Batch-Script - Iterate through arguments

Question

I have a batch-script with multiple arguments. I am reading the total count of them and then run a for loop like this:

@echo off
setlocal enabledelayedexpansion

set argCount=0
for %%x in (%*) do set /A argCount+=1
echo Number of processed arguments: %argCount%

set /a counter=0
for /l %%x in (1, 1, %argCount%) do (
set /a counter=!counter!+1 )

What I want to do now, is to use my running variable (x or counter) to access the input arguments. I am thinking aobut something like this:

REM Access to %1 
echo %(!counter!)

In an ideal world this line should print out my first command line argument but obviously it doesn't. I know I am doing something wrong with the % operator, but is there anyway I could access my arguments like this?

//edit: Just to make things clear - the problem is that %(!counter!) provides me with the value of the variable counter. Meaning for counter=2 it gives me 2 and not the content of %2.

Answer 1

@echo off
setlocal enabledelayedexpansion

set argCount=0
for %%x in (%*) do (
   set /A argCount+=1
   set "argVec[!argCount!]=%%~x"
)

echo Number of processed arguments: %argCount%

for /L %%i in (1,1,%argCount%) do echo %%i- "!argVec[%%i]!"

For example:

C:> test One "This is | the & second one" Third
Number of processed arguments: 3
1- "One"
2- "This is | the & second one"
3- "Third"

Another one:

C:> test One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten Eleven Twelve etc...
Number of processed arguments: 13
1- "One"
2- "Two"
3- "Three"
4- "Four"
5- "Five"
6- "Six"
7- "Seven"
8- "Eight"
9- "Nine"
10- "Ten"
11- "Eleven"
12- "Twelve"
13- "etc..."

Answer 2

:loop
@echo %1
shift
if not "%~1"=="" goto loop

Answer 3

here's one way to access the second (e.g.) argument (this can be put in a for /l loop, see below.):

@echo off
setlocal enableDelayedExpansion
set /a counter=2
call echo %%!counter!
endlocal

so:

setlocal enableDelayedExpansion
set /a counter=0
for /l %%x in (1, 1, %argCount%) do (
 set /a counter=!counter!+1
 call echo %%!counter! 
)
endlocal

Answer 4

If to keep the code short rather than wise, then

for %%x in (%*) do (
   echo Hey %%~x 
)

Answer 5

For simple iteration can't we just check for additional arguments with "shift /1" at the end of the code and loop back? This will handle more than 10 arguments, upper limit not tested.

:loop

:: Your code using %1
echo %1

:: Check for further batch arguments.     
shift /1
IF [%1]==[] (
goto end
) ELSE (
goto loop
)

:end
pause

Answer 6

@ECHO OFF
SETLOCAL
SET nparms=0
FOR /l %%i IN (1,1,20) DO (
 SET myparm=%%i
 CALL :setparm %*
 IF DEFINED myparm SET nparms=%%i&CALL ECHO Parameter %%i=%%myparm%%
)
ECHO there were %nparms% parameters in %*
GOTO :EOF

:setparm
IF %myparm%==1 SET myparm=%1&GOTO :EOF
shift&SET /a myparm -=1&GOTO setparm
GOTO :eof

This should show how to extract random parameters by position.