Hi all! I'm a edlin user. I use it very very often in my batch files. The problem is: in edlin, you edit a file with an another file. (ie: edlin text.dat " command. BUT: edlin uses the ^Z character! And it's interpreted in a batch file as a end-of-file character. So I can't do a "echo blabla^Zlala > txt.txt" ... >> Is there a way forcing the batch file to ignore ^Z characters?? Maybe something regarding command.com... I don't know. Any help would be welcome!!!! > <<) :-D email: secret_doom@hotmail.com

I'm not sure I understand what you mean, but here is an edlin batch I use regularly which may be of help. :: replac.bat @ECHO off IF not "%3"=="" GOTO start :help ECHO. ECHO %%1 is target file ECHO %%2 is text to replace ECHO %%3 is replacement text ECHO. ECHO Examples: ECHO replace test.txt A a : replaces A with a ECHO replace test.txt color colour : replaces color with colour ECHO replace test.txt Y N : replaces Y with N ECHO. ECHO File to be changed must be in current directory, which ECHO must be writeable. Filename only; no colon or backslash. ECHO. GOTO end :start ECHO %1 |FIND ":" >nul IF not errorlevel 1 ECHO colon or backslash not allowed IF not errorlevel 1 GOTO help ECHO %1 |FIND "\" >nul IF not errorlevel 1 ECHO backslash or colon not allowed IF not errorlevel 1 GOTO help IF not exist %1 ECHO "%1" not in current directory IF not exist %1 GOTO help REM Create an empty script file >%temp%.\replc.scr FOR %%v in (f100LFF''20 l102 w q) do ECHO %%v>>%temp%.\replc.scr :: text to be replaced follows immediately after 'R' below ECHO 1,R%2> %temp%.\part1.txt :: the following adds two spaces to the front of part1.txt, :: thus pushing the CR/LF off the end. :: this works becuase EDLIN.exe ignores leading spaces IF exist %temp%.\part1.txt DEBUG.exe %temp%.\part1.txt nul DEL %temp%.\replc.scr > nul IF exist %temp%.\ctrlz.dat DEL %temp%.\ctrlz.dat > nul :: this creates a 1 byte file with Ctrl-Z in it ECHO E| EDLIN.exe /B %temp%.\ctrlz.dat>nul IF exist %temp%.\part2.txt DEL %temp%.\part2.txt :: replacement text with follows after 'ECHO ' below ECHO %3>%temp%.\part2.txt ECHO e>>%temp%.\part2.txt COPY /B %temp%.\part1.txt+%temp%.\ctrlz.dat+%temp%.\part2.txt %temp%.\edscr.txt >nul EDLIN.EXE %1 nul :: This deletes the EOF character which was added at the end :: COPY/B/Y %1/A+,, . % Place a '>nul' here to supress screen output% ::DEL %temp%.\%1 DEL %temp%.\ctrlz.dat DEL %temp%.\edscr.txt DEL %temp%.\part?.txt :end

Watch for line wrapping!

Hi. Thanks for your reply. I didn't understood some parts of it (and it didn't work! -- it stops on debug command) Well, I guess the copy command ("COPY /B %temp%.\part1.txt+%temp%.\ctrlz.dat+%temp%.\part2.txt %temp%.\edscr.txt >nul") gets the text to be replaced (with an 1,r), an ^Z, the replacing text and an e character that commands edlin to exit. Ok, all that to make this line into one file: 1,rstring1^Zstring2 e But that copy command with + places the contents of files in different lines, like this: 1,rstring1 ^Z string2 e That's what I didn't get! May you explain me how to make copy command to put contents of files all in the same line? Thanks again. Secret_Doom

That replac.bat works perfectly for me. I hope you're not using NT! Practically nothing works (or works right) in NT. There are many methods to do what you want, and I am presently under severe time constraints. My best suggestion is to ask in new:alt.msdos.batch . That is where the batch experts hang out.

Hi, Thanks for pointing me that place. But I didn't understand that adress! Is that a news adress? Like to use on outlook express or something? I did tryed it, (with server alt.msdos.batch), but didn't work Please, tell me what does that means, I'm really interested