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I want to move empty folders specified in List.txt using the FOR command.

What am I doing wrong?

Screen Dump

C:\Documents and Settings\user\Desktop\New Folder (5)>for %x in ("C:\Docume
nts and Settings\user\Desktop\New Folder (5)\List.txt") DO move %x "C:\Docum
ents and Settings\user\Desktop\New Folder (4)\empty"

This moved the List.txt to the destination instead of the entries in List.txt

Contents of List.txt

"C:\Documents and Settings\user\Desktop\New Folder (5)\1"
"C:\Documents and Settings\user\Desktop\New Folder (5)\2"

If you want to read the file you have to use a FOR /F loop like Steffen

Thank you Steffen!

You were shown how to read a file in several of your previous batch files.
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7045&p=45954#p45954

Thank you for pointing that out!

Alzheimer is setting in!

Although I do not really understand the difference between "delims=" and "usebackq delims="...

Without USEBACKQ, a string enclosed in double quotes is treated as string stream of characters. Since file names/paths can and often do contain spaces and other special characters requiring quotes, you have to change the semantics of the supported quotation marks (", ', and`). With USEBACKQ, a string enclosed in double quotes is treated as file path and is opened as file stream for reading.

Steffen

Like I said,... Alzheimer & brain damage!
Perhaps examples to use one or the other will help.
Are there instances where one will work but not the other (and vice versa)?

Since it is best practice to always quote paths (regardless whether they actually contain spaces or special characters like ampersands), you have to use them along with USEBACKQ in a FOR /F loop.
Read the help message of FOR in order to understand how the semantics of quotes are changed by USEBACKQ. I'm not willing to copy/paste those things into forum posts.

Steffen

OK.
By help message I suppose you mean the one shown when I type for /? I on the command prompt?

Exactly