Search code examples
batch-filespecial-characters

Difference between Echo[Special Character]

When writing batch files, I found out some people uses Echo.,Echo/,Echo( etc...These echo a blank line, so what is the difference between these Echo[Special Character]?

Solution

  • You can use many different characters with echo. One of .[]+\:/,;=(.

    But there are multiple requirements for a good choice.

    1. It should create an empty line (not ECHO iS OFF)

      1. It should be able to output any content if used with a (delayed) variable
      2. It shouldn't fail when a special namend file exists in the current directory

    The first point works for all characters (from the list).
    The second point fails for \:. with content like \..\..\..\windows\system32\calc.exe

    @echo off
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
set var=\..\..\..\windows\system32\calc.exe
echo.!var!

    ,;= fails with /? and / fails with ?

    @echo off
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
set var=/?
echo=!var!

    The third point fails for .[]+

    echo echo HELLO FROM %~f0 > echo[.bat
echo[ This fails

    The only one that works always is echo(