escaping the % of filenames ???

[colargol]

Hi all
A very last question before the next one

I'm trying to undestand how we should manipulate filename given in parameters by third part application.
My batchs still have issues with some specials chars.

1. First, I think every time we have to assign a var to a filename, we should have Delayed Expansion disabled, like this:

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setlocal DisableDelayedExpansion
set "_file1=%~1"
set _file1&     rem "%_file1%" will work with any characters, in any command line

setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
set _file1&     rem "!_file1!" will also work with any characters, in any command line

By working like this, we'll never have to escape chars in the main batch???
Am I right or wrong???

2. The % issue
As an example, let's take a file named a%b.bat:

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set "_file=%~nx0"
set _file
>"new_file.bat" echo call "%_file%"

In this case, new_file.bat won't work because the % of a%b.bat has to be escaped...

but how??? I didn't found the solution

Thanks for help

[colargol]

Ok, I can escape % of a %~1 filename like this:

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set "filename=%~1"
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
set "filename=!filename:%%=%%%%!"

but it seems it is not possible to escape % of a filename that has been declared like this for example:
set "filename=a%b.bat"
This must be logical for everyone, but not for me

ps: it's hard to explain in english

[Ed Dyreen]

'

set "filename=a%b.bat"

that's because it isn't really there.

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@echo off &setlocal enabledelayedexpansion
echo on
set "filename=a%%b.bat"
set "filename=!filename:%%=%%%%!"

[colargol]

Okay!

In fact, a single % in a string is (in most cases) the same as nothing. It took me 2 months to understand this

[jeb]

In fact, a single % in a string is (in most cases) the same as nothing. It took me 2 months to understand this

Sorry, but you didn't understand why it is removed

A % is the beginning for a variable expansion, this is also true in set "filename=a%b.bat", but the problem is here that the parser finds only one %, so he decides this must be a wrong variable expansion format and the % is removed.
You can see this with a filename like

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set "filename=a file %with two %.bat"
set filename

This results in "a file .bat" as the variable with the name "with two " is normaly not defined.

But now it you got another result.

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set "with two =XYZ"
set "filename=a file %with two %.bat"
set filename

This results in "a file XYZ.bat".

Ok but how to escape a % the right way?
Simply with another %

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set "filename=a file %%with two %%.bat"
set filename

Your replacings like

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set "filename=!filename:%%=%%%%!"

Are useless or even contra productive.

hope it helps
jeb

[colargol]

That's very clear, thanks again jeb