Parsing string from file twice

[Tigers!]

Gudday all
I wish to read the lines of a file one at a time and store them as a variable. Then parse that same variable to extract a token to be stored as another variable.
I can do the first part ok using the for command but not the 2nd. I have trying using for and findstr without success.
Here is my code

Code: [Select]

@echo off
cls

for /f "delims=" %%a in (moveTIFF.dat) do (
 echo %%a
)
for /f "tokens=4 delims=\" %%b in ("%a%") do (
 echo %%b
)
The code runs ok but the 2nd for command has no output displayed. This means of course that either there is nothing to display or I cannot display the var %%b.
Findstr is not really suitable as you need to know the output 1st and the output will be variable. Perhaps for can be used to parse a string but I don't know to do it if it be possible.
Sample of input

Code: [Select]

\TestingTiffMoves\AU\PICKLIST\0000544B.TIF
\TestingTiffMoves\AU\PICKLIST\0000544C.TIF
\TestingTiffMoves\AU\PICKLIST\0000544D.TIF
\TestingTiffMoves\AU\PICKLIST\0000544E.TIF
\TestingTiffMoves\AU\PICKLIST\index.dat
It is the TIF name that will always vary. The path is constant.
All help gratefully accepted.

[Helpmeh]

You should understand the following.

If you didn't set a variable named a to %%a then a will be what it was previously. %%a doesn't magically become %a%. 

[Tigers!]

Helpmeh
Thank you for the reply.
1. Have I set up %%a properly so that it may be used later?
2. Can I pass %%a (or its correct form) to for for the 2nd parsing?
3. If for is not the best command to do my 2nd parse is there a better command?
4. What is the difference between %%a and %a%? i am still learning and have much to go.

[gh0std0g74]

you can definitely use for loop to parse your file and i will let the "batch" gurus show you how. I will show you easier to understand method...using vbscript (i assume you are not using prehistoric Windows)

Code: [Select]

Set objFS=CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
strFile = "c:\test\file"
Set objFile = objFS.OpenTextFile(strFile)
Do Until objFile.AtEndOfLine
strLine = Split(objFile.ReadLine,"\") 'split the line into a array
For i=0 To UBound(strLine)
WScript.Echo "Token "&i&" "&strLine(i) 'print out each token
Next
strLine = Join(strLine,"/") 'join back using another delimiter
WScript.Echo "Join back: " &strLine ' join back to become string
Loop
objFile.Close
output

Code: [Select]

C:\test>cscript /nologo test.vbs
Token 0
Token 1 TestingTiffMoves
Token 2 AU
Token 3 PICKLIST
Token 4 0000544B.TIF
Join back: /TestingTiffMoves/AU/PICKLIST/0000544B.TIF
Token 0
Token 1 TestingTiffMoves
Token 2 AU
Token 3 PICKLIST
Token 4 0000544C.TIF
Join back: /TestingTiffMoves/AU/PICKLIST/0000544C.TIF
Token 0
Token 1 TestingTiffMoves
Token 2 AU
Token 3 PICKLIST
Token 4 0000544D.TIF
Join back: /TestingTiffMoves/AU/PICKLIST/0000544D.TIF
Token 0
Token 1 TestingTiffMoves
Token 2 AU
Token 3 PICKLIST
Token 4 0000544E.TIF
Join back: /TestingTiffMoves/AU/PICKLIST/0000544E.TIF
Token 0
Token 1 TestingTiffMoves
Token 2 AU
Token 3 PICKLIST
Token 4 index.dat
Join back: /TestingTiffMoves/AU/PICKLIST/index.dat

if you want to learn more, see my sig

[Tigers!]

you can definitely use for loop to parse your file and i will let the "batch" gurus show you how. I will show you easier to understand method...using vbscript (i assume you are not using prehistoric Windows)

Its terribly being prehistoric.
I have never used vb before. 

Hope one of the batch gurus shows up.

[gh0std0g74]

Its terribly being prehistoric.

how prehistoric?? window 3.1 and below?? vbscript can be used win9.x onwards

I have never used vb before. 

even before you knew batch, you have not learnt about it, but now you do. isn't that right?

