I wrote a batch file, of which the following code is part: :OutputFile CLS ECHO. ECHO. ECHO. :OutputFileAfterError ECHO What would you like to call the converted file? SET OutputFile= SET /P OutputFile=Type filename or Q to quit; ENTER sets filename to convertd.map: IF /I '%OutputFile%'=='' SET OutputFile=convertd.map IF /I '%OutputFile%'=='Q' GOTO End IF /I NOT exist %CD%\%OutputFile% GOTO CommandKnown CLS ECHO. ECHO File already exists, please choose again: ECHO. GOTO OutputFileAfterError The problem is that when the %outputfile% doesn't exist, I get the following error: GOTO not expected at this time. I used the same check somewhere else in the batch file, and there it DOES work. Anyone got a clue?

Just a tip suggested by the official syntax of the IF statement: As the /I switch has no meaning in the case of the [NOT] EXIST clause, remove it from the indicted line. Batch scripts are very sensitive to syntax singularities.

IF /I NOT exist %CD%\%OutputFile% As IVO said, no need for the /I. But I think the problem could be that %CD% when expanded contains spaces. Why do you have it there anyway? You don't need it: if you don't specify a directory, the default directory is %CD% anyway. Also, you should put %OutputFile% in quotes, in case there are spaces in there. So this becomes: IF EXIST "%OutputFile%" GOTO CommandKnown By the way, there is no CommandKnown label in your code snippet; I assume it exists but you haven't pasted it in.

The label is there, he just forgot the colon. Change CommandKnown to :CommandKnown

Oddly, goto eof won't work without the colon. ===================================== If at first you don't succeed, you're about average. M2

> Oddly, goto eof won't work without the colon. That's right, and also if you use CALL :label you also need to have the colon. So for the sake of consistency I now always use the colon in front of all my goto targets. (Except for the example I gave earlier, where I forgot...)

"if you use CALL :label you also need to have the colon" That's because a CALL without the colon is not a label [a subroutine] it's another BAT. ===================================== If at first you don't succeed, you're about average. M2