XP pro DOS batch file editing

[LesD]

Hi,

Can I use, maybe the FOR command, in a batch file run from the DOS Command prompt, to change say the value  60.0 on an arbitary line in a text file to the value 50.0?

For example if in my text file I had the lines:


Any Text1
Any Text2
.
.
.
Any TextN
60.0
Any TextM
.
.
Any TextZ

Can a batch file be written to change my file's content to be:

Any Text1
Any Text2
.
.
.
Any TextN
50.0
Any TextM
.
.
Any TextZ

Typically an "Any Text" line would contain ASCII characters, either letter or numbers separated by commas.

Finally if this is possible can the tecnique be applied to all the files in a directory of maybe a 100 or more files so that each one, with its own unique name, has the value 60.0 in it changed to 50.0?

I am told that the only way is to write a C program but I am not conversant with C and  thought I might be able to do it in a batch file but so far I have drawn a blank!

Any help or advice would be very much appreciated. 

Regards,

Les.

[Sidewinder]

Something like this may work:

Code: [Select]

@echo off
setlocal enableextensions
setlocal enabledelayedexpansion
for /f %%x in ('dir /a:-d /s /b') do (
for /f "tokens=* delims=" %%i in (%%x) do (
set input=%%i
set input=!input:60.0=50.0!
echo !input! >> %%x.chg
)
)
endlocal

The output files are labeled with chg appended to the original file name.

Good luck. 

[LesD]

Something like this may work:

An understatement if ever there was one!

My most grateful thanks Sidewinder.

It does just what I wanted my only challenge now is to understand how! 

Regards,

Les.

[LesD]

Hi again,

With the code Sidewinder so generously provided I thought I had the task cracked but a mystery remains that is haunting me! 

My modified output file has an extra unwanted space added at the end of every line except the one that has been modified! 

Try as I may I cannot see where this space is coming from. I wrote a little tester batch file that does not do the echo >> appends inside the DO loop and it behaves as expected i.e. does not add unwanted spaces.

This tester contains:

@echo off
(set input=A)
echo %input%>> les.txt
set input=b
echo %input%>> les.txt
set input=%1
echo %input%>> les.txt
set input=%SystemRoot%
echo %input%>> les.txt

whereas the little utility I need that does add the mysterious spaces to all but the modified line contains:

@echo off

if "%1"=="/?" echo.
if "%1"=="/?" echo.
if "%1"=="/?" echo To change 60 Hz to 50 Hz the syntax is:  CFGChgFreq 60.0 50.0
if "%1"=="/?" echo.
if "%1"=="/?" echo To change 50 Hz to 60 Hz the syntax is:  CFGChgFreq 50.0 60.0
if "%1"=="/?" echo.
if "%1"=="/?" echo To  display  this  syntax  information:  CFGChgFreq /?
if "%1"=="/?" echo.
if "%1"=="/?" echo Note the COMTRADE file names must NOT contain SPACES
if "%1"=="/?" echo.
if "%1"=="/?" echo.
if "%1"=="/?" goto quit

@echo off
setlocal enableextensions
setlocal enabledelayedexpansion
for /f %%x in ('dir /a:-d /s /b') do (
   for /f "tokens=1* delims=," %%i in (%%x) do (
      set input1=%%i
      set input2=%%j
      set input1=!input1:%1=%2!
      if %%i==%1  echo !input1!>> %%x.chg
      if not %%i==%1 ( if not "%%j"=="" echo %%i,%%j>> %%x.chg )
      if not %%i==%1 ( if "%%j"=="" echo %%i>> %%x.chg )
   )
)
endlocal   

del *.bat.chg
del *.cfg
ren *.chg *.

:quit



Any help or advice to end my bewilderment would be very much appreciated. 

Regards,

Les.

[contrex]

how are you passing parameters %1 and %2 to the batch?

