I created a simple batch job that reads the third line in a file and sets the third line to a variable. the code works, it is: @echo off set rep=0 set report=0 for /F "usebackq delims=" %%r in ("%%a") do ( set /a rep=rep+1 if !rep!==3 ( set report=%%r if !rep!==3 Goto :End ) ) :End The third line in the file is always the title, this works, but I want it to do it for every txt file in a folder, so I put it in a larger for loop: @echo off for /F "usebackq delims=\ " %%a in (`dir /b *.txt`) do if not "%%a"=="results.txt" ( echo ------------------ echo Parsing %%a echo ------------------ pause set rep=0 set report=0 for /F "usebackq delims=" %%r in ("%%a") do ( set /a rep=rep+1 if !rep!==3 ( set report=%%r if !rep!==3 Call :End ) ) :End ) This doesn't run, if I take out the ":End". It will run, but obviously not work as intended. This could easily be written in any lanuage, but dos is all I know. I mean to learn VBS at some point. Any help is greatly appreciated

GOTO within a FOR is usually challenging. ================================== @echo off > newfile & setLocal enableDELAYedexpansion for /f "tokens=* delims= " %%a in ('dir/b/a-d *.txt') do ( set N= for /f "tokens=* delims= " %%i in (%%a) do ( set /a N+=1 if !N! equ 3 echo %%i >> newfile ) ) ===================================== Helping others achieve escape felicity M2