Echo message works without the space?

[Joe Caverly]

TCC  22.00.29 x64   Windows 7 [Version 6.1.7601]

This is not a bug, but I discovered something that is new to me, that is, certain characters can separate;

Echo message

If the environment variable %abc does not exist;

@setlocal
@echo off
echo %abc
echo.%abc
echo/%abc
echo:%abc
echo;%abc
echo"%abc
endlocal

With the exception of echo %abc all echo a blank line, instead of ECHO is OFF;

c:\users\jlc\utils>test
ECHO is OFF






c:\users\jlc\utils>

If %abc is set to a value;

@setlocal
@echo off
set abc=123
echo %abc
echo.%abc
echo/%abc
echo:%abc
echo;%abc
echo"%abc
endlocal

...the results are;

c:\users\jlc\utils>test[code]
123
123
123
123
123
123

This works all the way back to 4DOS 8.00

Joe

 

[vefatica]

A few more:

v:\> echo+abc
abc

v:\> echo(abc
abc

v:\> echo\abc
abc

 

[Charles Dye]

For compatibility with CMD.EXE, of course. Possibly even COMMAND.COM.

 

[rconn]

This is very very old behavior (command.com compatibility).