[LesD]

Hi contrex,

In the command line like this: CFGChgFreq.bat 60.0 50.0

A typical file that this utility is to be used on contains the lines below and if you select and hence the highlight these lines, the extra spaces show up. This particular files has been changed from 60.0 to 50.0 and back a few times hence the build up of spaces at the end of all the lines except the one containing 60.0. Before the first change the Cr in hard up against the end of the data i.e. no spaces. The file name is, P74xTest100.cfg in this instance.

RTDS Simulation, 0     
42,42A,0D     
1,ICT1A,,,Amps,660.0600,-7.69605,0,0,4096     
2,ICT1B,,,Amps,550.0500,-12.3293,0,0,4096     
3,ICT1C,,,Amps,9.64931E-4,-1.93509,0,0,4096     
4,ICT2A,,,Amps,0.0384691,-88.9755,0,0,4096     
5,ICT2B,,,Amps,0.0392433,-70.1688,0,0,4096     
6,ICT2C,,,Amps,0.0010124,-2.07401,0,0,4096     
7,ICT3A,,,Amps,0.0131376,-20.4884,0,0,4096     
8,ICT3B,,,Amps,0.00950076,-25.7746,0,0,4096     
9,ICT3C,,,Amps,0.00366039,-7.57839,0,0,4096     
10,ICT4A,,,Amps,0.0220916,-42.0355,0,0,4096     
11,ICT4B,,,Amps,0.0269869,-58.5826,0,0,4096     
12,ICT4C,,,Amps,0.00545212,-11.1679,0,0,4096     
13,ICT5A,,,Amps,0.00402454,-7.47994,0,0,4096     
14,ICT5B,,,Amps,0.00327226,-7.53246,0,0,4096     
15,ICT5C,,,Amps,9.64909E-4,-1.93504,0,0,4096     
16,ICT6A,,,Amps,0.00407965,-8.90137,0,0,4096     
17,ICT6B,,,Amps,0.00315066,-5.91296,0,0,4096     
18,ICT6C,,,Amps,0.00119272,-2.44367,0,0,4096     
19,VA1S,,,,0.0542696,-120.31,0,0,4096     
20,VB1S,,,,0.0508312,-106.761,0,0,4096     
21,VC1S,,,,0.0492263,-100.819,0,0,4096     
22,VA2S,,,,0.0542593,-120.279,0,0,4096     
23,VB2S,,,,0.0508256,-106.753,0,0,4096     
24,VC2S,,,,0.0492212,-100.807,0,0,4096     
25,VA3S,,,,0.0542782,-120.315,0,0,4096     
26,VB3S,,,,0.0508488,-106.801,0,0,4096     
27,VC3S,,,,0.0492443,-100.853,0,0,4096     
28,VA4S,,,,0.0542058,-120.159,0,0,4096     
29,VB4S,,,,0.0507793,-106.662,0,0,4096     
30,VC5S,,,,0.0492208,-100.807,0,0,4096     
31,VA5S,,,,0.0542602,-120.285,0,0,4096     
32,VB5S,,,,0.0508255,-106.751,0,0,4096     
33,VC5S,,,,0.0492208,-100.807,0,0,4096     
34,VA6S,,,,0.0561917,-130.248,0,0,4096     
35,VB6S,,,,0.0485811,-102.166,0,0,4096     
36,VC6S,,,,0.0465697,-95.3779,0,0,4096     
37,VBB1AS,,,,0.0542509,-120.26,0,0,4096     
38,VBB1BS,,,,0.0508198,-106.742,0,0,4096     
39,VBB1CS,,,,0.0492154,-100.795,0,0,4096     
40,VBB2AS,,,,0.0561969,-130.258,0,0,4096     
41,VBB2BS,,,,0.0485872,-102.177,0,0,4096     
42,VBB2CS,,,,0.0465755,-95.3898,0,0,4096     
60.0
1     
2159.83,5400     
05/29/2007,16:01:35.460000     
05/29/2007,16:01:35.510000     
ASCII     




Regards,

Les.

