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Here Like Document

Aug
1,916
68
I have become used to using the Here Document feature of Ruby, for small amounts of text, mainly for addresses. While TCC has the "Here-Document" and "Here-String" redirection, I have developed some methods that others might find useful.

First, I create an environment variable to store the Here Like Document;

Code:
set jlc=Line 1^r^nLine 2^r^nLine 3
Note the ^r^n sequence. These are the escape character codes for carriage return and line feed. If you echo the newly created environment variable;

Code:
C>echo %jlc
Line 1
Line 2
Line 3
You will get three lines of text, each one on their own line.

Further, using the @words function, we can verify that there are indeed three lines (or words) in the environment variable;

Code:
C>echo %@words["^r^n",%jlc]
3
To extract each line (or word), use the @word function;

Code:
C>echo %@word["^r^n",0,%jlc]
Line 1

C>echo %@word["^r^n",1,%jlc]
Line 2

C>echo %@word["^r^n",2,%jlc]
Line 3
Now, let's suppose that you keep an address file as follows;

Code:
JP Software^r^nP.O. Box 328^r^nChestertown MD 21620 USA^r^nRecord %kount
PowerBASIC Inc.^r^n2061 Englewood Road^r^nEnglewood FL 34223 USA^r^nRecord %kount
Microsoft Corporation^r^nPO Box 97017^r^nRedmond WA USA^r^nRecord %kount
You can access each complete address as follows;

Code:
@setlocal
@echo off
set kount=1
do TheAddress in @addresses.txt
  echo %TheAddress
  echo.
  set kount=%@inc[%kount]
enddo
endlocal
which produces the following output;

Code:
JP Software
P.O. Box 328
Chestertown MD 21620 USA
Record 1

PowerBASIC Inc.
2061 Englewood Road
Englewood FL 34223 USA
Record 2

Microsoft Corporation
PO Box 97017
Redmond WA USA
Record 3
Note the nonsense of the "Record %kount" in each address. This was simply an example of how you can place an environment variable in each record, and manipulate the environment variable from the batch file.

For more information on Here Document in TCC, lookup Redirection in the Take Command Help file, at the bottom of the Redirection page.

Joe
 
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