How to extract text before a character or string in a batch file

batchcmd.execommand line

I'm basically looking for the opposate of this post: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/47796707/how-to-extract-text-after-in-batch-file. I'm looking to extract the text before an equal sign in a string of text (or remove the text after the equal sign and the equal sign).

Example Input:

User=Your Friend

Desired Output:

User

Since the length of the text before and after the equal sign varies I cant use something like %var:~0,-12%.

Best Answer

I'm looking to extract the text before an equal sign in a string of text

Use the following batch file (test.cmd):

@echo off
setlocal enabledelayedexpansion
set _string=User=Your Friend
echo %_string%
for /f "tokens=1 delims==" %%a in ("%_string%") do (
  echo %%a
  )
endlocal

Example output:

> test
User=Your Friend
User

C:\Users\harvey>sed -r "s/^01.*/01 00000000000000000000000000000000000 XYZ/" a.a

01 00000000000000000000000000000000000 XYZ

02  157

01 00000000000000000000000000000000000 XYZ

02  158

01 00000000000000000000000000000000000 XYZ

02  163

01 00000000000000000000000000000000000 XYZ

02  165

01 00000000000000000000000000000000000 XYZ

02  175

You could of course add >b.b to redirect that output to a new file, so you could do sed -r "......." a.a > b.b i.e. sed -r "s/^01.*/01 00000000000000000000000000000000000 XYZ/" a.a > b.b

How to center a text in a batch output

The width of all the symbols depends heavily on the font used. There is no easy way to measure pixel width of a string, but sometimes you don't need it.

Windows command line by default uses Lucida Console, a monospace font, which makes things easy. Example would be:

@echo off
setLocal EnableDelayedExpansion
set "STR=Boom^!"
set "SIZE=50"

set "LEN=0"
:strLen_Loop
   if not "!!STR:~%LEN%!!"=="" set /A "LEN+=1" & goto :strLen_Loop

set "stars=****************************************************************************************************"
set "spaces=                                                                                                    "

call echo %%stars:~0,%SIZE%%%
set /a "pref_len=%SIZE%-%LEN%-2"
set /a "pref_len/=2"
set /a "suf_len=%SIZE%-%LEN%-2-%pref_len%"
call echo *%%spaces:~0,%pref_len%%%%%STR%%%%spaces:~0,%suf_len%%%*
call echo %%stars:~0,%SIZE%%%

endLocal

SIZE here is the length of the block you want to output, make sure it's big enough to fit all the possible lines inside it.

I'll remind, that this will output a pretty block in monospace fonts only.

EDIT: Fixed the LEN initialization.

How to extract text before a character or string in a batch file

Best Answer

I'm looking to extract the text before an equal sign in a string of text

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Best Answer

I'm looking to extract the text before an equal sign in a string of text

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