Nested for loops and quotes

[joshjeppson]

I have the following alias, all one line (note the backticks):

columns = for %line in (@con) do ( ( for %field in (%line) do echos %@format[-%1, %field] `` ) %+ echo. )

I would like to define it on the fly in a batch file, and have been unable to do so, except by writing it out to a file first.

Doesn't work (inner set of backticks are lost):

columns = `for %line in (@con) do ( ( for %field in (%line) do echos %@format[-%1, %field] `` ) %+ echo. )`

Doesn't work (prints escape char, or something, as part of output):

columns = `for %line in (@con) do ( ( for %field in (%line) do echos %@format[-%1, %field] %=`%=` ) %+ echo. )`

Removing outer backticks and doubling percents results in something similar.

columns = for %%line in (@con) do ( ( for %%field in (%%line) do echos %%@format[-%%1, %%field] %=`%=` ) %%+ echo. )

This works, but is unwieldy:

text > %temp\%@name[%_batchname].alias
columns = for %line in (@con) do ( ( for %field in (%line) do echos %@format[-%1, %field] `` ) %+ echo. )
endtext
alias /r %temp\%@name[%_batchname].alias
del /q %temp\%@name[%_batchname].alias

Any suggestions?

- Josh

 

[Steve Fabian]

joshjeppson wrote:
| I have the following alias, all one line (note the backticks):
|
| Code:
| ---------
| columns = for %line in (@con) do ( ( for %field in (%line) do echos
| %@format[-%1, %field] `` ) %+ echo. ) ---------
|
| I would like to define it on the fly in a batch file, and have been
| unable to do so, except by writing it out to a file first.

...

Did you try the "here-document" redirection?

alias /r <<-"ENDALIAS"
columns = for %line in (@con) do ( ( for %field in (%line) do echos
%@format[-%1, %field] `` ) %+ echo. )
ENDALIAS

Read the details in help topic "redirection.htm"!

N O T T E S T E D ! ! !
--
HTH, Steve

 

[samintz]

Use SETDOS to temporarily turn off special character handling.

setdos /x-123456789
alias columns=for %line in (@con) do ( ( for %field in (%line) do echos
%@format[-%1, %field] `` ) & echo. )
setdos /x0

You'll notice that there are no backticks arround the alias definition.

-Scott

joshjeppson <> wrote on 07/15/2008 11:49:37 PM:

> I have the following alias, all one line (note the backticks):
> Code:
> columns = for %line in (@con) do ( ( for %field in (%line) do echos
> %@format[-%1, %field] `` ) %+ echo. )
> I would like to define it on the fly in a batch file, and have been
> unable to do so, except by writing it out to a file first.
>
> Doesn't work (inner set of backticks are lost):
> Code:
>
> columns = `for %line in (@con) do ( ( for %field in (%line) do echos
> %@format[-%1, %field] `` ) %+ echo. )`
> Doesn't work (prints escape char, or something, as part of output):
> Code:
>
> columns = `for %line in (@con) do ( ( for %field in (%line) do echos
> %@format[-%1, %field] %=`%=` ) %+ echo. )`
> Removing outer backticks and doubling percents results in something

similar.

> Code:
>
> columns = for %%line in (@con) do ( ( for %%field in (%%line) do
> echos %%@format[-%%1, %%field] %=`%=` ) %%+ echo. )
> This works, but is unwieldy:
> Code:
> text > %temp\%@name[%_batchname].alias
> columns = for %line in (@con) do ( ( for %field in (%line) do echos
> %@format[-%1, %field] `` ) %+ echo. )
> endtext
> alias /r %temp\%@name[%_batchname].alias
> del /q %temp\%@name[%_batchname].alias
> Any suggestions?
>
> - Josh
>
>

 

[joshjeppson]

joshjeppson wrote:
| I have the following alias, all one line (note the backticks):
|
| Code:
| ---------
| columns = for %line in (@con) do ( ( for %field in (%line) do echos
| %@format[-%1, %field] `` ) %+ echo. ) ---------
|
| I would like to define it on the fly in a batch file, and have been
| unable to do so, except by writing it out to a file first.

...

Did you try the "here-document" redirection?

alias /r <<-"ENDALIAS"
columns = for %line in (@con) do ( ( for %field in (%line) do echos
%@format[-%1, %field] `` ) %+ echo. )
ENDALIAS

This cause me a little bit of a 'Doh!' moment. It works perfectly, of course. Scott's suggestion of using setdos also works. I will be using the heredoc version, mostly because I've always disliked the underlying idea of setdos. It feels too much like cheating. :)


- Josh

 

[Charles Dye]

I have the following alias, all one line (note the backticks):

columns = for %line in (@con) do ( ( for %field in (%line) do echos %@format[-%1, %field] `` ) %+ echo. )

I would like to define it on the fly in a batch file, and have been unable to do so, except by writing it out to a file first.

