Echo string to .txt file with multiple lines - with Windows Batch file

Question

I am attempting to create a Windows Batch File that creates a .txt with mulitple lines. I\'ve tried several solutions to insert a line break in the string but no avail. Ther

Answer 1

Searching for something else, I stumbled on this meanwhile old question, and I have an additional little trick that is worth mentioning, I think.

All solutions have a problem with empty lines and when a line starts with an option for the echo command itself. Compare the output files in these examples:

call :data1 >file1.txt
call :data2 >file2.txt
exit /b

:data1
echo Next line is empty
echo
echo /? this line starts with /?
echo Last line
exit /b

:data2
echo:Next line is empty
echo:
echo:/? this line starts with /?
echo:Last line
exit /b

Now, file1.txt contains:

Next line is empty 
ECHO is off. 
Displays messages, or turns command-echoing on or off.

  ECHO [ON | OFF]
  ECHO [message]

Type ECHO without parameters to display the current echo setting. 
Last line

While file2.txt contains:

Next line is empty

/? this line starts with /?
Last line

The use of echo: miraculously solves the issues with the output in file1.txt.

Besides the colon, there are other characters that you could 'paste' to echo, among them a dot, a slash, ... Try for yourself.