How to write an XML tag with double quotes using command prompt echo command

Question

I would like to add the simpliest tag into a file, using a CMD batchfile, but it seems that the double quotes are spoiling the party:

From other StackOverflow posts I am aware of the double quote state machine and the usage of ^" (^ as an escape character). Still I can't make it work:
Hereby my attempts (with their results):

C:\>echo <tag variable="value">  // very naïve
The syntax of the command is incorrect.

C:\>echo "<tag variable="value">"  // let's use quotes for delimiting the string
"<tag variable="value">"

C:\>echo "<tag variable=^"value^">" // let's use the escape character
The system cannot find the path specified.

C:\>echo "<tag variable=^"value^"> // what if the state machine is not switched back?
The syntax of the command is incorrect.

C:\>echo "<tag variable=^"value"> // desperate people do weird things :-)
"<tag variable=^"value">

I have also done some tests using the escape character in front of the tag characters < and > (as those have their own significance in CMD) but also there no good results.
Also first putting the entry within a variable (set test="...") does not solve the issue.
As mentioned, I am getting desperate. The only thing I want to do is writing this into a text file:

<tag variable="value">

Can anybody help me out here?
Thanks in advance

You should replace "DOS" by "CMD" in your post (title and body)... I suppose you are not really working with DOS, are you? — aschipfl, Oct 08 '15 at 22:45
Possible duplicate of [using batch echo with special characters](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/7308586/using-batch-echo-with-special-characters) — phuclv, Sep 29 '18 at 03:07
[Windows Batch System Info to HTML](https://stackoverflow.com/q/22029285/995714) — phuclv, Sep 29 '18 at 03:07

score 5 · Accepted Answer · edited Oct 08 '15 at 12:13

5

the characters you want to escape are not the " but the <.
Then the correct syntax is this one :

C:\>echo ^<tag variable="value"^>

edited Oct 08 '15 at 12:13

Stephan

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answered Oct 08 '15 at 12:08

Mathiou

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score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Oct 08 '15 at 12:07

1

Shouldn't you use the "\" char to escape a double quote ? Like "echo "< tag blabla=\"value\" >" ?

EDIT

Seems like :

echo ^<tag variable=^"value^"^>

works fine !

answered Oct 08 '15 at 12:07

Alexandre Beaudet

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Although your proposal is correct, the escaping of the double quotes is unnecessary, as mentioned by Mathiou. – Dominique Oct 08 '15 at 12:24

score -1 · Answer 3 · answered Sep 29 '18 at 08:08

-1

try with delayed expansion:

setlocal enableDelayedExpansion
set "tag_line=<tag variable="value">"
echo !tag_line!

answered Sep 29 '18 at 08:08

npocmaka

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How to write an XML tag with double quotes using command prompt echo command

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