[billrich]

C:\>type tiff.bat

Code: [Select]

@echo off
rem  cls

for /f "delims=" %%a in (tiff.txt) do (
 echo %%a
)
for /f "tokens=4 delims=\" %%b in (tiff.txt) do (
 echo %%b
)
OUTPUT:

C:\>tiff.bat
\TestingTiffMoves\AU\PICKLIST\0000544B.TIF
\TestingTiffMoves\AU\PICKLIST\0000544C.TIF
\TestingTiffMoves\AU\PICKLIST\0000544D.TIF
\TestingTiffMoves\AU\PICKLIST\0000544E.TIF
\TestingTiffMoves\AU\PICKLIST\index.dat


0000544B.TIF
0000544C.TIF
0000544D.TIF
0000544E.TIF
index.dat
C:\>

Input:


C:\>type tiff.txt
\TestingTiffMoves\AU\PICKLIST\0000544B.TIF
\TestingTiffMoves\AU\PICKLIST\0000544C.TIF
\TestingTiffMoves\AU\PICKLIST\0000544D.TIF
\TestingTiffMoves\AU\PICKLIST\0000544E.TIF
\TestingTiffMoves\AU\PICKLIST\index.dat
C:\>

[Tigers!]

Billrich
Thank you for your post.
Reading your post I realise that I have not been quite as clear as I needed to be.

I would like to look at each line of the file.
Whilst looking at that line I need to parse it twice before moving onto the next line
1st step:
get whole line and store in a variable, say %%a
2nd step:
parse to extract the file name (4th token) from the line again or from the variable (%%a) stored in step one and put this token into another variable, say %%b
3rd step:
Use variables %%a & %%b in further operation(s).
4th step:
Go to next line and start at 1st step again.

Is that more clear (useful) or are the waters now so muddy as to be mud?

[Salmon Trout]

Code:

Code: [Select]

@echo off
for /f "tokens=1,2,3,4* delims=\" %%a in (tiff.txt) do (
 echo Whole line: \%%a\%%b\%%c\%%d
 echo Filename: : %%d
 echo.
)
Output:

Code: [Select]

Whole line: \TestingTiffMoves\AU\PICKLIST\0000544B.TIF
Filename  : 0000544B.TIF

Whole line: \TestingTiffMoves\AU\PICKLIST\0000544C.TIF
Filename  : 0000544C.TIF

Whole line: \TestingTiffMoves\AU\PICKLIST\0000544D.TIF
Filename  : 0000544D.TIF

Whole line: \TestingTiffMoves\AU\PICKLIST\0000544E.TIF
Filename  : 0000544E.TIF

Whole line: \TestingTiffMoves\AU\PICKLIST\index.dat
Filename  : index.dat

[billrich]

see SL's posts

[billrich]

see  SL's posts

[Salmon Trout]

try this if you want to actually use named variables

Code: [Select]

@echo off
setlocal enabledelayedexpansion
for /f "tokens=1,2,3,4* delims=\" %%a in (tiff.txt) do (
 set full_line=\%%a\%%b\%%c\%%d
 set file_name=%%d
 echo Full line: !full_line!
 echo File name: !file_name!
 echo.
)

[billrich]

Code: [Select]

@echo off
setlocal enabledelayedexpansion
for /f "tokens=1,2,3,4* delims=\" %%a in (tiff.txt) do (
 set full_line=\%%a\%%b\%%c\%%d
 set file_name=%%d
 echo Full line: !full_line!
 echo File name: !file_name!
 echo.
)

Yes, your are right I was trying to get code Tiger(OP)  furnished to work or discover why it would not work. I will delete those recent posts.

Here is tiger's code:

@echo off
cls

for /f "delims=" %%a in (moveTIFF.dat) do (
 echo %%a
)
for /f "tokens=4 delims=\" %%b in ("%a%") do (
 echo %%b


Why doesn't it work?

[Salmon Trout]

Why doesn't it work?

For one thing, %a% is undefined.

Sorry for being rude before.

The OP does not seem to understand the difference between:

one-sided loop variables, which can be (officially) %%a to %%z and %%A to %%Z, that is (in a batch) two percent signs %% followed by a single character, which only exist within the loop, and

two-sided ordinary variables which are created using set, e.g. set file=C:\test\readme.txt, and expanded using a percent sign before and after e.g. echo %file% or type %file% or copy %file% d:\folder. These names can be any (reasonable) number of characters in length (I expect there is some kind of system limit but it is not obvious what this is). They exist throughout the batch file. Special conditions apply in loops for double sided variables but I shall not go into that here.

[Helpmeh]

I fiind it funny that the op has started to learn for loops before he or she has really learned the set command.