Batch Print - Batch Script - findstr condition in for loop - ftp

Question

My problem at hand is to download pdf files and send all of them to the printer.
I download via ftp correctly and all the files go into my local directory:
File Name = FtpScript.ftp
open ftp.domain.com
username
password
!:--- FTP commands below here ---
lcd local/Directory
cd /remote/Directory
binary
mget "*.pdf"
prompt
disconnect
quit
This batch file then calls the ftp script.
File Name = retrieve_print.bat
#ftp -i -s:"C:\Scripts\FtpScript.ftp"
set mm=%date:~4,2%
set dd=%date:~7,2%
set yy=%date:~-4%
IF NOT EXIST {C:\Users\print_test2\print_%mm%_%yy%}( mkdir C:\Users\print_test2\print_%mm%_%yy% )
IF NOT EXIST C:\Users\print_test2\print_%mm%_%yy%\uploaded_%mm%_%dd%_%yy%.txt (
#echo Uploaded Text -- Date: %date% Time : %time% >> C:\Users\print_test2\print_%mm%_%yy%\uploaded_%mm%_%dd%_%yy%.txt
)
IF NOT EXIST C:\Users\print_test2\print_%mm%_%yy%\printed_%mm%_%dd%_%yy%.txt (
#echo Printed Text -- Date: %date% Time : %time% >> C:\Users\print_test2\print_%mm%_%yy%\printed_%mm%_%dd%_%yy%.txt
)
REM LOOP THROUGH PDFs THAT WERE UPLOADED AND INSERT THE NAMES INTO THE UPLOADED_*_*.txt TEXT FILE
FOR %%x in ( C:\Users\print_test2\print_%mm%_%yy%\*.pdf ) DO (
findstr "%%~nxx" C:\Users\print_test2\print_%mm%_%yy%\uploaded_%mm%_%dd%_%yy%.txt
#ECHO Error level = %errorlevel%
#ECHO %%~nxx
#pause
IF NOT %errorlevel% == 0 (
#echo %%~nxx >> C:\Users\print_test2\print_%mm%_%yy%\uploaded_%mm%_%dd%_%yy%.txt
)
)
REM LOOP THROUGH PDFs THAT WERE UPLOADED AND PRINT THEM, THEN INSERT THEM INTO THE PRINTED_*_*.txt TEXT FILE TO SUPPRESS DUPLICATE PRINTS
FOR %%x in ( C:\Users\print_test2\print_%mm%_%yy%\*.pdf ) DO (
findstr "%%~nxx" C:\Users\print_test2\print_%mm%_%yy%\printed_%mm%_%dd%_%yy%.txt
#ECHO Error level = %errorlevel%
#ECHO %%~nxx
IF NOT %errorlevel% == 0 (
rem PRINT FUNCTION
#echo %%~nxx >> C:\Users\print_test2\print_%mm%_%yy%\printed_%mm%_%dd%_%yy%.txt
)
)
The text files generate incorrectly. My thought is that I could loop through the files available in the print_test2/print_%mm%_%yy% directory for all the files that I received via ftp and log it into a text file.
The problem becomes apparent when I try to run the script a second time when the text files have file names in them. I expect the findstr function to give back an %errorlevel% of 0 , but it does not detect the string that is in the text file and appends all the file names again in both my uploaded and printed text files.
Is there a better way of logging the files received and printing the pdfs only once?
Thanks

Answer 1

Your problem is that the %errorlevel% value is taken inside a for, so it is replaced by the value errorlevel had before enter the for loop. To take the current value that errorlevel have in each for iteration you must use Delayed Variable Expansion, that is, enclose the value in exclamation points instead percents: !errorlevel! AND insert this line at begining of your program:
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
To make this problem clearer, try this:
set name=Value before FOR
for %%f in (*.pdf) do (
set name=%%f
echo %name%
)
and then try again changing echo %name% by echo !name!.

Answer 2

A few ideas to consider:
I'm not sure that the errorlevel after your FINDSTR command is going to be non-zero just because the string wasn't found.
Even if errorlevel is non-zero, I think that the moment you execute the next command, the new errorlevel from that command gets set.
In your IF statement, you might need to wrap the two sides of your equality check in delimiters, e.g. IF NOT "%errorlevel%" == "0"
You might consider just making your list distinct after you echo all file names into it. It'll save you some logic on the way in. Some code for making a list distinct in DOS is described here: http://www.dullsharpness.com/2010/10/01/create-a-distinct-ordered-list-from-an-unordered-duplicate-list-using-ms-dos/
If you use techniques from #4, you can then just do a directory listing into your file (as follows) and then make unique using techniques in #4.
dir/b C:\Users\print_test2\print_%mm%_%yy%\*.pdf >> C:\Users\print_test2\print_%mm%_%yy%\printed_%mm%_%dd%_%yy%.txt