Batch file programming: problem with variable

Question

SET SS_SOURCE_PROJECT = sausages
@echo SS_SOURCE_PROJECT = %SS_SOURCE_PROJECT%

This isn't working, it just outputs:

SS_SOURCE_PROJECT =

But I am expecting

SS_SOURCE_PROJECT = sausages

This is on WinXP if it matters. What obvious dumb thing am I doing wrong?

Stefan Steinegger · Accepted Answer · 2010-07-09 09:22:44Z

3

remove spaces:

SET SS_SOURCE_PROJECT=sausages

Yes, batch syntax is terrible.

answered Jul 9, 2010 at 9:22

Stefan Steinegger

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3 Comments

Joey Over a year ago

Well, “terrible” on the one side is “easy to implement” on the other side ;-). As far as I know at least one Unix shell also has this specific behavior and yet there it's never called terrible but rather superior. Hm.

Stefan Steinegger Over a year ago

@Johannes: I don't know the unix shell very well, but sometimes I get the feeling that DOS only owns the terrible part of a shell syntax and just left out the superior bit.

Joey Over a year ago

I still have proving Turing-completeness of batch files on my todo list. but yes, there are nicer alternatives. Still, it's fun to write then, for me at least. I don't have as much fun writing shell scripts ;-)

Tim Robinson · Accepted Answer · 2010-07-09 09:25:05Z

2

To expand on @Stefan's answer, the original code works like this: (note the spaces)

C:\>SET SS_SOURCE_PROJECT = sausages

C:\>echo "%SS_SOURCE_PROJECT %"
" sausages"

answered Jul 9, 2010 at 9:25

Tim Robinson

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1 Comment

Stefan Steinegger Over a year ago

1+, That's true, I didn't even think about it :-)

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