Batch programming help - variables

All,

Background:
I have a batch script that has an sftp command in it that's supposed to log in to a server and pull a file. The set of commands to be executed on the server are consolidated in a command file and this file is used in the sftp command as the input parameter.

Issue:
The file to be pulled has a dynamic timestamp on it that keeps changing with every new file. I calculate that timestamp in the main script and store it in a variable. But in order to pull the correct file, I need to pass this variable to the command file so that the actual filename on the server could be determined on run time. But the compiler fails to recognize this variable(%ts%) in the command file.

Below is the putty sftp command in the main batch script:

psftp user@server -pw "password" -batch -be -b C:\Scripts\Inbound.txt

The contents of C:\Scripts\Inbound.txt are as below:

cd test
lcd C:\data\in\
get goods_receipt.-%ts%.txt
close
quit

The above usage of %ts% needs to be fixed. Any ideas or comments would be helpful.

Thanks in advance.

 

The reason why it doesn't work is that environment variables are not supported in simple text files. Also your sftp tool does not support them. Your current construct works as follows:
- the sftp tool is called via command line
- the sftp tool reads the content of the text file and processes it line by line
- if it reaches the 3rd line it reads %ts% as string (nothing but a literal expression)

There is only one solution how to solve that problem. Change the content of the text file each time before you call the sftp tool using echo-redirection.

Untested example:

Code:

@echo off &setlocal

:: Calculate and define variable %ts% here! You didn't tell us how you do it.

>"C:\Scripts\Inbound.txt" (
  echo cd test
  echo lcd C:\data\in\
  echo get goods_receipt.-%ts%.txt
  echo close
  echo quit
)
psftp user@server -pw "password" -batch -be -b C:\Scripts\Inbound.txt

Regards
GermanOne

 

Awesome, I learn so much from you, GermanOne.

 

You're welcome.
I always appreciate (any kind of) feedback

 

Yeah, I'm slowly getting involved with powershell, which is a whole different beast. I'd post fixes here based on powershell, but, I feel I'd get boo'ed. heh.

Hence why I still work with "dos" based scripts, here. :cry

As soon as my work gets full on windows 7, I'll be writing a lot of fixes based on powershell. Looking forward to it. I've already been to a class on it.