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htmlsql-serverxp-cmdshell

Write to .html file with exec master..xp_cmdshell

Below is my small code:

Scenario 1

declare @DataToWrite varchar(8000)

set @DataToWrite='<html><body><h1>This is a Heading</h1></body></html>'

DECLARE @CommandL1 varchar(8000)

SET @CommandL1 = 'echo'+@DataToWrite+'> D:\logs\Logs\HTMLFile.html'

print CommandL1 

exec master..xp_cmdshell @CommandL1

After executing it in the SSMS Query Window below are results:

Results Tab of SSMS: 

**< was unexpected at this time.**

Messages Tab of SSMS:

echo<html><body><h1>This is a Heading</h1></body></html>> 
D:\logs\Logs\HTMLFile.html

(2 row(s) affected)

Why it is not allowing me to write this HTML CODE TO .html file ?

Scenario 2

Below code runs fine and generates the HTML file in the desired location:

declare @DataToWrite varchar(8000)
set @DataToWrite='t'
DECLARE @CommandL1 varchar(8000)

SET @CommandL1 = 'echo '+@DataToWrite+'> D:\logs\Logs\HTMLFile.html'

print @CommandL1 

exec master..xp_cmdshell @CommandL1

Note:

Please don't get confused with "This Is a Heading" thing. Stackoverflow editor is converting it.

Solution

  • there are two issues:

    You have missed space between echo and the string variable @DataToWrite.

    You can't refer to a variable without @

    print CommandL1

    it should be

    print @CommandL1

    You also need to escape (using ^) special characters (tags) in your string to print them in the command line or write those into a file.

    try the following:

    declare @DataToWrite varchar(8000)
set @DataToWrite='<html><body><h1>This is a Heading</h1></body></html>'
DECLARE @CommandL1 varchar(8000)
SET @CommandL1 = 'echo '+REPLACE(REPLACE(@DataToWrite, '<', '^<'), '>', '^>')+' > D:\logs\Logs\HTMLFile.html'
print @CommandL1 
exec master..xp_cmdshell @CommandL1