Microsoft → this BAT fails if there are spaces in files - easy fix?

I have a BAT that I run

it goes to folder and findes that last modified file

and it gets the name and opens it (and c:\z\ClipCopy.exe can put the path into the clipboard)

well my Video Player when capturing screen shots - files have spaces :/ and this upsets the script :/

any way to fix this?

thanks ..

REM @echo off
cd /d C:\y\_captures
 
dir /od /b > %temp%\latest.txt
for /F %%a in (%temp%\latest.txt) do set LATEST_FILE=%%a
print %LATEST_FILE%
c:\z\ClipCopy.exe "C:\y\_captures\%LATEST_FILE%"
C:\y\_captures\%LATEST_FILE%
REM pause
 

for now I just added a hack that renames ALL files to remove spaces

REM @echo off
cd /d C:\y\_captures
 
setlocal enabledelayedexpansion
for %%j in (*.*) do (
set filename=%%~nj
REM set filename=!filename:.=_!
set filename=!filename: =_!
if not "!filename!"=="%%~nj" ren "%%j" "!filename!%%~xj"
)
 
dir /od /b > %temp%\latest.txt
for /F %%a in (%temp%\latest.txt) do set LATEST_FILE=%%a
print %LATEST_FILE%
c:\z\ClipCopy.exe "C:\y\_captures\%LATEST_FILE%"
C:\y\_captures\%LATEST_FILE%
REM pause
 

Use "around file or path . names"

You can try putting quotes around the variable

for /F %%a in (%temp%\latest.txt) do set "LATEST_FILE"=%%a

that way it should get the full file name spaces and all, other wise it stops at the first space.

You have that backwards. the word LATEST_FILE contains no spaces, therefore there is no need to quote it.

Instead, you want to add quotes where the variable is expanded in contexts that are space-sensitive. For example,

"C:\y\_captures\%LATEST_FILE%"

Oddly enough, the OP used the correct approach in his rename-to-remove-spaces script, but did not see that he could have more simply applied the same fix in the original code.

Yes I see he had the Copy line quoted so i assumed that the assignment need to be quoted.

See if you can rename your file using the ~ symbol.....

On my computer if a file has a space or is over a certain amount of characters,the file gets renamed... For example .. "1 2".exe gets named "12~1".exe (If ya look @ properties and all for the file) -- I would think you may be able to use ~ in your script,im not sure.....

Good luck

The command language has ways to handle this, so all he has to do is to *use* the ways that the command language provides to handle this.

The correct, simplest, and easiest solution was given in the first reply by aurgathor .

Might have to do ""double quotes"" or """Triple""" as sometimes its needed to put the quote marks in quotes.

Not in this case you don't. The solution is trivial.

REM @echo off
cd /d C:\y\_captures
  
dir /od /b > %temp%\latest.txt
for /F %%a in (%temp%\latest.txt) do set LATEST_FILE=%%a
print "%LATEST_FILE%"
c:\z\ClipCopy.exe "C:\y\_captures\%LATEST_FILE%"
"C:\y\_captures\%LATEST_FILE%"
REM pause
 

Well sometimes I've seen where just plain quoting it makes the variable looked at as a string instead of a variable.

Maybe when there are multiple layers of parsers... batch files calling batch files, perhaps.

Guess its been more in VBS than in bat.