Hi. I am having trouble with delayed variable expansion in a batch file. Unfortunately I've been unsuccessful in trying to reproduce this problem in a simplified batch file. An example simplified batch file, that works as expected, is: @echo off setlocal enabledelayedexpansion set XXX=123456 echo !XXX! set XXX=!XXX:~0,3!.!XXX:~3! echo !XXX! endlocal pause exit When I run the above, the output, as expected, is: 123456 123.456 Now, since I couldn't reproduce the problem I'm having, I must provide a smaller version of my batch file that doesn't work (I've added comments to make it easier to read): @echo off REM setup.bat sets some environment variables. call X:\setup\setup.bat REM Changing to existing network drive R: cd /d R:\ REM Enable delayed expansion setlocal enabledelayedexpansion for /d %%i in (*) do ( cd %%i echo processing %%i... for /d %%j in (*) do ( rem generate copy /y ..\file1.bat . >nul :createfile1 set XXX=XXX!random! if exist !XXX! goto createfile1 REM Program placevar in this case has the output 600.0000, and therefore adds 600.0000 to the file !XXX! placevar \\drive\%%j.NEW input1 input2 input3 > !XXX! REM Batch program setenvtofile sets the variable ZZZ equal to the contents of the file !XXX! call setenvtofile ZZZ !XXX! echo ZZZ is !ZZZ! %%j of %%i >> R:\running.log set ZZZ=!ZZZ:.0000=! echo ZZZ is !ZZZ! after first modification: removal of .0000 >> R:\running.log echo the two pieces I want to work with are !ZZZ:~0,1! and !ZZZ:~-2! >> R:\running.log set ZZZ=!ZZZ:~0,1!.!ZZZ:~-2! >> R:\running.log echo ZZZ is !ZZZ! after second modification >> R:\running.log REM Delete temporary file. del !XXX! ) cd .. ) :end endlocal exit -------- Given: first %%i is 200 first %%j is XYZ output of placevar is 600.0000 When this batch file is run, I expect the output (in file "running.log") to be: echo processing 200... ZZZ is 600.0000 for XYZ of 200 ZZZ is 600 after first modification: removal of .0000 the two pieces I want to work with are 6 and 00 ZZZ is 6.00 after second modification -------- Instead, the output is: echo processing 200... ZZZ is 600.0000 for XYZ of 200 ZZZ is 600 after first modification: removal of .0000 the two pieces I want to work with are and ZZZ is . after second modification --------- I hope that this is clear. Thank you VERY much for any help. ASBk

I do not understand fully your script, but I have to point out two things. The first, that is of little matter here, can cause troubles in future runs :createfile1 set XXX=XXX!random! if exist !XXX! goto createfile1 Goto inside a For/Do loop may disrupt correct instructions' flow (in your case only if the "if exist" is satisfied). The second note is more relevant and I think it is the key of the failure. You can't set environmental variables by calling a batch as the Call statement invokes a secondary command processor whose environment is inherited from the parent one, BUT disregarded at the return point. So the critical lines are call X:\setup\setup.bat and call setenvtofile ZZZ !XXX! I keep this supposition higly pertinent, but as I said I don't grasp fully your code.