CODEWITHSUNDEEP
batch-filecmd
knightelite
knightelite

Reputation: 13

Running multiple commands in a single line of for /f

I am trying to run more than one command in for /f in the windows command line (or from a batch file). Here's simplified code that exhibits the problem:

for /f "usebackq tokens=*" %a IN (`echo a & echo b`) do echo %a

This gives the error message:

& was unexpected at this time.

Each of the following works fine:

for /f "usebackq tokens=*" %a IN (`echo a`) do echo %a
for /f "usebackq tokens=*" %a IN (`echo b`) do echo %a
echo a & echo b

So my question is whether or not it is possible to run two commands together the way I am trying to do in a single for /f loop.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Upvotes: 1

Views: 842

Answers (1)

Ryan Bemrose
Ryan Bemrose

Reputation: 9266

You need to escape the & so it's parsed as part of the subexpression, and not as part of the FOR. Change & to ^&

for /f "usebackq tokens=*" %a IN (`echo a ^& echo b`) do echo %a

As a side note, this line will work at the command line, but usually you intend to put it into a batch file. In the batch file, you will need to double the percent signs as well by changing %a to %%a, like this:

for /f "usebackq tokens=*" %%a IN (`echo a ^& echo b`) do echo %%a

Upvotes: 3

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