.txt

idea via: Johannes

A 0 byte file 3rd way backward-compatible-looking, too:

echo. 2>EmptyFile.txt

idea via: TheSmurf

A 0 byte file the systematic way probably available since Windows 2000:

fsutil file createnew EmptyFile.txt 0

idea via: Emm

A 0 bytes file overwriting readonly files

ATTRIB -R filename.ext>NUL
(CD.>filename.ext)2>NUL

idea via: copyitright

A single newline (2 bytes: 0x0D 0x0A in hex notation, alternatively written as \r\n):

echo.>AlmostEmptyFile.txt

Note: no space between echo, . and >.

idea via: How can you echo a newline in batch files?

edit It seems that any invalid command redirected to a file would create an empty file. heh, a feature! compatibility: uknown

TheInvisibleFeature <nul >EmptyFile.txt

A 0 bytes file: invalid command/ with a random name (compatibility: uknown):

%RANDOM%-%TIME:~6,5% <nul >EmptyFile.txt

via: great source for random by Hung Huynh

edit 2 Andriy M points out the probably most amusing/provoking way to achieve this via invalid command

A 0 bytes file: invalid command/ the funky way (compatibility: unknown)

*>EmptyFile.txt

idea via: Andriy M

A 0 bytes file 4th-coming way: 

break > file.txt

idea via: foxidrive thanks to comment of Double Gras!

Upvotes: 85

PeterE
PeterE

Reputation: 11

You can also use SET to create a null byte file as follows

set x=x > EmptyFile.txt

Or if you don't want to create an extra variable reassign an existing variable like

set PROMPT=%PROMPT% > EmptyFile.txt

or like this:

set "PROMPT=%PROMPT%" > EmptyFile.txt

Upvotes: 1

Batchman
Batchman

Reputation: 1

The easiest way is:

echo. > Filename.txt

Upvotes: -3

Emm
Emm

Reputation: 71

fsutil file createnew file.cmd 0

Upvotes: 7

Mark Fanto
Mark Fanto

Reputation:

You can use a TYPE command instead of COPY. Try this:

TYPE File1.txt>File2.txt

Where File1.txt is empty.

Upvotes: 2

Anonymous
Anonymous

Reputation: 

type NUL > EmptyFile.txt

After reading the previous two posts, this blend of the two is what I came up with. It seems a little cleaner. There is no need to worry about redirecting the "1 file(s) copied." message to NUL, like the previous post does, and it looks nice next to the ECHO OutputLineFromLoop >> Emptyfile.txt that will usually follow in a batch file.

Upvotes: 207

Johannes
Johannes

Reputation: 271

REM. > empty.file

Upvotes: 27

ephemient
ephemient

Reputation: 205034

copy NUL EmptyFile.txt

DOS has a few special files (devices, actually) that exist in every directory, NUL being the equivalent of UNIX's /dev/null: it's a magic file that's always empty and throws away anything you write to it. Here's a list of some others; CON is occasionally useful as well.

To avoid having any output at all, you can use

copy /y NUL EmptyFile.txt >NUL

/y prevents copy from asking a question you can't see when output goes to NUL.

Upvotes: 411

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