[ghostdog74]

alternative in vbscript

Code: [Select]

Const ForAppending=2
Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set objFile = objFSO.OpenTextFile("C:\temp\test1.txt", 1)
Set objOutFile = objFSO.OpenTextFile("c:\temp\temp.txt", ForAppending,True)
Do Until objFile.AtEndOfStream
    strNextLine = objFile.ReadLine
    If InStr(strNextLine,"60.0") = 1 Then       
        objOutFile.WriteLine(Replace("60.0",strNextLine,"50.0"))
    Else
        objOutFile.WriteLine(strNextLine)
    End If
Loop
objOutFile.Close
objFile.Close
objFSO.DeleteFile("C:\temp\test1.txt")
objFSO.MoveFile "C:\temp\temp.txt" , "C:\temp\test1.txt"


[LesD]

Thanks for the vb code Ghostdog74,

Just a couple of things: 

I don't know what to do with vb!
Does this mean that the DOS FOR - DO route is exhausted and not capable of writing out the lines without a trailing space? 

Regards,

Les.

[contrex]

This is weird because when I write variables to text files from a batch, they have trailing CR+LFs but no spaces. I would investigate further.

[LesD]

Hi Contrex,

The Cr Lf is there but after an additional space character that is added each time you run the batch file. A quick look at the file size confirms it is getting bigger every time the batch file switches 60.0 to 50.0 then 50.0 back to 60.0 etc.

Bizarre isn't it!

Regards,

les.

[contrex]

don't give up on the batch method. Check back in about 6 hours!

[ghostdog74]

I don't know what to do with vb!

save the file as .vbs, open a dos prompt, then type cscript <yourfilename.vbs>

Does this mean that the DOS FOR - DO route is exhausted and not capable of writing out the lines without a trailing space? 

not sure. maybe contrex will tell you some time later... have fun.

[LesD]

I shall hang in there contrex but in the meantime, ever eager to learn.......

I have managed to get ghostdog74's vb script to run but on just the one file not my directory full. This time that one file is a perfect clone of the original apart from containing 50.0 instead of 60.0. Eureka absolutely no extra spaces using vb! 

Trouble is I don't have the vb skill (so far) to turn it into the little utility that I posted yesterday at 04:09:05 AM, the fourth one from the top.

Never satisfied am I. 

[Sidewinder]

Sorry about the confusion. Seems the echo instruction takes everything quite literally. The change to the echo statement is minor but apparently critical.

Code: [Select]

@echo off
setlocal enabledelayedexpansion
for /f %%x in ('dir /a:-d /s /b') do (
for /f "tokens=1* delims=" %%i in (%%x) do (
set input=%%i
set input=!input:60.0=50.0!
echo !input!>> %%x.chg
)
)
endlocal

VBScript (which is installed free with Windows) is a better tool for these type of solutions. Batch code was never meant to be a programming language.

Good luck.

[ghostdog74]

I have managed to get ghostdog74's vb script to run but on just the one file not my directory full.

to go over a directory in vb, have to make use of GetFolder function. anyway, if you are not familiar now, you can easily use for loop over your directory, then call the vbscript with arguments

Code: [Select]

cscript myscript.vbs test1.txt 60.0 50.0
then you for loop could be

Code: [Select]

for /F %%a in ( directory listing ) do (
  cscript myscript.vbs %%a 60.0 50.0
)
I have not tried it, just a concept.

amended vbscript may look like this

Code: [Select]

Set objArgs = WScript.Arguments
fileName=objArgs(0)
oldString=objArgs(1)
newString=objArgs(2)
Const ForAppending=2
Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set objFile = objFSO.OpenTextFile(fileName, 1)
Set objOutFile = objFSO.OpenTextFile("c:\temp\temp.txt", ForAppending,True)
Do Until objFile.AtEndOfStream
    strNextLine = objFile.ReadLine
    If InStr(strNextLine,oldString) = 1 Then       
        objOutFile.WriteLine(Replace(oldString,strNextLine,newString))
    Else
        objOutFile.WriteLine(strNextLine)
    End If
Loop
objOutFile.Close
objFile.Close
objFSO.DeleteFile(fileName)
objFSO.MoveFile "C:\temp\temp.txt" , fileName