Windows Batch: Split String to individual characters to variables - windows

Question

in Windows Batch, if I had a variable (length can change) that was, for example: "hello world!"
is it possible to "split" the variable so each character is its own variable so the output could look like:
t1=h
t2=e
t3=l
etc.
Any help would be appreciated.

Answer 1

Use this code:
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
set str="hello world^!"
set tempstr=%str%
set count=0
:loop
if defined tempstr (
set tempstr=%tempstr:~1%
set /a count+=1
set /a pos=%count%-1
set t!count!=!str:~%pos%,1!
goto loop
)
:: check the generated variables
set t
To get the nth character in a string, use set char=%str:~n,1%.
I hope this was helpful!

Answer 2

Here is a variant using for /L to iterate over all characters of the string. The number of characters, so the length of the string, is retrieved in sub-routine :LENGTH first:
#echo off
setlocal EnableExtensions DisableDelayedExpansion
rem // Define constants here:
set "_STRING=Hello world!"
call :LENGTH LEN "%_STRING%"
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
for /L %%I in (0,1,%LEN%) do (
set "$CHR[%%I]=!_STRING:~%%I,1!"
)
set $CHR
endlocal
endlocal
exit /B
:LENGTH rtn_length val_string
setlocal DisableDelayedExpansion
set /A "RET=0" & set "STR=%~2"
if defined STR set /A "RET=1"
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
for %%L in (4096 2048 1024 512 256 128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1) do (
if not "!STR:~%%L,1!"=="" (
set /A "RET+=%%L"
set "STR=!STR:~%%L!"
)
)
(
endlocal
endlocal
set "%~1=%RET%"
)
exit /B
Here is a different variant, using cmd /U to convert the string into Unicode, where a null-byte becomers inserted behind every character, and find, which treats these null-bytes like end-of-line markers:
#echo off
setlocal EnableExtensions DisableDelayedExpansion
rem // Define constants here:
set "_STRING=Hello world!"
set /A "IDX=0"
for /F delims^=^ eol^= %%I in ('
cmd /U /V /C echo^(!_STRING!^| find /V ""
') do (
set "CHR=%%I"
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
for /F "delims=" %%J in ("$CHR[!IDX!]=!CHR!") do (
endlocal
set "%%J"
)
set /A "IDX+=1"
)
set $CHR
endlocal
exit /B
Finally, here is another variant, based on a goto loop. This uses a position pointer POS to scan the string and to extract a single character. If no character is returned, the end of the string is reached:
#echo off
setlocal EnableExtensions DisableDelayedExpansion
rem // Define constants here:
set "_STRING=Hello world!"
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
if not defined _STRING goto :QUIT
set /A "POS=0"
:LOOP
set "CHR=!_STRING:~%POS%,1!"
if defined CHR (
set "$CHR[%POS%]=!CHR!"
set /A "POS+=1"
goto :LOOP
)
:QUIT
set $CHR
endlocal
endlocal
exit /B

Answer 3

Old thread, but accepted answer misses letter d?
Changed
set /a pos=%count%-1 to
set /a pos=!count!-1
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
set str="hello world!"
set tempstr=%str%
set count=0
:loop
if defined tempstr (
set tempstr=%tempstr:~1%
set /a count+=1
set /a pos=!count!-1
set t!count!=!str:~%pos%,1!
goto loop
)
:: check the generated variables
set t
pause
Here is another version.
variables start with 0, though
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
set var="hello world!"
rem remove quotes
set var=%var:"=%
rem add limiter
set var=%var%_
echo %var%
set count=0
:loop
set tempvar=!var:~%count%,1!
if !tempvar!==_ goto skip
set arr!count!=!tempvar!
set /a count=!count!+1
goto loop
:skip
echo out
echo display output
set arr
pause