How to pass multiple parameters to a Windows batch file or batch function?

Question

I want to pass %DownParameters% and %URL% to function :myWGET in below code stored in a batch file with name abc.bat.

set DownParameters="--continue --wait=5 --no-check-certificate --retry-connrefused --tries=30 -blah -blah" set URL=https://someip/a.zip call :myWGET %DownParameters% %URL% :myWGET wget.exe %1 %2 REM what i expected is wget.exe %DownParameters% %URL% goto:eof

However, this is not working because of the spaces in %DownParameters%.

The workaround is using %DownParameters% directly in :myWGET, but that is not wanted.

How to pass the arguments in %DownParameters% and %URL% to function :myWGET for usage on wget.exe command line?

[update 1]

by using set "DownParameters=--no-check-certificate --wait=30 --tries=1 --retry-connrefused --header="Connection: close""

--header="Connection: close" will still cause trouble when

Call :myWGET "%DownParameters%" "%URL%"

echo %~1 in :myWGET show

--no-check-certificate --wait=30 --tries=1 --retry-connrefused --header="Connection: , the "` close" is missing, what need to be escaped?

It's a bad habit to not separate the subroutine from program flow with a prior Goto :Eof. After having called the label :myWget program flow reaches the wget command again this time using eventually present command line arguments - not call arguments. — user6811411
– user6811411, Commented Jun 10, 2018 at 13:27

Compo · Accepted Answer · 2018-06-10 16:54:47Z

3

Similar to that already answered, it's all a matter of correct quoting.

Set "DownParameters=--continue --wait=5 --no-check-certificate --retry-connrefused --tries=30 -blah -blah" Set "URL=https://someip/a.zip" Call :myWGET "%DownParameters%" "%URL%" Rem Any other commands here GoTo :EOF :myWGET WGet %~1 %2 GoTo :EOF

In the Call command, the doublequote pairs encompass each parameter/argument. In the WGet command the ~ expands each metavariable removing those encompassing doublequotes.

edited Jun 10, 2018 at 16:54

answered Jun 10, 2018 at 13:17

Compo

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4 Comments

K. C Over a year ago

quoting matters :-). Thank you, @Compo, WGet %~1 %~2 could be better in my case consider I may need a %~3 as well.

Compo Over a year ago

@K.C, In that particular scenario, and based on the additional information under the other answer, you'd probably want to use, If /I %3=="STOP" Exit /B 1, or If /I "%~3"=="STOP" Exit /B 1 because the comparison includes the encompassing doublequotes too.

K. C Over a year ago

thanks, @Compo updated question, since --header="Connection: close" will cause similar trouble again in %~1, not sure what need to be escaped and how...

Compo Over a year ago

@Mofi, there's absolutely nothing wrong with it in use with the URL provided in the OP's question and my answer. What you should have said, is that you do not recommend the use of %~2 should the passed URL contain ampersands, and the OP could have reverted to %2. I have made that modification in my answer, because I doubt that the doublequotes around it should need removing in either case, and especially with their inclusion now of a %3 argument.

Mofi · Accepted Answer · 2018-06-10 16:06:22Z

First, take a look on answers on Why is no string output with 'echo %var%' after using 'set var = text' on command line? and How to set environment variables with spaces? Those answers explain very detailed the difference between set "variable=value" and set variable="value".

The working code:

set "DownParameters=--continue --wait=5 --no-check-certificate --retry-connrefused --tries=30 -blah -blah" set "URL=https://someip/a.zip" call :myWGET %DownParameters% "%URL%" goto :EOF :myWGET for %%I in (%*) do if /I "%%~I" == "STOP" exit /B 1 echo wget.exe %* wget.exe %* goto :EOF

A FOR loop or FINDSTR can be used to exit the subroutine if any argument passed to the subroutine is case-insensitive the word STOP.

for %%I in (%*) do if /I "%%~I" == "STOP" exit /B 1

The FOR loop processes each argument in the argument list and runs IF for a simple case-insensitive string comparison whereby double quotes are removed from argument string before comparing with word STOP.

echo %* | %SystemRoot%\System32\findstr.exe /I /R "\<STOP\>" >nul 2>&1 && exit /B 1

ECHO redirects the list of arguments as one line to FINDSTR which searches case-insensitive for the word STOP. FINDSTR terminates with exit code 0 if the word is really found in which case Windows command processor executes the command EXIT. Otherwise FINDSTR terminates with 1 indicating that the searched string is not found and so Windows command processor continues with next command line in the batch file. The output of FINDSTR to handle STDOUT and STDERR are suppressed by redirecting it to device NUL as not needed.

The FOR loop is better in my opinion as really comparing entire argument strings without or with enclosing double quotes separated by one or more spaces.

For understanding the used commands and how they work, open a command prompt window, execute there the following commands, and read entirely all help pages displayed for each command very carefully.

call /? ... explains also %*
echo /?
findstr /?
for /?
goto /?
if /?
set /?

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