Question

Dear StackOverFlow Members,

Please help me with this batch file. I would like to use the answer given from the “SET /P INPUT=%=%” and have it update another batch file permanently.

This is the first batch file that runs to get an answer from the user

@echo off
cls
echo.
echo .................................................................
echo ..... Specify what the name of the Store is, this will send .....
echo ............... alerts to [e-mail] ..............
echo ................................................................. 
echo.
pause
:option
cls
color 5E
echo. 
echo "............   Press 1 to specify what the store name is......"
echo "............   Press 2 to exit the program   ................."
echo. 
SET /P M=Type from the menu above 1 or 2 then press ENTER:
IF %M%==1 GOTO SEND                                           
IF %M%==2 GOTO EOF  

:SEND
cls
color 0A
set INPUT=
set /P INPUT=Enter Store Name: %=%                            
if "%INPUT%"=="" goto input
echo "You said that the store name is: %INPUT%"

:: Have the user confirm his/her choice
SET /P ANSWER=Is the name correct (Y/N)?     
echo You chose: %ANSWER%                                      
if /i {%ANSWER%}=={y} (goto :yes)                             
if /i {%ANSWER%}=={yes} (goto :yes)                           
goto :no
:yes
echo You pressed YES!... The name is updating     
goto name
:no
echo You pressed NO!... The program will exit
pause
cls
goto eof
:name
::set /A store=%INPUT%
echo %INPUT% >> notify_support.bat
::Terminate the program
:EOF

As you can see I am struggling to specify where I should “echo %INPUT% >> notify_support.bat”. This is code taken from the second batch file

@echo off
call senditquiet -s smtp.gmail.com -port 587 -u [e-mail] -protocol ssl -p access -f [e-mail] -t [e-mail] -subject "Store ABC" -body "Hello there, There is an issue logged at the store.<br>Best regards." 

When the first batch file runs, it updates the second one but just dumps it at the end of the file.

I need the INPUT ECHOed to replace “Store ABC” in the second batch file.

Please assist, I’m rather rusty with batch files.

Answer 1

echo %INPUT% >> notify_support.bat

That line contains >> which means ‘dump at the end of the file’. You can use a single > to overwrite the existing file contents. That way, you can re-generate the whole file (which is only 2 lines anyway).

A different solution is to actually parse the exising file and replace that text. You can do that by using for /F ..., which allows you to traverse through the lines of a file. You can then generate a new file, based on the (altered) contents of the existing file. Disadvantage is that this file-parsing method is especially suitable for data files in which each line has the same format with fields and delimiters (like a CSV file). It is less suited for parsing ‘complex’ files like a batch file or program source file.