How does “FOR” work in cmd batch file?

Question

I\'ve been programming in dozens of languages for 20 years but I could never understand how \"FOR\" work in windows cmd shell batch file, no matter how hard I tried. I read

Answer 1

I know this is SUPER old... but just for fun I decided to give this a try:

@Echo OFF
setlocal
set testpath=%path: =#%
FOR /F "tokens=* delims=;" %%P in ("%testpath%") do call :loop %%P
:loop
if '%1'=='' goto endloop
set testpath=%1
set testpath=%testpath:#= %
echo %testpath%
SHIFT
goto :loop
:endloop
pause
endlocal
exit

This doesn't require a count and will go until it finishes. I had the same problem with spaces but it made it through the entire variable. The key to this is the loop labels and the SHIFT function.

Answer 2

for /f iterates per line input, so in your program will only output first path.

your program treats %PATH% as one-line input, and deliminate by ;, put first result to %%g, then output %%g (first deliminated path).

Answer 3

This works for me:

@ECHO OFF
SETLOCAL ENABLEDELAYEDEXPANSION ENABLEEXTENSIONS
@REM insure path is terminated with a ;
set tpath=%path%;
echo.
:again
@REM This FOR statement grabs the first element in the path
FOR /F "delims=;" %%I IN ("%TPATH%") DO (
  echo    %%I 
  @REM remove the current element of the path
  set TPATH=!TPATH:%%I;=!
)
@REM loop back if there is more to do. 
IF DEFINED TPATH GOTO :again

ENDLOCAL

Answer 4

You have to additionally use the tokens=1,2,... part of the options that the for loop allows. This here will do what you possibly want:

for /f "tokens=1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 delims=;" %a in ("%PATH%") ^
do ( ^
     echo. %b ^
   & echo. %a ^
   & echo. %c ^
   & echo. %d ^
   & echo. %e ^
   & echo. %f ^
   & echo. %g ^
   & echo. %h ^
   & echo. %i ^
   & echo. %j ^
   & echo. %k ^
   & echo. ^
   & echo.   ...and now for some more... ^
   & echo. ^
   & echo. %a ^| %b ___ %c ... %d ^
   & dir "%e" ^
   & cd "%f" ^
   & dir /tw "%g" ^
   & echo. "%h  %i  %j  %k" ^
   & cacls "%f")

This example processes the first 12 tokens (=directories from %path%) only. It uses explicit enumeration of each of the used tokens. Note, that the token names are case sensitive: %a is different from %A.

To be save for paths with spaces, surround all %x with quotes like this "%i". I didn't do it here where I'm only echoing the tokens.

You could also do s.th. like this:

for /f "tokens=1,3,5,7-26* delims=;" %a in ("%PATH%") ^
do ( ^
     echo. %c ^
   & echo. %b ^
   & echo. %a ^
   & echo. %d ^
   & echo. %e ^
   & echo. %f ^
   & echo. %g ^
   & echo. %h ^
   & echo. %i ^
   & echo. %j ^
   & echo. %k )

This one skips tokens 2,4,6 and uses a little shortcut ("7-26") to name the rest of them. Note how %c, %b, %a are processed in reverse order this time, and how they now 'mean' different tokens, compared to the first example.

So this surely isn't the concise explanation you asked for. But maybe the examples help to clarify a little better now...

Answer 5

None of the answers actually work. I've managed to find the solution myself. This is a bit hackish, but it solve the problem for me:

echo off
setlocal enableextensions
setlocal enabledelayedexpansion
set MAX_TRIES=100
set P=%PATH%
for /L %%a in (1, 1, %MAX_TRIES%) do (
  for /F "delims=;" %%g in ("!P!") do (
    echo %%g
    set P=!P:%%g;=!
    if "!P!" == "%%g" goto :eof
  )
)

Oh ! I hate batch file programming !!

Updated

Mark's solution is simpler but it won't work with path containing whitespace. This is a little-modified version of Mark's solution

echo off
setlocal enabledelayedexpansion
set NonBlankPath=%PATH: =#%
set TabbedPath=%NonBlankPath:;= %
for %%g in (%TabbedPath%) do (
  set GG=%%g
  echo !GG:#= !
)

Answer 6

Here is a good guide:

FOR /F - Loop command: against a set of files.

FOR /F - Loop command: against the results of another command.

FOR - Loop command: all options Files, Directory, List.

[The whole guide (Windows XP commands):

http://www.ss64.com/nt/index.html

Edit: Sorry, didn't see that the link was already in the OP, as it appeared to me as a part of the Amazon link.