How to escape the `@` variable replacement in `forfiles`?

Question

I am using a forfiles command line like this (Windows 7 x64):

forfiles /P "C:\root" /M "*.txt" /C "cmd /C echo @relpath"

How can I escape the replacement of @relpath (relative path to currently iterated item) to get @relpath output literally? (...or any other @ variable?)

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So far I tried the following things, without success:

• \: the @ seems to be handled before \ so \@relpath does not work, rather the expanded output is just preceded with \;
• ^: stating ^@ does not show any effect except that the ^ disappears; writing ^^@ does not help eigher, one ^ remains in the expanded output then;
• 0xHH: surprisingly (to me), the forfiles-specific replacement of hexacecimal numbers 0x40 does not work either, it seems that this is done prior to variable parsing;
• @@: doubling the @ keeps the first @ literally, that is it;

Answer 1

You could use a delayed expansion

forfiles /P "C:\temp" /M "st*.txt" /C "cmd /v:on /C set at=@& echo !at!relpath"

Or you can use percent expansion.

set "percent=%"
set "at=@"
forfiles /P "C:\temp" /M "st*.txt" /C "cmd /C echo %percent%at%percent%relpath"

Another option is to insert carriage returns, which are removed before output.

forfiles /P "C:\root" /M "*.txt" /C "cmd /C echo @0x0Drelpath"

Answer 2

I just found an even easier method:

forfiles /P "C:\root" /M "*.txt" /C "cmd /C echo @^relpath"

Note the ^ after the @ sign.