How to? fetch the current escape character and store it to a variable

[Claire_CJS]

Maybe there’s an automatic variable for this, but I coudln’t find it.

obviously we’d have to turn command escaping off with setdos first, but:

Is there a way to store the current escape character?

That way... it can be changed and then reverted.

 

[Charles Dye]

Rather than saving it in a variable, I would suggest changing it inside a SETLOCAL / ENDLOCAL block.

Though, in truth, I can't remember the last time I felt the need to change the escape character. The command separator, yeah, occasionally. But the escape character?

 

[vefatica]

Maybe there’s an automatic variable for this, but I coudln’t find it.

obviously we’d have to turn command escaping off with setdos first, but:

Is there a way to store the current escape character?

That way... it can be changed and then reverted

v:\> set ESCAPE_CHAR=%@word["=",1,%@execstr[setdos | findstr ESCAPE]]

v:\> echo The escape char is %escape_char
The escape char is ^

 

[Charles Dye]

C:\>set esc=%@option[escapechar]

C:\>set esc
^

C:\>

... But I still think SETLOCAL / ENDLOCAL is the better way. Working with the current escape character is always going to be clumsy, because... it's the current escape character!

 

[Charles Dye]

Probably more useful:

C:\>set esc=%@ascii[%=%=]

C:\>set esc
94

C:\>

The resulting value contains no special characters and can be plugged directly into setdos /e. No fuss, no muss, no oily residue.

 

[vefatica]

Agreed that working with its ASCII value will be a lot easier.

 

[Claire_CJS]

Yea, my escape char is the +/ symbol, and my command separator is the caret. Been this way since the 1990s and in about 4000 bat files and not gonna change.

And also, recently, in these forums, I was given a @ReReplace[] that ONLY works if i change the escape character before running it. (the "matching non-quotes" one) ... So if that script were to be able to run on someone else’s machine, i would need to store their escape char and change it to mine, then change it back aftewards out of politeness.

C:\>set esc=%@option[escapechar]

C:\>set esc
^

C:\>

... But I still think SETLOCAL / ENDLOCAL is the better way. Working with the current escape character is always going to be clumsy, because... it's the current escape character!

I’ve actually never used setlocal/endlocal and feel like i’m really missing out on something.

So wait, if you change your escape char/command separator inside a setlocal block, it only affects that block?!?!?!

Problem is, a lot of my stuff leaves environment variables set for auditing values.. how do you poke those OUT of the setlocal?

 

[Claire_CJS]

Ahh i see endlocal accepts a list of variables you want to export.

Dang. Wish I’d been using that the last 25 years.

 

[Claire_CJS]

Thanks for all the help!!