Batch For loop array

Question

Okay so here is what I have.

@echo off
setLocal EnableDelayedExpansion
:begin
set /a M=0
set /a number=0
set /p Input=You: 
echo %Input% >> UIS
for /F "tokens=1 delims= " %%i in ("%Input%") do (
    set /a M+=1
    set i!M!=%%i
)
del UIS 1>nul 2>nul
:loop
set /a number+=1
set invar=!i%number%!
echo %invar%
pause > nul
goto loop

Say, for example, the Input string was "Lol this is my input string" I want the for loop to set i!M! where M = 1 to "Lol", where M = 2 i!M! is "this" and where M = 3 i!M! is "is" and so on. Now, of course, this can't go on forever, so even if I have to stop when M = 25 or something, and say the string was only 23 words long. Then when M = 24 and 25 then i!M! is simply null or undefined.

Any help is appreciated, thank you.

Well as it is it only reads the first word from the string, and will not set the value of M past 1. — Chase Russell, Apr 23 '13 at 15:55

score 1 · Answer 1 · edited May 23 '17 at 12:28

for /f reads line by line, not word by word.

Here's an answer proposed at How to split a string in a Windows batch file? and modified for your situation:

@echo off
setlocal ENABLEDELAYEDEXPANSION

REM Set a string with an arbitrary number of substrings separated by semi colons
set teststring=Lol this is my input string
set M=0

REM Do something with each substring
:stringLOOP
    REM Stop when the string is empty
    if "!teststring!" EQU "" goto displayloop

    for /f "delims= " %%a in ("!teststring!") do set substring=%%a

    set /a M+=1
    set i!M!=!substring!

    REM Now strip off the leading substring
    :striploop
        set stripchar=!teststring:~0,1!
        set teststring=!teststring:~1!

        if "!teststring!" EQU "" goto stringloop

        if "!stripchar!" NEQ " " goto striploop

        goto stringloop

:displayloop
set /a number+=1
set invar=!i%number%!
echo %invar%
pause > nul
goto displayloop

endlocal

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Apr 23 '13 at 22:40

for /F command divide a line in a definite number of tokens that must be processed at once via different replaceable parameters (%%i, %%j, etc). Plain for command divide a line in an undefined number of words (separated by space, comma, semicolon or equal-sign) that are processed one by one in an iterative loop. This way, you just need to change this for:

for /F "tokens=1 delims= " %%i in ("%Input%") do (

by this one:

for %%i in (%Input%) do (

PS - I suggest you to write the array in the standard form, enclosing the subscript in square brackets; it is clearer this way:

set i[!M!]=%%i

or

set invar=!i[%number%]!

Batch For loop array

2 Answers2