'Pretty print' windows %PATH% variable - h

Question

I want to run a simple one-liner in the Windows CMD prompt to print my %PATH% variable, one entry per line.

I tried this: for /f "delims=;" %a in ("%path%") do echo %a but this only prints the first entry:

Z:\>for /f "delims=;" %a in ("%path%") do echo %a

Z:\>echo c:\python25\.
c:\python25\.

Also as you can see from the output above, this is also printing the echo %a command as well as the output. Is there any way to stop this?

If I try a similar command, I get all the entries, but still get the echo %a output spamming the results. I don't understand why the following prints all entries, but my attempt on %PATH% doesn't. I suspect I don't understand the /F switch.

Z:\>for %a in (1 2 3) do echo %a

Z:\>echo 1
1

Z:\>echo 2
2

Z:\>echo 3
3

Answer 1

I have minor improvements to jeb's clever "always" solution. Currently jeb's solution has the following issues:

1. If the leading path is enclosed in quotes, then the first output starts with ""
2. If the trailing path is enclosed in quotes, then the last output ends with ""
3. If any path contains harmless but non-functional consecutive "", then the output preserves the ""
4. If var contains consecutive ;; delimiters then outputs ECHO is off

This solution fixes the minor issues, plus it uses 2 fewer substitutions. Also I eliminated the unnecessary repeated enabling/disabling delayed expansion within the loop. (Edit on 2011-10-30 simplified the ENDLOCAL logic)

@echo off
setlocal DisableDelayedExpansion
set "var=%var:"=""%"
set "var=%var:^=^^%"
set "var=%var:&=^&%"
set "var=%var:|=^|%"
set "var=%var:<=^<%"
set "var=%var:>=^>%"
set "var=%var:;=^;^;%"
set var=%var:""="%
set "var=%var:"=""Q%"
set "var=%var:;;="S"S%"
set "var=%var:^;^;=;%"
set "var=%var:""="%"
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
set "var=!var:"Q=!"
for %%a in ("!var:"S"S=";"!") do (
  if "!!"=="" endlocal
  if %%a neq "" echo %%~a
)

If you want to see a blank line for each empty path resulting from consecutive ;; delimiters, then the last line of the FOR loop can simply read echo(%%~a instead.

Or perhaps it would be more obvious to display empty paths as "" using:
if %%a=="" (echo "") else echo %%~a

The various empty path fixes work for jeb's simple solution as well.

UPDATE: Here is a simple one-liner using JREPL.BAT

You can use my JREPL.BAT regular expression text processing utility to achieve a simple, very robust solution. JREPL.BAT is pure script (hybrid JScript/batch) that runs natively on any Windows machine from XP onward.

jrepl "([^;\q]+|\q.*?(\q|$))+" $0 /x /jmatch /s path

Answer 2

I know this is old, but FWIW; I always run into wanting this for some reason or another. Some time ago, I wrote myself a script to do this. I put a little polish on it and posted it on my blog.

Feel free to use it.

It's called epath, and the file is at inzi.com. It's compiled as an EXE for easy use (using vbsedit): here

You can download the exe there. Here's the source code to the script if you want it as a vbs script.

    scriptname = Wscript.ScriptName 'objFSO.GetFileName(WScript.FullName)

    Function BubbleSort(arrData,strSort)
    'borrowed from here: http://vbscripter.blogspot.com/2008/03/q-how-do-i-sort-data-in-array.html

    'Input: arrData = Array of data.  Text or numbers.
    'Input: strSort = Sort direction (ASC or ascending or DESC for descending)
    'Output: Array
    'Notes: Text comparison is CASE SENSITIVE
    '        strSort is checked for a match to ASC or DESC or else it defaults to Asc


        strSort = Trim(UCase(strSort))
        If Not strSort = "ASC" And Not strSort = "DESC" Then
            strSort = "ASC"
        End If 

        For i = LBound(arrData) to UBound(arrData)
          For j = LBound(arrData) to UBound(arrData)
            If j <> UBound(arrData) Then
                If strSort = "ASC" Then
                  If UCase(arrData(j)) > UCase(arrData(j + 1)) Then
                     TempValue = arrData(j + 1)
                     arrData(j + 1) = arrData(j)
                     arrData(j) = TempValue
                  End If
                End If

                If strSort = "DESC" Then
                    If UCase(arrData(j)) < UCase(arrData(j + 1)) Then
                        TempValue = arrData(j + 1)
                        arrData(j + 1) = arrData(j)
                        arrData(j) = TempValue
                     End If        
                End If 
            End If
          Next
        Next

        BubbleSort = arrData

    End Function

    If Wscript.Arguments.Count>0 Then

        Set args = Wscript.Arguments

        bInLines = False
        bInAlphabetical = False
        bReverseSort = False
        bShowHelp = False

        For Each arg In args
            Select Case arg
                Case "-l"
                    bInLines = True
                Case "-a"
                    bInAlphabetical = True
                Case "-r"
                    bReverseSort = True
                Case Else
                    bShowHelp=True
            End Select  

        Next

        If bInLines = False Then
            bShowHelp=True
        End if

        If bShowHelp Then

                    sTxt = sTxt + "" & vbCrLf
                    sTxt = sTxt +  scriptname  & " Displays the system path in optionally friendly formats." & vbCrLf
                    sTxt = sTxt +  "ePath is helpful when viewing the system path and easily identifying folders therein." & vbCrLf
                    sTxt = sTxt + "" & vbCrLf
                    sTxt = sTxt + "EPATH [-l] [-a] [-r]" & vbCrLf
                    sTxt = sTxt + "" & vbCrLf
                    sTxt = sTxt + "Switches:" & vbCrLf
                    sTxt = sTxt + vbTab + "[-l]" + vbtab + "Show the path broken out in lines" & vbCrLf
                    sTxt = sTxt + vbtab + "[-a]" + vbTab + "Sort the path broken out in lines sorted alphabetically" & vbCrLf
                    sTxt = sTxt + vbtab + "[-r]" + vbTab + "Reverse the alphabetic sort [asc default] (ignored without -a)" & vbCrLf
                    sTxt = sTxt + "" & vbCrLf
                    sTxt = sTxt + vbTab + "Examples:" & vbCrLf
                    sTxt = sTxt +  vbTab + vbTab + scriptname  & vbTab & "(Show %PATH% normally)" & vbCrLf
                    sTxt = sTxt +  vbTab + vbTab + scriptname  & " -l" & vbCrLf
                    sTxt = sTxt +  vbTab + vbTab + scriptname  & " -l -a" & vbCrLf
                    sTxt = sTxt +  vbTab + vbTab + scriptname  & " -l -a -r" & vbCrLf
                    sTxt = sTxt +  vbTab + vbTab + scriptname  & " -? Display help (what you are seeing now)" & vbCrLf
                    sTxt = sTxt + "" & vbCrLf
                    sTxt = sTxt + "More info or questions at http://inzi.com" & vbCrLf


                    Wscript.Echo sTxt

                    WScript.Quit

        Else
            Set wshShell = CreateObject( "WScript.Shell" )
            sPath = wshShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings( "%PATH%" )
            thePath = Split(sPath,";")

            If bInAlphabetical Then
                If bReverseSort Then
                    sDirection = "DESC"
                End If

                thePath = BubbleSort(thePath, sDirection)
            End if


            For Each item In thePath
                WScript.Echo item
            Next
            Set wshShell = Nothing
        End if
    Else
        'Nothing, echo the path.

        Set wshShell = CreateObject( "WScript.Shell" )
        WScript.Echo wshShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings( "%PATH%" )
        Set wshShell = Nothing

    End If