Doesn't work (prints escape char, or something, as part of output):

columns = `for %line in (@con) do ( ( for %field in (%line) do echos %@format[-%1, %field] %=`%=` ) %+ echo. )`

Any suggestions?

alias columns = `for %line in (@con) do ( ( for %field in (%line) do echos %@format[-%1, %field] ^`^` ) %+ echo. )`

N.B. actual escape characters, not the %= pseudovariable. Variable expansion is not performed inside strong quotes. (AFAIK, no escape checking is done either, with the sole exception of escaped backquotes!)

 

[joshjeppson]

alias columns = `for %line in (@con) do ( ( for %field in (%line) do echos %@format[-%1, %field] ^`^` ) %+ echo. )`

N.B. actual escape characters, not the %= pseudovariable. Variable expansion is not performed inside strong quotes. (AFAIK, no escape checking is done either, with the sole exception of escaped backquotes!)

Long ago, I changed my escape character to something harder to type and extremely rare in usage. At one point it was alt-255, I'm not sure what it is now because I use it directly so rarely. The original reason for the change was that I used many command line regular expressions with sed, perl, etc. and the caret ^ was getting evaluated by 4NT as an escape character. This was undesired and annoying. For that reason, I have used and still use %= exclusively as my meta-metacharacter.

Perhaps I will revisit this decision and switch back to using ^ as an escape character.


- Josh

 

[Steve Fabian]

joshjeppson wrote:
| Long ago, I changed my escape character to something harder to type
| and extremely rare in usage. At one point it was alt-255, I'm not
| sure what it is now because I use it directly so rarely. The original
| reason for the change was that I used many command line regular
| expressions with sed, perl, etc. and the caret ^ was getting
| evaluated by 4NT as an escape character. This was undesired and
| annoying. For that reason, I have used and still use %= exclusively
| as my meta-metacharacter.
|
| Perhaps I will revisit this decision and switch back to using ^ as an
| escape character.

I continued to use the default characters of 4DOS even when I switched to
4NT/TCC. There are batch programs in which I do use SETDOS to change them
temporarily. I did need to "NormalKey=ctrl-X" and redefine the key for
variable expansion(to ctrl-Y), to prevent dual use of ctrl-X.
--
Steve

 

[samintz]

I'm not sure what the original issue was. But I just tried this and it
worked without any issues:
alias columns=`for %line in (@con) do ( ( for %field in (%line) do echos
%@format[-%1, %field] ^`^` ) & echo. )`

It worked on the command line and running in a BTM script.

-Scott

joshjeppson <> wrote on 07/16/2008 02:25:44 PM:

> I have the following alias, all one line (note the backticks):

 

[Charles Dye]

Long ago, I changed my escape character to something harder to type and extremely rare in usage. At one point it was alt-255, I'm not sure what it is now because I use it directly so rarely. The original reason for the change was that I used many command line regular expressions with sed, perl, etc. and the caret ^ was getting evaluated by 4NT as an escape character. This was undesired and annoying. For that reason, I have used and still use %= exclusively as my meta-metacharacter.

Perhaps I will revisit this decision and switch back to using ^ as an escape character.

Well, another strategy would be to move those troublesome characters outside of the quotes. That way we can use %= to escape them:

alias columns = `for %line in (@con) do ( ( for %field in (%line) do echos %@format[-%1, %field]` %=k%=k `) %+ echo. )`

Or just lose the internal backquotes altogether. I think the intent was to force a space onto the end of the ECHOS command line, and there are easier ways to do that:

alias columns = `for %line in (@con) do ( ( for %field in (%line) do echos %@format[-%1, %field]%=s ) %+ echo. )`

 

[joshjeppson]

It worked on the command line and running in a BTM script.

It does indeed, if your escape character is a caret (^).


- Josh

 

[joshjeppson]

Or just lose the internal backquotes altogether. I think the intent was to force a space onto the end of the ECHOS command line, and there are easier ways to do that:

alias columns = `for %line in (@con) do ( ( for %field in (%line) do echos %@format[-%1, %field]%=s ) %+ echo. )`

I like this!


- Josh

 

[Steve Fabian]

joshjeppson wrote:
| ---Quote (Originally by Charles Dye)---
| Or just lose the internal backquotes altogether. I think the intent
| was to force a space onto the end of the ECHOS command line, and
| there are easier ways to do that:
|
|
| Code:
| ---------
| alias columns = `for %line in (@con) do ( ( for %field in (%line) do
| echos %@format[-%1, %field]%=s ) %+ echo. )`
| ---------
| ---End Quote---
|
| I like this!

Another minor simplification: JPsoft's FOR command does not require the DO
keyword.

alias columns = `for %line in (@con) ( ( for %field in (%line) echos
%@format[-%1, %field]%=s ) %+ echo. )`
--
Steve

 

[joshjeppson]

joshjeppson wrote:
Another minor simplification: JPsoft's FOR command does not require the DO keyword.

alias columns = `for %line in (@con) ( ( for %field in (%line) echos
%@format[-%1, %field]%=s ) %+ echo. )`

Yeah, I know, but I tend to prefer explicit syntax in batch files and aliases. I then use the shortcuts and simplifications at the command line.

It helps when I'm reviewing code that is months or years (or more) old.


- Josh