CODEWITHSUNDEEP
batch-filebatch-processing
Ruok2bu
Ruok2bu

Reputation: 5

Batch File: Read path from text file and store every instance as new variable?

I'm trying to read the contents of a text file and store any paths found on each line into their own variable. There's just 1 path on each line and also on each line there's other text (double quotes, a number and a tab).

Is this even possible? I've spent around 6 hours scouring Bing and Google trying to find out if i can do this and i haven't found anything.

Here's an example of the text file:

"LibraryFolders"
{
  "1"       "D:\\Steam Games"
  "2"       "E:\\Steam Games"
}

The number of library folders listed and path of the library folder will be different for every user's computer.

Upvotes: 0

Views: 1564

Answers (2)

rojo
rojo

Reputation: 24476

You know, that data file looks almost like JSON. Just for grins and giggles, I decided to load it into JScript, massage it into valid JSON, create a JScript object from it, then output the object values back into the batch script. It's not as efficient as Magoo's solution, but it was an entertaining exercise nevertheless.

@if (@a==@b) @end /* Harmless hybrid line that begins a JScript comment
@echo off
setlocal

set "JSON=json.txt"

for /f "delims=" %%I in ('cscript /nologo /e:JScript "%~f0" "%JSON%"') do (
    rem :: If you want to do stuff with each path returned,
    rem :: change "delims=" to "tokens=2 delims==" above.
    rem :: Then for each iteration of the loop, %%I will
    rem :: contain a path from the text file.
    set "%%I"
)

:: display all variables beginning with LibraryFolders
set LibraryFolders

goto :EOF

:: end batch / begin JScript */

var fso = new ActiveXObject('scripting.filesystemobject'),
    JSONfile = fso.OpenTextFile(WSH.Arguments(0), 1);

var JSON = JSONfile.ReadAll().split(/\r?\n/);
JSONfile.close();

// massage the data into valid JSON
for (var i=0; i<JSON.length; i++) {
    if (!i) JSON[i] += ':';
    else if (/^\s*(\"[^\"]+\"\s*){2}$/.test(JSON[i])) {
        JSON[i] = JSON[i].replace(/\"\s+\"/, '": "') + ',';
    }
}
JSON = JSON.join('').replace(/,\s*\}/, '}');

// create new object from now valid JSON text
eval('var obj = {' + JSON + '}');

// dump "var=val" out to be captured by batch for /f loop
for (var i in obj.LibraryFolders) {
    WSH.Echo('LibraryFolders['+i+']=' + obj.LibraryFolders[i]);
}

Upvotes: 1

Magoo
Magoo

Reputation: 80211

@ECHO OFF
SETLOCAL
:: remove variables starting $
FOR  /F "delims==" %%a In ('set $ 2^>Nul') DO SET "%%a="
FOR /f "tokens=1*" %%a IN (q27630202.txt) DO (
 IF "%%~b" neq "" SET "$%%~a=%%~b"
)
SET $

GOTO :EOF

I used a file named q27630202.txt containing your data for my testing.

Upvotes: 3

Related Questions