Creating a custom html generator in batch

[hacxx]

Hi,

I'm looking for more info on how to setup this properly...
I want to create a batch that will prompt the user for input and generate html files in the end.

The html code is below

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echo "<iframe src='myfile.html' frameborder='0' height='100%' width='100%'></iframe>" >index.html
echo "myfile.html here" >myfile.html

The problem is if i use " after echo this will be printed in the output file.
If i remove " the code is invalid because of <.
I was thinking in using \x3c but this gets printed as is on the file.

Thanks for all the help provided
Here is my information repository - http://www.cyberlord.at/forum/?id=10589

[OJBakker]

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echo "<iframe src='myfile.html' frameborder='0' height='100%' width='100%'></iframe>" > index.html
echo "myfile.html here" >myfile.html

rem set variables with set "var=..." to get rid of the double quots.
set "var1=<iframe src='myfile.html' frameborder='0' height='100%' width='100%'></iframe>"
set "var2=myfile.html here"
echo %var2%>myfile.html

rem for normal echo escape the special characters
set "var1A=%var1%"
set "var1A=%var1A:<=^<%"
set "var1A=%var1A:>=^>%"
echo %var1A%> indexA.html

rem echo using the set/p prompt string, no need to escape special characters,
rem but an additional echo is needed to add the CRLF at the end of the line.
<nul (set/p "=%var1%"&(echo:))> indexB.html

[aGerman]

Another possibility is to use a subenvironment with delayed expansion enabled for the redirection.

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set "var=<iframe src='myfile.html' frameborder='0' height='100%' width='100%'></iframe>"
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
>"index.html" echo(!var!
endlocal

However, while this works around the redirection of angle brackets and other characters with special meaning in Batch, it doesn't necessarily result in valid HTML. Consider to change the codepage to UTF-8 using CHCP 65001. And probably you have to ask the user to enter HTML entities for special characters because you won't be able to replace them in the code. Think about something like <b>5>2</b>. Only the > in the middle has to be replaced with &gt;.

Steffen

[hacxx]

However, while this works around the redirection of angle brackets and other characters with special meaning in Batch, it doesn't necessarily result in valid HTML. Consider to change the codepage to UTF-8 using CHCP 65001. And probably you have to ask the user to enter HTML entities for special characters because you won't be able to replace them in the code. Think about something like <b>5>2</b>. Only the > in the middle has to be replaced with &gt;.

Yes i'm having a issue that i didn't notice in the begining, how do i write into file the caracter "?
(" is been used by echo and cannot be used inside the text...)

Thanks

[aGerman]

In what context did you face an issue?

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>"test.txt" echo "

Steffen

[hacxx]

In what context did you face an issue?

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>"test.txt" echo "

Steffen

Sorry no issue, i didn't tested the output result.
I tried the command on cmd.exe and it's working fine, the only thing is i have to >file.txt before echoing.

[aGerman]

Yes that's just best practice. It prevents you from a couple of issues besides of yours.

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echo 1 >"some.txt"

... has the issue that the space in front of > is redirected too.

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echo 1>"some.txt"

... has the issue that the 1 is treated as stream number and you'll get an "echo is off" redirected.

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>"some.txt" echo 1

... will work.

Steffen

[Lucky4Me]

Mayby you can use the following

echo ^1>"some.txt"

it works, even for the next one

echo ^">"some.txt"

[aGerman]

Certainly you can replace critical characters with the escaped character. But the aim is to redirect user input into a file as I understood the original post.
So, you could use
copy con "foo.txt"
to achieve this, and finally press Ctrl+Z to create the file. Or read line by line using SET /P where you eventually want to avoid a long list of replacements. Proof of concept:

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@echo off &setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
>nul chcp 65001

echo enter q to quit
>"foo.txt" call :input

echo(
echo(let's see what we got:
echo(
type "foo.txt"
pause
goto :eof

:input
set "line="
1>&2 set /p "line=new line: "
if "!line!"=="q" exit /b
echo(!line!
goto input

Steffen

[CJM]

If you can do with the limit of not being able to use ? and * wildcard characters, I use a simple routine that leverages the command parser and FOR command.

Save this as EchoArgs.cmd:

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@	For %%* in (%*		%= Process each argument as a separate line. Arguments containing "poison"/whitespace must be quoted. =%
)do @	ECHO/%%~*		%= Remove any quotes. Fails, by omission or substitution of filenames, arguments that contain * or ? =%

Use like this to write/ECHO each argument, removing any outer quotes [""], as a separate line:

[Call] EchoArgs.cmd [arg1 | "arg 1" [ arg2 | "arg=2" [...]]

• Supports many "poison" characters that normally would require escaping, including: & | < >
• Quotes are required for "poison" & | < > ^ and white-space characters: , ; = [space] [tab]
• Use command redirection as needed to create [>]/append [>>] to files
• LIMITATION: Ignores/expands arguments containing wildcard characters: ? *

Examples:

Write HTML lines

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>File.HTML Call echoArgs "<!DOCTYPE><HTML><HEAD>" "<TITLE>HTML file</TITLE>" "</HEAD><BODY>"

Resulting File.HTML:

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<!DOCTYPE><HTML><HEAD>
<TITLE>HTML file</TITLE>
</HEAD><BODY>

Append HTML lines

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>>File.HTML Call echoArgs "<H1>Heading</H1>" "<P>Text</P>" "</BODY></HTML>"

Appends to File.HTML:

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<H1>Heading</H1>
<P>Text</P>
</BODY></HTML>

Note: Above comments from others regarding code page may need to be adapted to produce technically valid HTML files.

Write .CSV lines [note outer quotes]

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Call echoArgs ""Item","Description","Price"" ""ABC","A b c","$1.00"" ""XYZ","X yz","$9.00"" >>File.CSV

Resulting File.CSV:

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"Item","Description","Price"
"ABC","A b c","$1.00"
"XYZ","X yz","$9.00"